@Jennifer_Ring wrote:
Hi neighbors – again this would NOT be due to an APP update. The two are not related.
This, again, is most likely due to cold weather. Cold weather may be the culprit of not being able to charge the battery and not necessarily the Solar Panel.
A quick Google search will go into more detail about how cold weather can take a toll on your battery. That, combined with less sun and factors such as how your panel is tilted, how much actual sun your Solar Panel is getting, whether your Solar Panel is plugged in correctly, etc all play a crucial roll on whether or not the device can remain charged. Not to mention, if it is cold outside and your battery is not getting the full charge it normally does in the summer + you’re still getting the same amount of notifications then yes, of course the battery will deplete – which is what we have explained in the article, here. Also, your wifi enviornment can play a role with your battery.
I personally have been working with the team on this to ensure that our neighbors are getting the answers they deserve. I’m in ‘sunny’ Los Angeles and have been testing on my device. Yes, our days aren’t ‘freezing’ but our nights are cold which lowered my battery. Also, I had to physically adjust how and where my Solar Panel was, because now in the winter, the Solar Panel wasn’t getting as much sun and is does in the summer. I didn’t take into consideration new shadows that were casted on the device during the day.
Again, the team is continuing to test multiple scenarios with this, however, I think this is mostly due to the colder temperatures. I will continue to update you with findings from the team and also myself, but in return I would appreciate your patience as well as your understanding. I also encourage you to try some testing of your own. Bring your batteries and everything inside to test, adjust your Solar Panel, etc. Any relevant findings you discover, share them here so the team and other nieghbors can learn from you.
Thank you and I will be in touch soon.
With all due respect Jennifer, the cold can’t be the culprit. As I know I’ve stated plenty of times, I’m in NW WA and all 4 of my 1st gen Stick Up cams with solar panels are operating as normal. And you’re absolutely right that cold weather can run down battery, but again, my old ones are staying charged just fine.
I’ll acquiesce that the app update wouldn’t be the problem, but since Ring doesn’t disclose when we’re getting firmware updates or their versions, it’s difficult for us to pinpoint the proper timing. It was just very coincidental that this all happened the same time we got app updates. I’m on Android and don’t see the “Attach solar panel line”. I get that is an IOS app thing and has no bearing on anything. It just sounds like the wording on it is very confusing to many users, and frankly, just a sales pitch.
Obviously we’re frustrated. Like I said, it just doesn’t make sense that all my older solar panels are working perfectly with my older cams. And up here in WA, we’ve had maybe 1-2 sunny days since November, so the cold and cloudy days explanation makes no sense.