Spotlight Cam Battery not charging with solar panel

Just want to provide an update. It’s been 3 weeks since my original post and the RING Spotlight Camera is now at 61%. That’s literally 13% battery drain per week with the solar panel attached. If the weather stays sunny (and it has been) I should be able to go almost 2 months without having to pull the battery out. Worth it? TBD. The spotlight averages around 30 alerts a day (person / activity detected).

@HD1167 wrote:

I just want to add my experience with this solar panel. When I first purchased it, it appeared to work… somewhat. I would see that it showed connected in the app so I figured it was all good. I first connected it @50% battery in the morning. The next morning it was @47% and then by the end of the day (w/full sunlight) it would be @49%. I was like OK, that’s cool it appears to work. After about a week though (w/full sunlight) the battery charge was dropping faster than it could recover. So I started doing some research and started getting all technical; angle of solar panel and direction based on my location (google search). I charged my battery back up to 100% and started over after adjusting the panel. Guess what? My battery has stayed charged for a couple of days now at 100%. I don’t know if it was the charging to 100% that did the trick or the direction/angle but I’m not going to troubleshoot any further since it’s working. I hope this helps :slight_smile:

My Stick Up camera has stopped fully charging also. Has anyone been able to get a real fix from Ring on this?? I checked the solar panel and it is putting out 5v as it should. I’m in Georgia and we have more than our share of sun. Shouldn’t be loosing battery charge in July.

After reading hundreds of these posts it would seem the best thing to do would be a hard reset.

Good luck.

Similar issue here with 2 new spotlight cams and new solar panels.

Installed them yesterday and they were both showing the solar panel was connected. Checked this morning and both showing as disconnected. Wonder if this occurs overnight as the panel would not provide any charge?

Will check again later today if they show as connected.

I have a brand new system and the solar panel will not charge battery, I think they must have a QA issue… I will definitely be requesting a replacement or refund.

Add another one to the list with the same issues. This past weekend, both spotlight cameras attached to solar panels stopped charging as they used to. Its no coincidence that many of us are experiencing the same thing. This is a software defect. RING: can you aknowledge and address this?

The problem of the solar panel suddenly not working after working great for a year has hit my two Cam Battery cameras. Several days ago, I discovered my batteries were drained on one camera and the device health under solar status stated to add a Ring solar panel. I had a spare camera on hand, so switched it out and same thing. Since my other camera in a different location was still connected and charging from the solar panel, I decided it must be a dead solar panel. I ordered a new one. Now this morning, my other camera is no longer working with the solar panel. Both solar panels receive full sunlight and its summer time in the midwest and very hot, so there should not be a reason why the batteries are not receiving a charge. I have looked at the Firmware update status and all it states is “Up to Date” so I have no way of knowing if they sent a Firmware update - which I suspect is what happened. Since my free trial period is up and I am now required to pay for the plan, I’m hesitant to do so if the cameras are not working properly. It appears contacting support is a waste of time considering all the comments posted. Not sure what to do here…I have extra batteries on hand, but the entire reason I purchased solar panels is so I would not have to climb a ladder and switch out batteries.

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Solution: well mine was doing the same thing, draining and not charging. Called Ring and told me to check the cable behind the camera to see if it was plugged in. Found out it had loosened after installing 2 months ago. This time I got 2 pieces of tape , to secure it. THAT PLUG DOESN’T SNAP OR LOCK IN. Afterwards, we went thru the uninstall and reinstall, now my Solar Panel 2 is working like a charm. Also the Ring app shows Solar Panel connected. Good Luck

Try placing a strong piece of tape behind the camera where the cable is. It will disconnect or wiggle itself out some.

Like the other people on this 45 page long thread my front yard camera started to drain the batteries quickly. I have called Ring 3 times and they keep asking me to turn off linked devices monitor and call back. They say the panel is charging but cannot say if it is charging at the right rate. There has been talk in the threads - yes I read all of them- that this is software related. I am going to agree that this may be part of the problem but not the only problem. I have 2 spotlight cams each on a panel. One is in my backyard and gets direct sun for 4 hours a day and doesn’t get the level of notifications as my front yard. This one stays fully charged. My Front yard is much busier and is draining fast now. It doesn’t get the same level of sunlight. During my google and reading here I see that Ring now offers a 5W panel for $99. At the same time I found this panel on Amazon for $36. (price has gone up a little since) Its a 5v 5w with a Ring connector. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081H1YZVJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It’s a little heavier and bigger that the current 2w ring panel but works well. I get 1 hour of direct sun and a couple of “side” sun since it is mounted in a tree. Day 2 I tracked it and got an 12% increase on one battery to 90%. I will see today if it doesn’t rain if it tops out at 100% and moves over to start charging the second battery. Here is the punchline though. No matter what brand you buy you need a 5w panel if you do not want to be climbing trees to change batteries. The old 2w panels cannot produce enough power to keep up with the notifications.

Not sure if this will work but it’s worth a try. Remove the device then reinstall it to the correct setting and see if that sticks

Update 7/23

The 5W panel is providing between 12-15% charge a day. It took the one side from high 60’s to 90% and then switched to chargingt he other side. Today it went from 14% to 29% while still alerting throughout the day. Will post how it does tomorrow and when both sides hit 90% if they start to charge up to 100%

7/27 left battery is now 100% and right battery is at 91%. The 5W panel did the trick

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I purchased a new Stickup cam two days ago, solar panel today and battery just drains. I’m not sure if it’s a Ring problem or a defective camera but it won’t charge via the solar panel.

I have only one panel installed so far and it’s already saying the battery is nearly dead. Plan on installing other panels tomorrow, wondering if this could be a waste of time & money. ?

I have two stick up cams and installed solar panels for each. Both solar panels drained the batteries from 100% to 0% in less than 24 hours. In fact I woke up this morning to find my two cameras went offline during the night. Beginning to think cameras are not fit for purpose.

Hello,
I am having the same issue. First it was one solar panel, then a few weeks later the second one stopped charging. I tried cleaning both, checking both cables, and resetting both cameras. They both get 8+ hours of direct sunlight a day.
I just bought a new solar panel for one of the cameras and a second battery, and the new panel still will not charge. Both cameras work fine, and I check the batteries throughout the day to make sure. Any suggestions?

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Hi @Rmc_originally! It looks like you’ve covered all the best steps to ensure for optimal Solar charging. Please also ensure it is in direct sunlight, facing the sun as directly as possible, for several hours a day.

As you’ve gone as far as getting a new Solar Panel, I recommend also ensuring the adapter ports are clear of any debris, and the adapters is securely plugged in. After adding a new Solar Panel, it may take some time before you start to see the charge. Even if the Ring app does not reflect the Solar Panel connection, try monitoring over time to see if the battery level increases. I hope this helps! :slight_smile:

Which power mode to be used for stick up cams (with batteries) and solar panel?

Battery mode or wired mode?

It was on battery mode working fine (not sure if solar panel was charging it or not). Then the app suggested to use wired mode (I guess because it saw current coming from the solar panels).

When I selected wired mode, the batteries drained in 2 days.

So which is the correct mode to use if connected to solar panel!?

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Glad you asked, @Loai! For a battery and Solar Panel setup, the best power mode to use is battery power mode. While the solar charge might not show right away, check on your battery over time to see this charge applied.

As you observed, the battery will certainly drain quicker when in wired power mode and using a battery. This is due to the advanced settings available in wired power mode that will drain battery quicker. If you are not noticing a solar charge in battery power mode, check out our Community post about battery drain for more tips! :slight_smile: