Spotlight Cam Battery not charging with solar panel

This issue of Spotlight Cams not being charged by solar panels has been going on for about three months. The responses from Ring are weak at best. From all indications the fix should be simple. As a senior software engineer who used to develop software for aircraft, cruise missiles and other aerospace systems and manufacturing robots, I have some amount of knowledge about real-time software design and implementation.

It appears to me that the Ring software development team does not use professional software development methods or engineering disciplines. Who knows where the software is actually being created or what engineering life cycle processes are being used? Rapid prototyping? Ukraine? China? Who knows? The resulting software release numbers are not shared with end users. There are no roll back options provided. Nothing is backward compatable. It appears to be a write code/toss it over the fence/and see what works approach. No published software test reports. No offer of Beta testing by users. No open source opportunities given to end users who are able to review the source code and offer insights into potential solutions. No information given about what software language(s) are used as the source code? In short, Ring sofware deveolpment appears to be a totally ad hoc process with little understanding of real softare engineering protocols, configuration management or design control.

Jamie sold Ring for $1B+ to Jeff Bezos (Amazon) and then rode off into the sunset on his new mountain bike. Good for Jamie. Of course one of the hardest things to manage in a new company is growth and because Ring is now a teeny tiny part of Amazon, the issues and concerns of customers are much less important than when the company was first started. Jeff Bezos most likely doesn’t know or even care about the fact that Ring products are becoming defective because the objective is to put more and more products into the pipeline. And, as more products and increased interactive complexity is introduced into the product offerings the frequency and severity of resulting problems will become worse. Bezos may not even know that Amazon owns Ring. It’s of little matter or importance to Bezos that products don’t work. Microsoft was very good at this game. In the end the increased number of defective product offerings will destroy the company and along the way a competitor may take over the market and Ring will be history. For Bezos it won’t matter because Ring is juat a little afterthought to his bottom line and the loss would most likely help him to continue not pay any federal income taxes.

So, this little episode of a software glitch involving Spotlight Cams and Solar Panels is just the tip of the iceburg. If the Ring software folks can’t fix this little problem, their future looks very dark.

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The only part you got wrong is Jamie didn’t just “ride off into the sunset”. He still appears on commercials from time to time.

I think you got it there ! Cheep solar panels that we overpaid for ! They pay people thousands of $ a year to figure this stuff out !!! Ring should step forward and fes-up !!! Waiting to see if anyone has a fix ! Might switch to different device altogether!!! I’m gonna try cleaning off panel and it’s connection to the light really good and see what happens I guess !!

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Now that you mention it I saw the same things you the same way you did !! I thought that maybe it was always there and I never saw it… I totally agree with you…

that’s what they tell you ever time you call oh clean the panle and the port that’s hog wash mine is new and they changed it told me it was the panel monde you i had already tested it with a bolt meter and it was pumping out the 5 volts it gives them they change the camera and that where i am at instal it sat and already one of the bats is at 80% i will give it until friday before i call them and demand a refund

virginiabeef:

At this point yours is the only explanation that makes any rational sense.

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Just stumbled on this on the app help section for the spotlight !! Seems they might have a design issue with connector … water getting in at the connection would definitely effect it’s working properly …see attached

I would agree with that… had I not had issues fresh out of the box. Mine has just never worked.

I just got the stickup cam and solar panel. There must have been a firmware or app update - my device health now shows “connected” for the solar panel status and a “very good” for power status.

Ring,

Apple App store sent me a notice there’s an update for my Ring app. I downloaded it and guest what…IT DID NOT FIX MY ISSUE WITH THE SOLAR PANEL NOT CHARGING MY SPOTLIGHT CAM AND SHOWING MY DOOR BELL HAVING A SOLAR PANEL CONNECTED TO IT !!!

So I had go up a ladder and swap battery today…THANKS RING…

How long does it take to fix software issue?

I am having the same problem with my solar panel. I got the solar panel so I wouldn’t have to keep charging batteries & climbing ladders. I have a disability & this is a challenge.

@Jennifer_Ring wrote:

Thank you so much for this information. It seems like November is a common date. I’ll be sending this to the team.

Just to rule out weather, do you mind mentioning where you are from? No worries if not!

Jennifer,

I’m in WA state. All my 1st gen solar panels (micro USB connection) hold charge with absolutely NO problems. Only the spotlight cam and panel are affected.

I’m still within my return period for the panel. I’m sending it back.

Lol. I was thinking the same thing when I saw the update pop up. I felt like was playing Russian roulette, whether it would make things better or worse. Turns out it was a push.

Well this is weird. One of my stickup cams on a solar panel suddenly went to 100% in a single morning (from about 88%). My other stickup cam (also on a solar panel) is still losing power. My new Spotlight cam (also on a solar panel) is still losing power. My Ring Doorbell 2 has always stayed at 100%. Is this the Ring Twilight Zone?

This is so incredibly ridiculous. This thread is more than 19 pages deep and ring has no clue about how terrible the quality is.

I got a replacement solar panel that worked for 2 days and then again same issue - I asked to be upgraded to the super panel - they let me pay the difference of $50 and this one is a dud.

I would add that I have 2 other spots with regular solars that have charged great from day 1 this one I just can’t get to a consistent performance

MarylanderRing, you are lucky. All of my cams (3) were not charging since at least November (2 of them - on is only a month old and has the same issue) … until today, when one of them (an older one) suddenly went to 100%. I am hoping that they are doing something.

I honestly don’t know how much better the other ones are. I bought 1 wyze pan and a blinkxt2. I don’t know if the Arlos, Nests, ADPs are any better.
I’ve invested way too much (my fault for not being diligent ) into the ring platform with 9 cams/bells, sensors etc ) to dump and move my main set up to a competitor.

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MarylanderRing, I am in the same boat. 2 stickup cams, 1 spotlight cam and a Ring doorbell. Really don;t want to replace all of them. I will conitnue ot have faith that Ring is trying to help (although this is no longer Ring really - it’s owned by Amazon now, I think).

When did they come out with this “super solar panel”? I purchased ring security system and various cameras. Over $3000 worth of equipment and never saw this super solar panel or had anybody offer it to me.

Either way, i started to notice in December that 3 out of 5 of my spotlight cams were not charging like the should. They all have 2 batteries in them. I live in NY state, so I understand that it gets cold, but if 2 of them keep 100% charge on both batteries, why can’t the all? None of them show that the solar panel is connected. For the amount of money I have paid, things should run better than this. Especially if it is a software issue! Roll back to when things worked. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

Add one more set of cameras not working. I live in AZ too.

I have had solar up with spot light camera for over a year.

Some units worked others not at all.

Even the ones that worked never keep a full charge in AZ in summer. I suspect there is more than a firmware problem.

There no easy way to hard wire my cameras.

I want my money back Ring !!!