at WITS END

I’ve had my Ring Doorbell for almost a year, and it’s worked maybe 3 days out of the last 365. I’ve tried EVERYTHING. I had the first one replaced, thinking it was defective. I’ve gotten the wifi extender and Chime Pro. I’ve increased my internet speed, and I bought a new modem and router. There is nothing else for me to do other than smash the thing to pieces and throw it in the garbage! I really need a reliable security system. PLEASE HELP! Should I return the Ring doorbell and get a different device, or is there any hope left for me?

Sorry to hear about these frustrations, @kstrein. It sounds like you’ve done a lot to obtain peace of mind, and I can assure you our devices are designed to be much more dependable than what you’ve experienced thus far. We’re here to help, if you could please confirm the model of Doorbell and what symptoms do you observe when the Doorbell is not working? Looking forward to hearing back!

Have your changed your doorbell transformer to a larger capacity?

Most are 16 volt, 10 VA

You need at least 16 volt, 16VA.

Mine is 16 volt, 30 VA and powers two Ring Doorbell Pros.

The smaller 16 volt, 10 VA does not have enough power to feed the Ring.

The Ring has an internal battery that trickle charges, fed from the transformer.

IF the transformer is too small, it does not have enough power to work.

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Hi, I understand your frustration. What Model doorbell do you have? Where you able to set up th Doorbell close to you main router/WiFi point at all? It’s best to do any initial setup in close proximity to your router as this will test the end to end solution is working. Then as you move away for the router then any connectivity issues are WiFi related (based on local conditions).

What do you use as your Router and WiFi solution? Adding extenders is not always productive as placement vs benefit requires some testing. The extender/booster can only work with what WiFi signal it gets. Speed is not King here, as the Ring units only need 2Mbps end to end connectivity, but it does have to be a quality connection.

    Ring unit \<-\> home WiFi \<-\> home Router \<-\> ISP connection \<-\> Ring Cloud

Working out if it’s down to your WiFi is key, and checking your network neighbourhood is also a good idea to check if there is any local contention - a change of WiFi channel may solve such issues.

have you involved support since getting the replacement, as they can access a lot of data in the device that will maybe help them determine what the issue may be, apart from poor WiFi signal. The fact that a replacement also has the same issue, would suggest it’s something local.

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Thank you for the information. I will get a friend in internet technology to try and help. Support hasn’t been much help because they just keep asking me to do the same thing over and over. The only resolution they’ve come up with is replacing the device. I really wish they would provide more advanced support.

Thank you for the information. I will get a friend in internet technology to try and help. Support hasn’t been much help because they just keep asking me to do the same thing over and over. The only resolution they’ve come up with is replacing the device. I really wish they would provide more advanced support.

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I have no idea what the transformer is. All that came in the box was the installation kit and the device.

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I’ve spent SO MANY HOURS on the phone with customer service, and it doesn’t seem like anyone is really that eager to help my situation. Like I said, it’s been a year long struggle.

I have the original Ring doorbell. It connects and works fine for about an hour, then in the app it says it’s connected but when I try to live view nothing loads. Also, when I touch the doorbell to ring it, nothing happens. The battery is 100% when I do these tests and my internet connection is great.

Connecting the PRO is sometimes an issue. I guess you have connected it to your existing powered bell unit which will have a transformer? This can cause an issue if it has not been connected correctly and the bell kit or fuse not installed as applicable. The PRO is then piggy backing on the power from the bell units transformer. I would get your friend to check the install guide with the wiring that you have feeding the PRO. If there is no bell unit, you must be connecting direct to a transformer.

Either way, the power from the transformer needs to be enough to supply the PRO. Checking the delivered VA that the transformer says it delivered is key. Ring quote a low-key power value, but it’s better to have a transformed rated at 24VA or greater. Ring sell a transformer on their site. There is also another option of a plug in power adapter, but this would bypass any bell unit you have, but a Ring Chime can act in its place.

Hardwired Transformer for Video Doorbell Pro:

  • 16V 30VA output powers your Ring Doorbell and internal doorbell with ease
  • Drop-in replacement for most doorbell transformers in North America
  • Includes all the hardware you need for install
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It is not hardwired. I did not previously have a doorbell. It is battery operated. I don’t believe there is any “transformer”

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We’re here to help @kstrein. I appreciate your efforts and patience in this matter, as well as all of the suggestions here!

With the Doorbell being battery operated, and charged to 100%, I recommend performing a reset on the device by holding down the setup button for 20 seconds. Once the reset is complete, try starting a new setup through the Ring app and follow the instructions to connect it to your wifi. Please let us know how this goes! :slight_smile:

Ah, I read “connecting” as connected…no prob… it’s a Battery model and not mains attached at all. Have you tried setting it up right next to your main router/WiFi point. This will prove the end-to-end solution is ok as this is the optimum possible.

Then moving away from the router it becomes WiFi neighbour issue. These issue can be based on your own WiFi signal strength and quality, but maybe simply on interferance from neighbours. It’s worth checking your WiFi channel is not congested. There are lots of free apps on Android (none on iOS) that will allow you to see what channels are being used around you. It may mean you should change the channel you are using.

This has been done more times than I can count. This is the only solution I’ve gotten after hours and hours on the phone with customer service. Once I do the reset, it connects and works…but only for about an hour or two. I am NOT going to reset the doorbell every single day and just HOPE that it works that day. I’ve had a break in recently, and guess what? THE DOORBELL DIDN’T get any video evidence for the police. I’m at the point where I want a refund on both the chime and the doorbell and I’m going to another product, because this is so ridiculous. I have a product that doesn’t work and customer service that keeps telling me to do the same thing over and over and over without different results.

This has been done more times than I can count. This is the only solution I’ve gotten after hours and hours on the phone with customer service. Once I do the reset, it connects and works…but only for about an hour or two. I am NOT going to reset the doorbell every single day and just HOPE that it works that day. I’ve had a break in recently, and guess what? THE DOORBELL DIDN’T get any video evidence for the police. I’m at the point where I want a refund on both the chime and the doorbell and I’m going to another product, because this is so ridiculous. I have a product that doesn’t work and customer service that keeps telling me to do the same thing over and over and over without different results.

If it’s fails close to the router then there is a defn an issue and I would hope that Ring support could chase it out. What router do you have?

I just got a new one and increased internet speed thinking that would solve the issue. It’s a Netgear C6250-100NAS AC1600 (16x4) WiFi Cable Modem Router Combo (C6250)