Answering the doorbell with Ring 3

I know that this has been mentioned here by others, but the search didn’t bring it up.

Why is it so convoluted to answer the doorbell?

I keep thinking there must be a trick I’m missing, but apparently not!

Surely, it should be as easy as answering a phone call (and you should be able to answer from your PC as well)

As it is, to answer the doorbell. I have to:

  1. Unlock my phone
  2. Start Ring app, (log in, including the 2FA)
  3. Activate and wait for Live View to start, and finally
  4. Turn on speaker & microphone (which seems to be muted by default) to talk to whoever is at the door.

By that time, my visitor would be long gone!

While we’re on the subject of logging in, why can’t the app use the fingerprint log in that even my bank is happy to use?

And if they insist on using the 2FA, why do we get logged off every time we go to another screen?

I am a very new user (half a day) but unless I get some solutions to these two things (and no doubt I will find more problems once I start to actually use it) I think I will return it for a refund, both these things are deal breakers, AFAIC

Oh, another thing… Reading the instructions, it says that we are supplied with 3 wedges, so that we can set it at the correct angle. I only received one! (well, two, if I count the sideways wedge)

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@csutak40 wrote:

I know that this has been mentioned here by others, but the search didn’t bring it up.

Why is it so convoluted to answer the doorbell?

I keep thinking there must be a trick I’m missing, but apparently not!

Surely, it should be as easy as answering a phone call (and you should be able to answer from your PC as well)

As it is, to answer the doorbell. I have to:

  1. Unlock my phone
  2. Start Ring app, (log in, including the 2FA)
  3. Activate and wait for Live View to start, and finally
  4. Turn on speaker & microphone (which seems to be muted by default) to talk to whoever is at the door.

By that time, my visitor would be long gone!

While we’re on the subject of logging in, why can’t the app use the fingerprint log in that even my bank is happy to use?

And if they insist on using the 2FA, why do we get logged off every time we go to another screen?

I am a very new user (half a day) but unless I get some solutions to these two things (and no doubt I will find more problems once I start to actually use it) I think I will return it for a refund, both these things are deal breakers, AFAIC

Oh, another thing… Reading the instructions, it says that we are supplied with 3 wedges, so that we can set it at the correct angle. I only received one! (well, two, if I count the sideways wedge)

Hello @csutak40 Welcome to the Ring Community!

Yes, you’ll still have to unlock your phone, but you should NOT have to log in again once you’ve done an initial log-on with your smart-phone (and the 2FA should not occur again either). Just tap your Ring app and it should be right there (unless you are actually selected “log-off” previously). Your smart-phone should not be logging you off every time you go to another screen either. If this keeps happening, you might have to un-install your app and then reinstall the latest Ring App version (don’t worry if you have to do this, because the majority of your previous setting are stored on the Ring Cloud servers tied to your email account).

You can also set your app to automatically go to “Live View” once you selected the cam (no need to select “Tap to View” to activate it). From main menu (upper-left-corner 3 horizontal bars) > select Devices > select the desired cam > scroll and select Device Settings (gear icon) > Video Settings > then toggle “Tap Camera Preview for Live View” to ON.

True, your camera will be muted by default, but you’ll see Green and Red Phone-handset Icon in the lower-left-corner while in ‘Landscape’ full-screen viewing. You can get the side-ways ‘Landscape’ multiple ways (turn you phone sideways if your phone has screen-rotation enabled, or you’ve clicked the segmented square in the lower-right-corner of the “Portrait” (vertical) video, or already have set “Tap Camera Preview for Live View” toggled ON). Just click on the Green Telephone Icon (like picking up phone) you will have an active microphone & speaker right away. Once you tapped the Green Telephone, you can re-mute your mic and/or speaker off and back on. When done with your video cam session, just “hang up” by tapping the Red Telephone Icon. I think you’ll like how you can even zoom-in by using the two-finger-pinching method!

I’m guessing you purchased the Ring Video Doorbell 2, because it comes with a Wedge kit (to angle the Doorbell downward slightly), a Corner kit (to slightly angle it left/right), and a very thin Flat mounting kit (the bracket, if you don’t need the Wedge or Corner) . . . that’s three total.

If you need more detailed answers to any questions you might have, you can post your questions in the appropriate Community Product Forums. Your fellow “Ring Neighbors” (other Ring owners) generally have good advice and are always willing to help, including the helpful Ring Moderators (they all have last names of " _Ring" ). But questions are more appropriate in one of the e 8 Product Forums, and the “Feature Request Board” is more appropriate for requesting a currently, unavailable Ring feature.

https://community.ring.com/t5/Products/ct-p/Products

Also on the Ring.com website, there is an extensive Support/Help section:

https://support.ring.com/hc/en-us

that also includes Help on specific products and also full of tips and trouble-shooting guides:

https://support.ring.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004819466-Download-the-Manual-Ring-Video-Doorbell-2

I hope this information is helpful to you. And again, Welcome to the Ring Community! :slight_smile:

@csutak40 ,

Dang it . . . I forgot to add the below link, since you said, “and you should be able to answer from your PC as well”

You can answer your Doorbell from your PC (MAC, Windows 10, laptops, tablets, ipads, etc.) The PC Apps are primarily designed for Ring camera viewing. Another good thing is the PC apps does NOT log you off when you close the app. Also there is not an idle-time-out either (so no 2FV). As long as you do not actually select “log-out”, it should be there just by clicking on the App Icon.

Since it can be easy accessed by another person while you’re PC is unattended, the PC App has a very limited ability to change any of your setting, so no security worries there. Your phone app is where you should make setting changes.

https://ring.com/gettheapp

Enjoy! :slight_smile:

Thank you for your reply. Some I have since figured out (like the PC App) but some still a mystery

I actually have the Ring Video Doorbell 3 and there was no thin Flat mounting kit, unless you mean the battery cover.