Image of a Panic Button on a nightstand

Troubleshooting and light patterns for Ring Panic Button

Ring Panic Button sends an emergency alert when pressed and held. Use this article to troubleshoot common issues and identify LED light patterns.

Troubleshooting

Issues scanning the QR code

  • Make sure your mobile device operating system (OS) is up to date.
  • Make sure the camera lens on your mobile device is clean and free of debris.
  • Make sure the QR code on Panic Button is not damaged, dirty, or covered in debris. Wipe it with a damp cloth or paper towel if needed.
  • Make sure there is proper lighting in the room. If the room is dark, turn up the lights or move to a more well-lit area.
  • If the in-app QR scan continues to fail, use your mobile device's native camera to scan the QR code. This will open the Ring app with the QR code already scanned.
  • If these steps do not resolve the issue, contact Ring Customer Support.

Resolve software update failures

  • Update your mobile device operating system (OS). Software updates use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and require a current OS version.
  • Stay within one to five feet of Panic Button during the update. BLE is short-range.
  • Install fresh batteries. If Panic Button was previously set up, replace the batteries and try again.
  • Power cycle Panic Button: Remove the batteries, wait 10 seconds, re-insert them, and try again.
  • If Panic Button cannot be opened, place one palm on top and one on the bottom, and twist to open.
  • If the issue persists, contact Ring Customer Support for further assistance.

Panic Button is stuck in Waiting to Join

  • If Panic Button remains in a Waiting to Join state for five minutes or more:
  • Make sure Panic Button has fresh batteries. If Panic Button is new, the batteries should be fully charged. If it was previously set up, replace the batteries and try again.
  • Power cycle Panic Button: Remove the batteries, wait 10 seconds, re-insert them, and try again.
  • If you have a supported Sidewalk bridge or gateway nearby, move Panic Button closer to it.

Key reminders

  • If Panic Button cannot be opened, place one palm on top and one on the bottom, and twist to open.
  • Press and hold Panic Button for three seconds or more to trigger a panic alert.
  • The device serial number (DSN) is located on Panic Button label.

Light patterns

Startup: Green, blinks twice rapidly

Panic Button is starting up.

Animation of green LED blinking twice rapidly on Panic Button during startup.

Setup mode: Green, blinking slowly

Panic Button is in setup mode and ready to connect to your network. This lasts up to 10 minutes.

Animation of green LED blinking slowly on Panic Button in setup mode.

Successful setup and update: Green, solid (three seconds)

Panic Button has been set up or updated successfully.

Animation of green LED solid on Panic Button after setup complete and OTA update successful.

Setup timeout: No LED

Panic Button was not set up within the time limit. The LED turns off.

Animation of No LED.

Factory reset in progress: Green, blinking rapidly

Panic Button is performing a factory reset. Continue holding the setup button for 10 seconds.

Animation of green LED blinking rapidly on Panic Button during factory reset.

Factory reset complete: Red, solid (one second)

Panic Button has been reset successfully and will reboot into setup mode.

Animation of red LED solid on Panic Button after factory reset complete.

Network disconnected: No LED

Panic Button is not connected to the network. There is no LED behavior.

Animation of No LED.

Post registration reboot: No LED

Panic Button is rebooting after registration. There is no LED behavior, but Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) remains active for up to five minutes.

Animation of green LED blinking rapidly on Panic Button during factory reset.

Update mode: Green, blinking slowly

Panic Button is in update mode and ready to receive an update. Press the setup button or send a cloud command to begin. This lasts up to five minutes.

Animation of green LED blinking slowly on Panic Button in OTA mode.

Update in progress: Alternating red and green, blinking slowly

Panic Button is receiving an update. Do not remove the battery during this process.

Animation of alternating red and green LED blinking slowly on Panic Button during OTA update.

Update failed: Red, blinking rapidly

The update has failed. Try updating Panic Button again.

Animation of red LED blinking rapidly on Panic Button when OTA update fails.

Panic message to cloud succeeded (short press): Green, flashing quickly — no panic alert triggered

Button was pressed for less than three seconds. The LED flashes green on and off. No panic alert is triggered.

Animation of green LED flashing on Panic Button when button is pressed briefly (no panic triggered).

Panic message to cloud succeeded (long press): Green, solid — then off when message sent

Button was pressed for three seconds or more. The LED turns solid green while the panic message is sent to the cloud, then turns off when the message is delivered successfully.

Animation of green LED solid then off on Panic Button when panic message is sent successfully.

Panic message to cloud failed: Green, solid — then red, solid (three seconds)

Button was pressed for three seconds or more. The LED turns solid green while sending, then turns red for three seconds if no acknowledgment is received from the cloud within 10 seconds. Panic Button keeps trying to send up to three times, but this does not affect the LED.

Animation of green LED then red LED on Panic Button when panic message fails to send.

Tamper: Red, blinking rapidly (one second)

The tamper switch on Panic Button has been triggered.

Animation of red LED blinking on Panic Button when tamper switch is triggered.

Last updated 1 day ago

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