A Ring Alarm Motion Detector mounted to corner in the living room

Troubleshooting Your Ring Alarm Motion Detector (2nd Gen)

Having issues with your Ring Alarm Motion Detector (2nd Gen)? Learn to identify light patterns, connect offline sensors, perform factory resets, and more.

Ring Alarm Motion Detector (2nd Gen)

Understanding Ring Alarm Motion Detector (2nd Gen) Light Patterns

The light patterns on your Motion Detector will help you identify if it’s working well, or if there’s something wrong. When you press and hold the button on the front of the Motion Detector, you may see:

  • Single green flash
    : Communication is successful. It’s working.
  • Single red flash
    : Communication is unsuccessful, but the Motion Detector is still on your network.
  • Three green flashes
    : The Motion Detector is not connected to your Ring Alarm network.

Ring Alarm Motion Detector (2nd Gen) is offline or unresponsive

To get your Motion Detector to respond or come back online:

  • Press the button on the front cover.
  • Move the Motion Detector closer to the Base Station.
  • Move a
    between your Motion Detector and the Base Station.
  • Remove the back cover from the device (which will tamper it), then replace the cover.
  • Remove the back cover, remove both batteries, wait a few seconds, then reinsert them.*
  • If nothing works and there is no light on the Motion Detector, try replacing the batteries with new ones.

Once you’ve completed these steps and the light flashes green one time, the Motion Detector is back online.

Removing your Ring Alarm Motion Detector (2nd Gen)

To remove your Ring Alarm Motion Detector (2nd Gen):

  1. Open the Ring app to the main dashboard.

  2. Tap the Alarm tile under Devices.

  3. Tap Connected Devices.

  4. Select the Motion Detector you want to remove.
  5. Tap the Device Settings tile.

  6. Tap
    Remove
    at the bottom of the screen.
  7. Confirm device removal by tapping
    Remove Device
    on the next screen.
  8. Tap
    Got it
    once your Motion Detector is successfully removed.

The Ring app will let you know the device was removed. You should leave the battery out until you are ready to reconnect your Motion Detector (2nd Gen) to your Base Station.

Ring Alarm Motion Detector (2nd Gen) still won't connect or adds as a Binary Sensor

  1. Remove the Motion Detector from its base. Ensure that the batteries* are installed.
  2. Open the Ring app to the main dashboard.

  3. Tap the Alarm tile under Devices.

  4. Tap your device's Settings.

  5. Tap the
    Device Settings
    tile.
  6. Tap
    Advanced Options
    .
  7. Tap
    Z-Wave
    , then tap
    Remove Z-Wave Device
    .
  8. Tap
    Remove
    . The Ring app will say, “
    Remove device, listening for device to remove.”
  9. Press and release the pinhole reset button. The device should be removed successfully and can be re-added using the Ring app.

* Always insert replacement batteries correctly, matching the + (positive) and - (negative) symbols on the battery with the symbols on your Motion Detector.

Factory resetting your Ring Alarm Motion Detector (2nd Gen)

If you've tried all of the above steps and are still having difficulty with your Motion Detector, you may need to perform a factory reset on this device. There are a few reasons why a factory reset might be necessary:

  • The Motion Detector is still waiting or attempting to connect to the Ring app.
  • The Ring app is prompting you to perform a factory reset.

To perform a factory reset:

  1. Remove the back cover from the Motion Detector. Ensure that the batteries are installed.
  2. Press and hold the pinhole reset button.
  3. Continue holding the button until the LED light turns red, then release.
  4. Re-add the Motion Detector to your Ring Alarm system.

If you have completed these steps and are still experiencing issues, you may need to reach out to our support team for assistance.

Last updated 4 weeks ago