Ring Doorbell Not Responding? (Try These Easy Fixes!)

Whether you are expecting guests or a delivery, whenever the Ring doorbell not responding, you are prone to miss important visits.

This is not acceptable for a high-end doorbell such as Ring; hence, in this guide, we will break down everything that may cause unresponsiveness.

The issue occurs from a variety of issues, such as power failure, Wi-Fi connectivity problems, an outdated app, or even a hardware malfunction.

Now, keep reading to discover expert solutions for the doorbell!

Ring Doorbell Not Responding – Ways To Fix Instantly!

Note: Have you checked if the Ring doorbell still detects motion or sends notifications?

1. Reset the Power to the Ring Doorbell

The first step is to perform a power reset of the doorbell. Both wired and battery-operated Ring doorbells can be power reset to clear temporary functionality glitches. 

1.1 How to Power Reset Hardwired Ring:

• Access the circuit breaker panel in your installation.
• Next, locate the switch for the doorbell installation.
• Set the breaker switch to “Off” for about 30 seconds.
• Check if the Ring doorbell responds after the reboot.

The hardwired doorbells are connected to the electrical system of your home and connect via “TRANS” and “FRONT” wires to the chime.

So, you can suspend the electrical supply of the system by temporarily setting the circuit breaker switch to “Off”.

1.2 How to Power Reset a Battery-Operated Ring:

• Carefully unmount the Ring doorbell from the bracket.
• Pry open the rear panel of the doorbell using a tool.
• Connect the battery to the charger for ~20 seconds.
• Disconnect the battery and place it back in your Ring.

Battery-powered doorbells need a manual power cycle to reset.

Make sure you are using the original charging cable supplied by Ring to recharge the doorbell battery.

2. Reconnect the Ring Doorbell to Wi-Fi

Your Ring doorbell might look like it’s not responding because it has entered an offline state as a result of losing the Wi-Fi signal.

You can use the Ring application to change and manage most of the doorbell functions (both wired and battery-operated), including the Wi-Fi network selection.

Follow these steps to change the Ring doorbell Wi-Fi:

• Launch the Ring app on your smartphone.
• Press the menu button in the left corner.
• Access the “Devices” tab from the options.
• Tap the Ring doorbell, then “Device Health”.
• Tap “Change Network” and follow the steps.

Most Ring doorbells can pair with both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, but you have to consider the distance limits between them. 

Tip: For 2.4 GHz, keep the Ring doorbell under ~120 feet from the router, and for 5 GHz, the connection will be more stable if it is less than ~80 feet.

3. Reconnect the Ring Terminals (Wired Doorbell)

Your wired Ring doorbell might appear unresponsive if the wired connections are loose, which cuts the electrical supply and powers off the doorbell.

Let’s pop it off the wall and reconnect the “TRANS” and “FRONT” wires to the chime to get it powered up again.

Follow these steps to access the doorbell terminals:

• Turn off the power at the breaker for safety.
• Use a prying tool to unmount the doorbell.
• Locate the terminals on the mounting plate.
• Detach the “TRANS” wire (+) from the rear.
• Wait 15–20 seconds and reattach the wire.
• Check if the “FRONT” wire is also secured.

The “TRANS” wire is the direct power supply of your doorbell that connects with the circuit breaker.

The “FRONT” or “REAR” wire, often referred to as the “chime” wire, connects the doorbell with your indoor mechanical or digital chime.

4. Recharge Ring to 100% Capacity (Battery Doorbell)

A battery-related problem could be the reason why the Ring doorbell is not responding.

We recommend charging the Ring doorbell to maximum battery after unmounting it from the stand.

Use the USB cable that came with the Ring Doorbell and connect it to the battery charging port.

Now, connect the other end of the cable to a 5V/2A adapter, plug it into an outlet, and wait for at least 5–6 hours until the battery reaches 100%.

Quick Tip: You can check the charging level of the doorbell through the Ring app!

5. Force Reboot the Ring Doorbell Unit

An unresponsive Ring doorbell might be a result of a system or firmware issue, which a forced restart can often resolve in less than 20 seconds.

This process can fix minor errors and restore the normal functionality of the doorbell without impacting any of the settings.

The “Setup” button on the Ring doorbell can be used for both a standard reboot and a factory reset of the system settings.

Here’s how to force a reboot of the Ring Video Doorbell:

• Locate the Setup button on the Ring Doorbell.
• Press and hold the setup button for 10 seconds.
• Next, release it when the LED ring starts to flash.
• Test the Ring doorbell after the reboot finalizes.

Note: You might have to unmount the doorbell to access the “Setup” button on some models!

6. Deregister the Ring Video Doorbell

Your Ring doorbell might appear unresponsive due to an underlying registration error within the system, which can disrupt its ability to maintain a stable connection with the app and network.

So, deregistering the device through the Ring application can resolve underlying system faults.

Follow these instructions to deregister the Ring doorbell:

• Open the Ring app and head to the main page.
• Tap the three dots to access the device settings.
• Access the “Device Settings” option to proceed.
• Select “General Settings” from the options page.
• Press on “Remove Device” to initiate the process.
• Press on “Delete Events” to finalize the removal.

Note: You can re-add the doorbell through the “Devices” menu!

7. Adjust the Ring Motion Detection Settings

A Ring doorbell that appears unresponsive may be affected by improperly configured motion detection settings, which prevent it from sending alerts or ringing the chime.

So, settings as motion sensitivity, activity zone, and motion alerts define the doorbell’s responsiveness.

• You can adjust the motion detection settings at More (•••) → your Ring doorbell → “Motion Settings”.

Option #1 Ring Motion Sensitivity:

Whenever the sensitivity is too low, the doorbell might miss motion events, which makes it seem unresponsive.

Open the Ring app, go to “Motion Settings”, and slide the “Motion Sensitivity” slider to a higher level (increase by about ~20–30%) to test the motion alerts.

Option #2 Ring Motion Zones:

The doorbell might be detecting irrelevant areas, causing it to ignore motion.

Select “Motion Zones” and draw a simple zone covering your front door or walkway to focus the POV detection on key areas while ignoring the street.

Option #3 Motion Alerts:

The next step is to verify that the doorbell motion alerts are enabled at “Devices” → “Motion Settings” → “Alerts”.

You can specify which of the alerts to receive while suspending other unwanted messages.

8. Reset the Ring Doorbell to Defaults

If the Ring doorbell is not responding after attempting all of the solutions so far, it’s time for a clean system factory reset.

This will erase all settings of the Ring doorbell, including the Wi-Fi settings and motion zones, and restore the doorbell to how it was before the initial setup steps.

The factory reset instructions are based on whether you have the Ring 1 or Ring 2, since both models have different built-in buttons, so the instructions are different. 

• The Ring 1 has an orange button that initiates the factory reset, while the Ring 2 has a black button on a different panel.

Here’s how to factory reset the Ring doorbell to default settings:

• First, determine if you have a Ring 1 or Ring 2.
• Look for the Orange button on the back for Ring 1.
• Look for a Black button on the front for Ring 2.
• Press and hold the button for about 20 seconds.
• Now, release once the LED blinks and then wait.

Note: Do not interact with the doorbell during the factory reset. If the issue persists, contact Ring customer support for more assistance.