Cold weather and battery-powered Ring Security Cameras

In many parts of the world, winter brings cold, rain, sleet, snow, and sometimes extremely frigid temperatures. As a result, Ring devices may have their performance affected by the cold.

Battery life and the cold

Extremely cold weather has unfortunate effects on lithium-ion batteries such as those used in Ring devices. As the temperature drops, these batteries begin to have trouble holding a charge and if it gets cold enough, they'll stop working altogether. As a result, at certain temperatures, the batteries in your Ring device may run out of power faster than expected and may need to be recharged more often.   

Another important factor in Ring’s battery life is whether it is wired to another source of power such as an existing powered doorbell chime. Ring battery-powered devices are run off the batteries, not off of the external power source. The external power sources are used to recharge the batteries and cannot power the device. When the temperature drops below 0 degrees Celsius, the battery will stop accepting the external charge and may run out of power.

Important temperatures

The following are key temperatures to watch out for in regards to your batteries.

• 3°C:

   The battery may not hold a charge as effectively, resulting in you having to charge the unit more frequently.
• 0°C:

   The battery may not charge at all.  Even hardwired configurations may not charge the battery.
• -20.5°C:

   The battery may stop working completely until temperatures warm up.

What to do when it gets cold

• Bring your device inside: When it gets cold and your device's battery runs out, bring your entire device inside and charge the battery with a USB cord. This will allow your device to warm up while the battery charges.
• Make sure your battery is charged to 100%: When charging your battery, be sure that it reaches 100% before your remount the device. While the battery still won't be as effective as when the temperatures are warmer, making sure that the battery is at 100% will allow your device to work as long as possible.
• Monitor your charge and the temperature: As long as the temperature hovers around the points listed above, you may have issues with battery charge. Therefore it's important to constantly monitor your battery life when it gets cold to make sure your device is always working.

I tried to recharge my battery on a very cold or hot day and the battery wouldn't recharge. What's going on?

If the battery is too hot or too cold, on-board software will keep it from charging in order to avoid damaging the battery. Bring the battery inside and allow it to change to room temperature before trying to recharge the battery.