Ring Doorbell Won’t Charge

If, like most people, you’re security conscious, a Ring Doorbell is a reassuring means of protecting your property. But, when your Ring Doorbell won’t charge, that can leave you feeling exposed. So, you’ll want to know what the problem is and how to fix it.

If your ring doorbell won’t charge, check that it’s not an issue with the app not updating. Also, make sure that the USB cable and charger are working. If they are, your battery may have deteriorated and may need replacement. If you’ve hard-wired your doorbell, check the breaker hasn’t tripped.

So, there are several reasons why your Ring Doorbell won’t charge. For more details of those referred to above and more, check out the rest of this article.

Refresh the Ring App Battery Status

If you have a Ring Doorbell, Ring Doorbell 2, Ring Doorbell 3, or 3 Plus, you have the option to run these off the lithium battery supplied or to hard-wire them.

If you’re using the battery as the power supply, you’ll need to charge it manually. In that case, you might find that during or just after charging, the Ring app still shows the battery as low.

This can leave you thinking that the battery isn’t charging or didn’t charge at all.

So, try ringing the doorbell or triggering the motion activation. The battery status in the app will only update after one of these events occurs.

Check Your Wi-Fi Connection

If your wi-fi connection isn’t working, the Ring app won’t update the battery status. So try resetting your router and setting up the connection on your Ring Doorbell again.

Also, if your wi-fi connection is weak, your ring doorbell will be working extra hard to find the wi-fi signal.

This may result in the battery running down more quickly than it should, giving you the impression that it isn’t charging correctly.

Check the USB Charging Cable Is Working

If you’re charging your Ring Doorbell battery by USB, check that the cable is working. Use it to charge another device or try another cable that you know works with other devices.

Check That Your Charger Provides Enough Power

If the USB cable is okay, the next thing to check is the USB charger you’re using. It needs to have sufficient power to charge the Ring doorbell battery.

A 2.1 amp USB charger should charge the Ring doorbell battery within 4-5 hours. But, if you’re using a PC or laptop to charge your battery, it’ll take considerably longer, possibly 10-12 hours.

It may also be that your charger isn’t working. Swap it out for another charger or hook your battery up to your PC or laptop to charge it.

Check if the Battery Is Viable

If you’ve had your Ring doorbell for some time, and still have the original battery, it may be that the battery’s ability to maintain a charge has diminished.

This can happen over time with lithium batteries. Most lithium batteries last around 2-3 years, depending on usage conditions.

The Ring Doorbell specs state the minimum and maximum operating temperatures are between -5°F (-20.5°C) and 120°F (48.5°C).

A lithium battery might also degrade faster if it’s exposed to high temperatures. This degradation can shorten its useful life.

The other end of the temperature scale can also impact battery performance. At temperatures below 40°F ( 4.5°C), batteries won’t hold a charge as well as under normal conditions. Colder conditions reduce battery capacity and increase resistance, making it harder for a battery to charge.

Charging and discharging a lithium battery at low temperatures for an extended period can cause permanent damage. If this has happened to your battery, you’ll probably need to replace it.

Also, if you allowed the battery to discharge completely, it may no longer work. Lithium batteries shouldn’t be fully discharged. So, pay attention when you get low battery warning messages through the Ring app.

To replace your ring doorbell battery consider this ring rechargeable battery pack.

Check the Breaker Hasn’t Tripped

If you’ve hard-wired your Ring Doorbell, it should charge the battery automatically. You shouldn’t need to remove the battery for charging.

So, if the app for your hard-wired Ring Doorbell still indicates that the battery is low or not fully charged, there may be an issue with your power supply.

Check the power status in the app, which you can find under the Device Health section. If it says anything other than good or very good, the power supplied to your Ring Doorbell may be insufficient to charge the battery. So, you’ll need to ensure your breaker switches are all on and nothing has tripped. If you recently had lights trip out, that may have tripped the circuit for your Ring Doorbell.

Check the Transformer Voltage

If the breaker box is okay, the next thing to look at is the transformer, which should be near your breaker box. The transformer steps down your home’s voltage from 120V to 16V.

Shut the breaker off before you touch the transformer. Then check that the cables on the transformer are secure. If the wires seem loose, you’ll need to tighten them.

Assuming the wiring looks okay, you’ll need to check the voltage of the transformer using a multimeter. If you don’t already have a multimeter, you can pick up one like this AstroAI Digital Multimeter. As you can see, it’s relatively inexpensive. If the transformer voltage is lower than 16V, that may not be enough to charge your Ring Doorbell battery.

You can watch how to test both the incoming and outgoing voltages of your transformer in this video:

If the transformer voltage is less than 16V, you may need to replace it. A new transformer like this Wasserstein 16V 30VA Doorbell Transformer is relatively inexpensive. But, you might need a qualified electrician to fit it.

Check the Voltage at the Ring Doorbell

The video above also shows how to check the voltage at the doorbell using a multimeter.

That’s because the voltage at the doorbell may be lower than the voltage at the transformer. This might happen if, say, you have a long wire run between the transformer and the doorbell. That can increase resistance, causing a drop in voltage at the doorbell.

If the voltage at the doorbell is less than 16V, that may be why your hard-wired Ring Doorbell isn’t charging the battery. So, you may need to get a more powerful transformer or have your wiring checked.

Check the Contacts Inside the Ring Doorbell

If you have the entry model like this Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Gen), it has a built-in battery.

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on September 4, 2020.

For these models, check the internal contacts on the Ring Doorbell. You need to ensure they’re making a proper connection to the contacts on the backplate. If they’re not in full contact with each other, your Ring Doorbell won’t work, giving the impression that the battery hasn’t charged.

You can see these contacts in this video:

So, take the Ring Doorbell off and check that all screws on the fixing plate are flush with the surface.

If not, they may prevent the contacts on the back of the Ring Doorbell from making a full connection with the contacts on the backplate. The following video explains this:

Your Ring Doorbell May Be Faulty

So, you’ve tried all the above steps, but your Ring Doorbell battery still won’t charge. You should now contact Ring customer support. It may be that your device is faulty, in which case, you can get a replacement.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on September 4, 2020.

Final Thoughts

So, you now should have a full understanding of why your Ring Doorbell won’t charge. But, here’s a summary of what to check.

Battery as the power source	Hard-wired
Refresh the battery status in the app by ringing the bell	Check the breaker hasn’t tripped the circuit
Check your wi-fi connection is strong	Make sure the transformer voltage is 16V
Make sure the USB cable is working	Check the voltage at the doorbell
Check that the USB charger has adequate power and is working	Ensure that the contacts on the Ring Doorbell with built-in battery are making full contact with the contacts on the backplate
Check if the battery needs replacing