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Ring has some of the best battery-powered security camera systems to watch areas inaccessible to wired power. Some of the options even have a built-in white light to continue recording in full color at night. But say you want to make the most of the lighting and other features of the camera, how long does Ring battery last? Does the charge last as long as the company advertises in real time or it is all marketing hype?
Sadly, the reality of many products today isn’t exactly as the manufacturers put them to be. In particular with the CCTV system, a lot of features in the description are usually not so in the real world. Hence, the reason you may need to do extensive research before making the final buying decision.
For example, it’s not one or two people who’ve paid a hefty fee on a battery-operated outdoor security camera for its advertised 6-12 month battery life. But after mounting, the device starts pushing battery-low alerts the very first week.
Now the question is, does this happens with Ring security systems in reality? Well, our guide here covers the topic in depth as we look at both results: the expectations that Ring advertises and real-world reality.
What Ring Security Camera Are You Interested in?
In a nutshell, a Ring battery can last up to a couple of months while it still has charge. But the exact battery life period varies from one device brand to another:
- Do You Want the Ring Stickup Cam?
The Ring Stickup Cam is the overall bestsellingwireless security camera from the local brand, thanks to its affordability. It doesn’t have the strongest image sensor, for sure. But you’ll still notice its 1080p footages are clearer than various options marketed as 2K quality.
As you may know, the Ring Stickup Cam is available in two different power options- plugin and rechargeable battery. In the latter, the company claims to use its standard 6040mAh Li-ion battery.
- Do You Want the Ring Spotlight Cam?
Ring also has some of thebest spotlight security cameras in the market. The model we’ve been able to go through has eight built-in LEDs that give out about 375 lumens of white light. Then, you also get crisp 1080p Full HD videos, built-in siren, two-way talk, audio recording, and many other features.
Similar to the Stickup Cam, Ring offers the Spotlight Cam in either wired (plugin) or battery power. In a response to a query about the battery-powered variant, the company claims to use the standard 6040mAh battery. And this should explain why it drains charge faster than the stickup Cam (without a spotlight).
- Do You Want the Ring Floodlight Cam?
Ring Floodlight Cam is another perfect pick when looking for a Color Night Vision Security Camera. It’s actually better than the Spotlight Cam as here you get up to 2000 Lumens of white light. Thus, you could install the Ring Floodlight Cam to even replace your existing security light.
However, 2000 Lumens (or even the 1500 Lumens on the original Floodlight) means your camera will be running at high wattage. The device also has advanced features like person detection, two-way talk, Alexa integration, and a built-in siren. Thus, the usual 6040mAh Li-ion battery would have never worked, and the reason they went for wired power.
In other words, you won’t need to worry about the battery life here. Then again, it also means the installation with talk a little longer, especially if the mounting place has no existing wiring.
- Do You Want the Ring Video Camera Doorbell?
The Ring Video Doorbell is another great way you can keep an eye on your property, specifically what happens at the front door. It’s a favorite of many users of its friendly budget and also has cool features like person detection, FHD+ resolution, two-way talk, Alexa integration, and others.
Similar to the Stickup and Spotlight Cam, you can get the Ring video doorbell with either a wired or battery power. In the battery-powered variant, the company installed the standard 6040mAh Li-ion battery. And considering it doesn’t have as heavy features as the regular cameras, you can expect the charge to last a little longer.
How Long Does Ring Battery Last?
As I’ve just mentioned, how long Ring battery last varies with the product you have. The company uses a standard 6040mAh Li-ion battery in both the video doorbell and security camera. Hence, the reason even their description of the doorbell shows to have a relatively long battery life of between six to twelve months.
Sadly, however, it would seem the lab testing of the Ring battery was done on the lowest settings without the devices working. In real-world experience, you have tocharge your wireless security cameras about half the time they are selling us. See below:
| Ring Security Camera System | Battery Capacity | Battery Life Expectations | Battery Life Reality | |
| Ring Stickup Cam | 6040mAh | 3 – 6 Months | 1 – 3 Months | |
| Ring Spotlight Cam | 6040mAh | 3-6 Months | 1 – 2 Months | |
| Ring Video Doorbell | 6040mAh | 6 – 12 Months | 3 – 5 Months | |
| Ring Stick Up Cam Solar | N/A (420 mA Solar) | N/A | 1+ Years | |
| Ring Spotlight Cam Pro (2022 Release) | 6040mAh | 6 Months | 1 – 2 Months | |
| Ring Spotlight Cam Pro Solar (2022) | N/A (420 mA Solar) | N/A | 1+ Years | |
| Ring Spotlight Cam Plus (2022 Release) | 6040mAh | 6 Months | 1 – 2 Months | |
The Ring security cameras with a solar charger are certainly the best options when you want to monitor locations far from the power outlets. It goes for up to a year without having to worry about recharging. Just make sure to check your system, especially during the winter it has a higher risk of shutting down than during cool conditions. How so?
In low temperatures, even dedicated cold-weather security cameras tend to use more power to operate. And when you have a rechargeable system, the battery will also struggle to recharge to the full level or even at all.
Other Times Your Ring Battery May Drain Fast
- Extended live viewing: Ring cameras work by events where they only start recording after detecting sounds or movements. The system also doesn’t support 24/7 live stream and often goes to sleep mode to save on power. If you decide to live stream more often, it simply means the battery will also drain fast.
- Too much traffic in the region: when monitoring a busy area, your Ring camera will be active more often. While it’s a good thing security-wise, the action also tends to drain the battery faster from the heavy work.
- Highest settings on the built-in light: if you have the Spotlight battery camera, you can also expect the battery to drain faster at the highest brightness. The battery life will be even worse if you have both the brightness and stay-on duration at the highest mode.
- Weak Wi-Fi signal: Ring cameras are all standalone and wireless, which means they require WiFi to stream and record footage. But when the camera doesn’t have a good connection, it will keep trying to reconnect. And this is extra work, which will also end up draining the battery a little faster than usual.
Keep an Eye on your Ring Battery Health Monitor
Besides the five issues above, the Ring battery will drain faster in recording long videos than in short clips. The advanced motion detection will also drain battery life a little faster than the basic mode when used under the same conditions.
Fortunately, the Ring mobile app does give you access to a power (usage) health meter. You can check it out to see which features are draining the battery faster so you can make the necessary adjustments.
Speaking of adjustments, the several areas you can adjust so your Ring battery last longer include:
- Use the live view only when necessary
- If the detection has a high power usage, adjust the sensitivity bar to a lower setting, enable people-only mode, or change the motion frequency to regular or periodical mode.
- Make sure your security camera or video doorbell also has a strong WiFi signal. You can use the Ring app to make the necessary adjustments
- If keeping an eye on a high-value, high-traffic area, you can wire up your Ring system to ensure a continuous power supply. But keep in mind leaving your rechargeable device hooked up to the charger throughout tends to degrade the battery. Thus, you should check if the device also supports wired power or hardwiring.
Be Aware of the Battery Degradation
Whether the interest is in a security camera or video doorbell, that’s what you should know for now on how long the Ring battery last before it needs recharging. We’re still not sure why the company is still clinging to the 6-month battery life expectations when the reality results are one to three months.
Nonetheless, three months before you can recharge isn’t so bad. And if you feel differently about it, you can always attach a solar panel to charge your Ring battery throughout the day.
Remember, connecting solar panels to your battery-powered security system is just like when you leave your laptop plugged in throughout the year. The battery capacity will degrade and you’ll notice its charge life gets lower and lower over time.
