Troubleshooting your Outdoor Contact Sensor

Follow these steps to help resolve issues with your Ring Alarm Outdoor Contact Sensor.

The light patterns on your Outdoor Contact Sensor will help you identify if it’s working well, or if there’s something wrong. The LED indicator on your Outdoor Contact Sensor might:

• Blink green three times

  when it is ready to connect to the network.
• Blink green one time

  when it is connected and communicating with your Base Station.
• Blink red one time

  when it is unable to communicate with the Base Station.

If your Outdoor Contact Sensor won’t connect

Try these steps, one at a time, and see if any of them resolve the issue before moving on to the next step. If the light flashes green one time, it is back online and working.

• Move the Contact Sensor closer to the Alarm Base Station.
• Add a

  Range Extender

  between the Contact Sensor and the Base Station. The Range Extender helps extend and expand the Base Station’s Z-Wave network, allowing for greater range and signal strength for all compatible devices at your location.
• Remove the back cover, remove all batteries, wait a few seconds, then reinsert them.
• If nothing works and there is no light on the Outdoor Contact Sensor, try replacing the batteries with new ones.

If your Contact Sensor isn’t working or being recognised by your Ring Alarm and the battery power is sufficient, you may have to adjust the position of the magnet and sensor. Move the sensor closer to the magnet or in a more optimal alignment. Learn tips for installing a Contact Sensor.

Important: Indoor devices, including the Base Station and Range Extender, should always be kept inside your home.

How to remove and re-add your Outdoor Contact Sensor

You might have to remove your Outdoor Contact Sensor and then re-add it to your Ring Alarm.

To remove the Outdoor Contact Sensor:

1. Open the Ring app.
2. Tap the

   menu (☰)

   .
3. Tap

   Devices

   .
4. Tap the

   Outdoor Contact Sensor

   under the Sensors section.
5. Tap the

   Device Settings

   tile.
6. Tap

   Remove Device

   at the bottom of the screen.
7. Confirm device removal by tapping

   Remove Device

   on the next screen.
8. Tap

   Got it

   once your Outdoor Contact Sensor is successfully removed.

The Ring app will confirm that your Outdoor Contact Sensor has been successfully removed.

To re-add the Outdoor Contact Sensor:

1. Open the Ring app.
2. Tap the

   menu (☰)

   .
3. Tap

   Set Up a Device

   .
4. Tap

   Security

   .
5. Tap

   Sensors

   .
6. Follow the onscreen instructions. Scan the QR code on the Sensor as instructed or enter the 5-digit PIN code.
7. Carefully remove the batteries,* then re-insert them. Press and hold the button on the front of your Contact Sensor for 5 seconds, then slide the Sensor back onto its base.
8. Tap

   Got It

   to proceed.

You’ll receive confirmation that the Outdoor Contact Sensor was added successfully. If not, choose the option to “Try Again.”

While repeating the setup process, when you’re prompted to pull the battery tab you may have to use a small tool, such as a micro screwdriver (a flathead might work best), to carefully remove the coin cell batteries from the casing of your Contact Sensor, then reinsert them.

If your Outdoor Contact Sensor doesn’t connect or it adds as a binary sensor

1. Slide to remove the Contact Sensor from its base.
2. Remove the batteries from the device.*
3. In the Ring app, tap

   Menu

   , then tap

   Devices

   , then tap

   Alarm Base Station

   , then tap

   Base Station

   .
4. Tap the

   Device Settings

   (gear icon), then tap

   Advanced Options

   , then tap

   Z-Wave

   , then tap

   Remove Z-Wave Device

   .
   Important:

   Do not tap “Reset Z-Wave Network”. This will remove your entire Ring Alarm network and you’ll need to reset every device.
5. Tap

   Remove

   and the app will say “Removing device, listening for device to remove.”
6. Re-insert the batteries into the device. The device should be removed successfully and you may now set up the device.

* Note: The process of removing your coin cell batteries may differ depending on the type of Outdoor Contact Sensor you’re using. You may need to use a small tool, such as a micro screwdriver, to carefully remove the batteries from their casing.

How to factory reset your Outdoor Contact Sensor

Important: This will remove the device from your Alarm Base Station and reset the device to the original default settings.

If you've tried all of the above steps and you're still having difficulty with your Outdoor Contact Sensor, you can try to factory reset this device.

1. Slide to remove the Contact Sensor from its base.
2. Press and hold the pinhole reset button using the end of a paperclip or similar tool. The LED light at the front of the device flashes green. Continue holding down the pinhole reset button until the LED light turns red, then release.
3. Now re-add the Outdoor Contact Sensor to your Ring Alarm by tapping on

   Set Up a Device

   from the main menu, then

   Security,

   then

   Sensors

   .
4. Follow the onscreen instructions. Scan the QR code on the Sensor as instructed or enter the 5-digit PIN code.
5. Carefully remove the batteries,* then re-insert them. Press and hold the button on the front of your Contact Sensor for 5 seconds, then slide the Sensor back onto its base. Tap

   Got It

   to proceed.
6. You’ll receive confirmation that the Outdoor Contact Sensor was added successfully. If not, choose the option to “Try Again.”

While repeating the setup process, when you’re prompted to pull the battery tab, you may have to use a small tool, such as a micro screwdriver, to carefully remove the coin cell batteries from the casing of your Outdoor Contact Sensor, then reinsert them.

If you have tried all of these steps and it still doesn’t work, review best practices for Outdoor Contact Sensor setup and use. We also recommend reaching out to our Customer Support team for assistance.