Troubleshooting Poor Video Quality

Diagnose and fix common video issues you may experience with Ring Video Doorbells and Security Cameras.

Types of video quality issues

  • Overexposed, washed out videos:
    Washed out videos may be due to overexposure to sunlight.
  • Poor wifi signal strength:
    A decline in wifi signal strength may be caused by a weak connection between the router and your Ring device.
  • Traveling signal strength:
    This may be due to a wifi dead zone in your home where you loose signal strength between the router and your Ring device.

Overexposed, washed out videos

While there are no video settings that allow you to change exposure from sunlight, there are other ways you can fix overexposed, washed out videos.  

  • Use a Wedge Kit or Corner Kit can to change the angle of the doorbell.
    • There are various different Wedge Kits and Corner Kits, so make sure you get one that is compatible with your particular model of doorbell.
  • Install a different or additional Ring product, such as a Stick Up Cam in the area where your Video Doorbell is.

Things to check

Poor wifi signal strength test

To test your wifi signal strength: 

  1. Turn off your mobile device's cellular data and connect to the same wifi network as your Ring device.
  2. Open the Ring app.
  3. Tap the
    menu (☰)
    .
  4. Tap
    Devices.
  5. Select your device.
  6. Trigger an event on your Ring device. This could mean pressing the button on a Video Doorbell or activating the motion sensors on a Security Camera.
  7. Answer the event and examine the resulting video. 

Possible outcomes from this test 

Footage is crisp and clear: If your video appears good when next to the router, the issue may be caused by a disruption in between your router and your Ring device’s normal location. To fix this, try moving your device closer to the router or extend your wifi signal with a wifi extender like the Ring Chime Pro.

Footage is heavily pixelated: If you’re seeing heavy pixellation even next to the router, this may be due to slow wifi speeds.

Severe pauses in Live View: If your video pauses, stutters or gets frozen and your wifi speed meets the minimum standards, try rebooting your router. Unplug your router, wait 30 seconds, and then plug it back in. It should take three to four minutes to reboot. Then, test your Ring device again and see if there's any difference.

Long delay before your video starts: This is also caused by slow wifi speeds. Assuming you have high-speed internet, reboot your router and the mobile phone, tablet or PC you're accessing the video feed on. Then see if there's any difference when it's back online.

To run a wifi speed test:

  1. Turn off your mobile phone’s cellular data and connect to the same wifi network as your Ring device.
  2. Open the Ring app.
  3. Tap the
    menu (☰)
    .
  4. Tap
    Devices.
  5. Select your device.
  6. Tap
    Device Health
    .
  7. Under
    Tools
    tap
    Test Your Wifi.
  8. Tap
    Start
    to run a test that will measure your upload and download speed.
    • Both upload and download speeds should be at least 1 Mbps or greater, but 2 Mbps or above is ideal.
    • Check the numbers on your wifi speed test. If either your upload or download speed are below 1 Mbps then you might consider replacing your router (especially if it's older than five years). Contact your internet service provider to learn more about getting newer equipment and faster speeds.

Things to try

Traveling signal strength test

Discover where your signal is losing strength between your router and your Ring device. Before you begin the test, remove your Ring device from its normal location and bring it close to your router in order to minimize any interference from your home's architecture or distance.

This test only works for battery-powered Ring devices.

To run a traveling signal strength test: 

  1. Open the
    Ring app
    .
  2. Trigger an event
    on your Ring device. This could mean pressing the button on a Video Doorbell or activating the motion sensors on a Security Camera.
  3. Answer the event
    and examine the resulting video. 
  4. Walk through your home slowly
    , carrying both the Ring device and smart device, examining the video as you move towards the location where your Ring device is normally mounted. Note the quality of the video as you move through the space.
    • Depending on how far your router is from the location where your Ring device is usually mounted, you may notice differences in your video quality as you move away from the router. This should give you a good idea of where the strength of your signal begins to drop off.
    • Look around at the location where the signal begins to drop off that and consider the path your signal has to take to get there. Have you turned a corner or is there a wall or a larger home decoration or electronic device that may be causing interference between the router and your Ring device? 
  5. If you bring your device through an outside door and you lose the signal, that's most likely from the inner and outer materials that make up your walls. Particular materials that can cause problems are: 
    • Aluminum:
      Any variation of aluminum siding can block wifi signals or reflect them in unusual ways.
    • Brick, concrete or stone:
      These materials can simply block wifi signals.
    • Stucco:
       Stucco has chicken wire inside it that can act as an attractor and blocker for wifi signals.
    • Security doors:
       These thick metal doors can easily block wifi signals. 

In these cases you can either try to move your Ring device a bit closer to your router if possible. Even a meter can be enough to make a difference.

Add a wifi extender

You can also extend your wifi signal to your Ring device with a wifi extender like the Ring Chime Pro. During setup, test different locations to see which area between your Ring device and router is in the most need of a boosted signal:

  1. Turn off your mobile devices cellular data and make sure you're connected to the same wifi network as the Ring device experiencing poor video quality.
  2. Trigger an event or open Live View
    while you have your mobile device near the router.
  3. Move in 1 meter increments
    through the home, from your router toward the Ring device, watching the video quality closely as you move through your house. Close any doors that would be normally closed as you go.
  4. Stop wherever the video starts to pixelate, lag or dip in quality.
  5. Note your surroundings (brick, stucco, heavy doors or metal barriers, etc).

Last updated 3 months ago
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