Share:
3 ways to get more life out of your video doorbell battery (and 1 way you’re killing it)
Before video doorbells, you had to peek through peepholes to see strangers standing on your front porch. If vengeful exes or armed robbers are waiting on the other side of the door, standing too close can put you in danger. Luckily, with video doorbells, you can see who wants to come in from your smartphone.
Plus, video evidence can make a difference in a court case. It can provide rock-solid proof that burglars or stalkers were trying to break in and terrorize you. Tap or click here to tell if someone is bugging or tracking you.
Since video doorbells save lives, it’s essential to use yours properly. For instance, you might make a few home security mistakes that drain your doorbell’s battery too quickly. Here are three ways to squeeze more life out of the battery — and one big no-no you should stop doing ASAP.
How to preserve your video doorbell battery
For the most part, your battery should last for at least half a year. The average lifespan of a Ring doorbell battery is six to 12 months, depending on how often you use it. (We’ll be focusing on Ring since it’s one of the most popular doorbells, but these tips also apply to other doorbells.)
The more your device captures, the more your battery is drained. For instance, Ring’s Live View feature can drain it more quickly, the company reports. Your battery might last up to 12 months, but missteps can shorten its lifespan.
That will lead you to type questions into your favorite search engine. Here are a few quick answers:
- Why is my Ring Video doorbell battery dying so quickly? Think of it like a smartphone. The more you use its fancy features, the faster the battery drains. However, it can drain without any interference on your part. Let’s say your camera is pointed toward your backyard. When birds fly around and neighborhood cats jump the fence, motion detection activates. This can drain the camera quickly.
- Why do I have to keep charging my Ring Doorbell battery? The issue may lie with your hardwiring charge, Ring reports. Your doorbell performs different functions as needed. Not only can this use up the battery, but it may work faster than the hardwiring charge. This means the charge can’t keep up with the doorbell, which leads to a battery that needs recharging.
Now that you know about video doorbells’ average life expectancy let’s dive into a few things you need to know about. For example, you may wonder how to keep your Ring doorbell camera from dying.
Well, the answer may depend on your location. Certain climates are much harder on batteries than others. If you want to make your battery-powered doorbell last longer, there are a few things to do.
1. Fix its Wi-Fi connection
This is an easy one to miss. Maybe your Ring doorbell has a poor Wi-Fi connection. This can hurt the battery.
Put simply, a poor Wi-Fi connection forces your device to disconnect when there are issues. Then, it tries to reconnect to the internet. This constant on-and-off function zaps battery energy.
One clever workaround is to move your router closer to the video doorbell. Tap or click here to find out how moving your router makes your internet faster.
2. Turn off demanding features like motion detection
If this feature is always on, you could be filming innocuous stuff, like cars driving by or children running down the street. This will drain your battery over time. Putting your video doorbell in a busy area will use up your battery and annoy you with constant notifications you don’t need.
For instance, let’s say you’re in a busy meeting and get an alert from the Ring app. It says it detects motion in your front yard. You get nervous, so you check, worrying that something terrible happened to your family.
RELATED: 18 must-have items that help you survive any emergency
Nope. It’s just an ice cream truck driving by. Save yourself from stress like this by tinkering with your settings. You can change motion frequency to Regularly instead of Automatically.
You should also lower the sensitivity. This way, you’ll only be notified about movements close to the camera, like someone knocking on your door instead of someone walking by.
3. Protect your doorbell cameras from the cold
This shouldn’t be a big concern if you live in a warm area like California or Arizona. But if you live in an area with icy winters, be careful.
Cold weather can crush your battery life. You can’t charge your video doorbell’s battery if the temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, Google reports. Although the doorbell will still work, you can’t charge it outside.
Instead, you’ll have to bring it inside for a charge. We recommend acting quickly. It will shut down if you wait for the battery to drain completely.
To stop your doorbell cameras from freezing, install them in places with sunshine. This way, sunlight can evaporate frost. Make sure to keep them away from dryer vents or HVAC setups. You can also apply an anti-fog coating.
Now that you know how to extend your doorbell’s battery life, here’s one critical mistake you should avoid at all costs.
To preserve your video doorbell battery, stop doing this
Quit relying on fast charges. Give your Ring doorbell time to charge fully. This is especially important now that winter is coming.
You need to start charging the battery to its full capacity. We get it: Life is busy and you’re often in a rush. But don’t let that excuse stop you from fully protecting your home.
For the sake of home security, give your safety gadgets the time they need to charge fully. Once you preserve your video doorbell battery, it’s fully equipped to protect you and your family.
Keep reading
Do this now with your Amazon storage so you don’t lose everything
Have money sitting around in Venmo? Use it to pay for Amazon purchases
Tags: batteries, battery, charging, cold weather, home security, motion detection, Ring doorbell, security, video doorbells, Wi-Fi connection
Share: