Troubleshooting Smart Lights

Learn how to troubleshoot Smart Lights for:

• Motion detection issues
• Unwanted light activation
• Connectivity issues:
  • Device is unresponsive
  • Device is offline or falls offline frequently
  • Unable to setup or reconnect device
• Battery draining faster than expected
• Lights flashing

Motion detection issues

If your Smart Light is having motion detection issues:

• Test the Smart Light in the dark. The lights won't trigger if it's bright outside.
• Grouped Smart Lights can trigger each other.

  Make sure your lights are grouped together the way you prefer

  .
• Light Schedules dictate when your Smart Light can turn lights on when motion is detected.

  Turn off Light Schedules when testing motion detection

  .
• Check that your Smart Light is positioned at the proper height and angle

  .
• Toggle active Motion Schedules off

  , then test a new motion event on your Smart Lights.
• Increase or decrease the Motion Sensitivity

  on your Smart Lights to detect farther or shorter.

Unwanted light activation

If your Smart Light's light is flashing or activating unexpectedly:

• Check the area around the lights. There might be something in the area (like a small animal, insect, object, or leaves moving in the wind) that is triggering your lights.
• If the issue continues, try lowering the Motion Sensitivity.
• Ungroup all lights that include the unwanted light activation to see if the problem persists. Another light in the group might trigger the flashing light.

Connectivity issues

If your Smart Light is unresponsive or offline, falling offline frequently, not setting up properly, or not reconnecting:

• Check your internet connection:

  Make sure you can access ring.com while connected to the same wifi network to which you are trying to connect the Smart Light.
• Check the power:

  Make sure the Smart Light has charged batteries or is connected to a working power source.
• Check signal strength:

  Check the signal strength in the Ring app

  . To improve signal strength, move your Smart Light and Bridge closer together. Make sure the Ring Bridge is within your router range.
• Reboot the Bridge:

  Power cycle the Ring Smart Lighting Bridge by unplugging the power cable, then plugging it back in.
• Reboot your wifi router:

  Unplug your router from power for 30 seconds, then plug back in. Wait for your wifi network to come back online before proceeding.
• Reset the Smart Light:

  To reset a Smart Light, press the reset button in the battery compartment for 15 seconds. Resetting takes up to one minute, and you'll need to set up the Smart Light again.
• Smart Lightbulbs use different reset steps.

  Learn how to reset Smart Lightbulbs

  .
• Reset the Bridge:

  Reset the Ring Bridge by holding the setup button on the side of your Bridge for 10 seconds. This makes the device forget all saved settings. You will need to set up all lights again.

  Learn more about setting up Smart Lights

  .
• If the Bridge fails to connect to your wifi

  : Double-check your wifi password by going to your phone settings, selecting "Forget" on the home wifi, and re-entering your password.

Learn more about troubleshooting setup issues.

Important note: Test your Smart Light after each step.

Battery is draining faster than expected

Battery life is influenced by the device’s settings and environment. The more the device is used or activated, the faster the battery will drain. If your Smart Light's battery is draining faster than expected:

• Lower settings in the Ring app, such as Light Brightness, Light Sensor Threshold (how dark it needs to be before the lights turn on), and Motion Sensitivity.

  Learn more about adjusting Smart Light settings

  .
• Use shorter Light Schedules.

  Learn more about setting up Light Schedules

  .
• Lower the Group Auto Shutoff time

  to make lights turn off sooner after activation.
• Consider reducing activity on grouped devices or ungrouping them to save battery life. Grouped Smart Lights can trigger each other, causing increased battery drain.

  Make sure your lights are grouped together the way you prefer

  .
• Make sure solar devices sit where they get direct sunlight throughout the day.
• In the winter and poor weather conditions, your Smart Light will receive less sunlight for solar charging.
• Cold temperatures reduce battery life.

  Learn more about Smart Lights and extreme temperatures

  .

Learn more about troubleshooting battery performance.