Troubleshooting Contact Sensor (1st Gen)

Get tips on how to fix your Ring Alarm Contact Sensor (1st Gen) by reconnecting it, removing the device, performing a factory reset and more.

View troubleshooting for Tampered Contact Sensors

For all Contact Sensor troubleshooting, make sure the sensor is within 3-5 feet from your Ring Alarm Base Station.

Reconnecting your Ring Alarm Contact Sensor (1st Generation)

If your Contact Sensor (1st Gen) is losing or has an unstable connection, you can try moving it closer to the Alarm Base Station or add a Range Extender between the Contact Sensor and Base Station. If you’re still experiencing connectivity issues:

1. Remove the cover from the device, and remove the battery.
2. Wait a few seconds and then reinsert the battery.
   • One LED light flash:

     Contact Sensor is in-network.
   • Three LED light blinks:

     Contact Sensor is out of network.
   • Nothing happens:

     Replacing the battery with a new one.

Removing your Ring Alarm Contact Sensor (1st Gen)

To remove the Contact Sensor:

1. Remove the cover from the device.
2. Remove the battery from the device.

3. Open the Ring app to the main dashboard.

4. Tap the Alarm shortcut tile.

5. Tap

   Contact Sensor 1st Gen

   .

6. Tap the Device Settings tile.

7. Tap

   Advanced Options

   .
8. Tap

   Z-Wave

   .
9. Tap

   Remove Z-Wave Device

   .
10. When the app says

    Listening for Device

    , put the Ring device into exclusion mode by inserting the battery.

The Ring app will let you know the device was removed. You should leave the battery out until you are ready to reconnect the Contact Sensor (1st Gen) to your Base Station.

Ring Alarm Contact Sensor (1st Gen) still won't connect or adds as a Binary Sensor

Steps to remove a Failed Contact Sensor:

1. Open the Ring app to the main dashboard.

2. Tap the Alarm shortcut tile.

3. Tap

   Contact Sensor 1st Gen

   .

4. Tap the Device Settings tile.

5. Tap

   Advanced Options

   .
6. Tap

   Remove Failed Device

   .
7. Tap

   Remove

   to confirm.
8. Tap

   OK

   to confirm again.

If this still doesn’t work, you may need to factory reset the Contact Sensor.

Factory resetting your Ring Alarm Contact Sensor (1st Generation)

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

1. Remove the cover from the device.
2. Remove the battery from the device.
3. Press and hold the tamper button (found near the antenna).
4. Insert the battery while holding the tamper button. The LED light will flash. Hold the button until the LED light stops flashing, OR until you see a solid LED light.
5. Put the cover back on the device.

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