Are Ring Doorbells Wireless?

Ring Video Doorbells are wireless and connect to your smart phone or computer via WiFi. They’re very easy to install and set up as long as you have WiFi. Just follow the easy step by step instructions that come with the Ring. Most people have no problem setting up the device in a few minutes all by themselves. Many Ring Doorbell models also come with a rechargeable battery which eliminates the need for doorbell wires. If you want a truly wireless connection then a battery powered Ring is the best choice. Every model (except for the Ring Elite) uses your home’s WiFi network to connect to the internet. Once connected, the Ring can send you alerts and notifications on your mobile device or PC whenever someone approaches the door.

Some Ring Video Doorbell models require hard-wiring to supply power. But they still work wirelessly over WiFi to send alerts and notifications when an event is triggered. Most models also let you talk to the person standing at your door through a smartphone. Ring cameras do not continuously record video.

All of the communication, video, notifications, alerts and updates between you and the Ring Doorbell happen 100% wireless. The only wire that may be required is power.

There’s one big advantage to hard-wiring a Ring Video Doorbell vs using a battery. With a hard-wired model you never have to change the battery. Battery powered Ring devices require you to change the battery as needed. It will notify you on your smartphone when it’s time for a change.

The advantage to using a battery powered Ring Doorbell is that you can install it anywhere. This include apartments that don’t have an existing doorbell wire. A battery powered Ring Doorbell is truly wireless and can be installed just about anywhere.

Are Ring Doorbells Wireless or Wired?

The Ring Video Doorbell model 1-3 are all wireless and run off a rechargeable battery. However, they have the option of also being wired. The Ring Doorbell Pro and Ring Doorbell Elite must be hardwired.

Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. Wireless equipment is easy to install and can be mounted anywhere. But you have to keep the battery charged or the device will stop working. You also have to buy new batteries once they stop charging properly.

Hardwired Ring Doorbells are more reliable because you never have to worry about uncharged or fading batteries. But they’re harder to install since you need a wire to supply power.

	Ring Doorbell 1	Ring Doorbell 2	Ring Doorbell 3	Ring Doorbell Pro	Ring Doorbell Elite
Complete Wireless Capability	✔	✔	✔	X	X
Data Connection Method	WiFi	WiFi	WiFi	WiFi	WiFi
Ability To Hardwire	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Hardwiring Required	X	X	X	✔	✔
Rechargeable Battery	✔	✔	✔	X	X

All Ring Doorbells are wirelessly controlled via WiFi.

Once you set up your Ring, all the video, voice communication, alerts, notifications and updates are done 100% wireless over the internet. You can control a Ring with a smartphone, computer or tablet.

So if you’re wondering if Ring Doorbells are wireless, it depends on what wire you’re referring too. Here’s a quick summary:

• All Ring Doorbells are controlled wireless using WiFi. You interact with them through a smartphone, tablet or PC.
• Ring Doorbell models 1-3 come with a rechargeable battery. They can be either wirelessly powered or wired.
• Ring Doorbell Pro & Ring Doorbell Elite must be powered by wire. They don’t come with a rechargeable battery.

Can Ring Doorbell Be Used Wirelessly?

The Ring Doorbell models 1, 2, 3 and 4 can be used 100% wirelessly. They connect to your smartphone, PC or tablet via WiFi and are powered by a rechargeable battery that doesn’t require a hard wire.

Power and communication are the two ways a video doorbell would need a wire. But the Ring Doorbell 1,2, 3 and 4 are all completely wireless. They’re powered by a rechargeable battery and communicate through WiFi.

When the battery gets low your Ring will notify you by WiFi. It will send a notification to your PC, tablet or smartphone. The battery is charged on any standard household outlet.

I recommend keeping a 2nd battery fully charged so the Ring is always working.

Communication is handled using your home’s internet via WiFi. The Ring Video Doorbell connects to your home network using a standard 2.4 GHz WiFi band over the 802.11 B, G, or N protocols. The Ring Video Doorbell 2, 3 and 4 have dual-band WiFi capability. This means they can connect using either 2.4 GHz band or the much faster 5 GHz 802.11 AC standard.

WiFi enables video, DVR, two-way talk, updates, alerts and notifications. Your smartphone will alert you when it detects someone at the door. WiFi is also used to “Chime” when someone is at the door by connecting an optional WiFi chime.

Alexa can also notify you via an Amazon Echo which lets you view the doorbell camera feed using a voice command.

While the Ring Doorbell 1, 2, 3 and 4 all provide full functionality wirelessly, you can also hard-wire them to your existing chime and doorbell wiring.

How Does Ring Doorbell Work Without Wiring?

Ring Doorbell 1, 2, 3 and 4 all work without wiring because they’re powered by a rechargeable battery. The battery charges by plugging it into any standard household outlet. They communicate without wiring because they have built in WiFi and communicate online through your home’s internet.

Your Ring Doorbell will alert your smartphone, PC, tablet or other device when it detects someone at the door. It can also “chime” when someones at the door if you connect the optional Ring Doorbell Chime. The chime also works wirelessly.

Communication is handled using your home’s internet via WiFi. The Ring Video Doorbell connects to your home network using a standard 2.4 GHz WiFi band over the 802.11 B, G, or N protocols. The Ring Video Doorbell 2, 3 and 4 have dual-band WiFi capability. This means they can connect using either 2.4 GHz band or the much faster 5 GHz 802.11 AC standard.

Because Rings are wireless, they rely on WiFi to work properly. If your Ring Doorbell goes offline repeatedly, it wont send notifications to your phone and won’t ring the chime. So in some homes with WiFi issues, a wired model may be a better choice.

Wireless Ring Doorbells are generally the best option for renters because most lease agreements don’t allow you to drill holes in the building.

Check out our list of the best video doorbells for apartments by clicking the link.

Which Ring Doorbell Does Not Require Wiring?

The Ring Video Doorbell 1, Ring Video Doorbell 2, Ring Video Doorbell 3, and Ring Video Doorbell 4 do not require wiring. They’re all powered by a rechargeable battery that charges by plugging into any standard household outlet. And they all communicate without wiring because they have built in WiFi. The Ring Doorbell connects to your home’s internet WiFi network to send you alerts, notifications, video and enable two-way talk.

Communication is handled using your home’s internet via WiFi. The Ring Video Doorbell connects to your home network using a standard 2.4 GHz WiFi band over the 802.11 B, G, or N protocols. The Ring Video Doorbell 2, 3 and 4 have dual-band WiFi capability. This means they can connect using either 2.4 GHz band or the much faster 5 GHz 802.11 AC standard.

These wireless Ring Doorbell models are great for apartments or homes that don’t have existing doorbell wiring. You can even install them away from the home on a gate, garage, pool house or other entry.

Some Ring Doorbell models are wireless and do not require an Ethernet cable. Once you connect them to your home’s WiFi network, they should function without a problem. However, if you should ever need to change WiFi network on a Ring Doorbell, it’s fairly easy to do. Click the link to learn how, we have an entire article dedicated to the topic.

Is There A Battery Powered Ring Doorbell?

The Ring Video Doorbell 1, Ring Video Doorbell 2, Ring Video Doorbell 3, and Ring Video Doorbell 4 are all battery powered and do not require a hard wire. They use a rechargeable battery that plugs into any standard household outlet. And they all communicate without wiring because they connect to the home’s Wi-Fi network.

Battery powered Ring models have the same basic features, camera, HD video quality, motion detection, night vision, the Ring app, a video history, and other security features as wired video doorbell pro models. You can also subscribe to Ring Protect to gain even more added security features.

If you’ve never tried a subscription plan for any of your smart home devices, I suggest starting with a Ring Protect Basic plan.

A Battery doorbell gives you almost all the same features and functions as a wired model, however, I prefer them because they work when the power goes out.

Wireless Ring doorbells don’t have a built-in battery, instead, you have to remove and recharge them about once or twice a year.

The Ring Doorbell connects to your home’s internet WiFi network to send you alerts, notifications, HD video, and enable two-way talk.

Can I Install A Ring Doorbell Without An Existing Doorbell?

You can install a Ring Video Doorbell 1, Ring Video Doorbell 2, Ring Video Doorbell 3, and Ring Video Doorbell 4 without an existing doorbell because they’re powered by battery. These models do not require hard wiring to power them so you can install them anywhere.

The use a rechargeable battery that plugs into any standard household outlet. And they all communicate without wiring because they have built in WiFi. The Ring Doorbell connects to your home’s internet WiFi network to send you alerts, notifications, video and enable two-way talk.

The Ring Doorbell 1, 2, 3 and 4 can also be hardwired instead of using the battery. But if you don’t have an existing doorbell wire you have to run the wires first.

How Long Does A Ring Doorbell Battery Last?

A Ring Video Doorbell battery should last 6-12 months with average use. Average use is defined as 3-5 events per day. Every time your doorbell records a clip and sends it to the cloud counts as an event. Adjust your doorbell’s battery life according to how much you use it.

Here at my apartment people are constantly walking by the door, and I get lots of packages, so I’m sent about a dozen notifications a day. My battery tends to last about 3-4 months between charges. However in Winter when foot traffic slows down the battery life usually goes up to around 5 months.

The Ring battery is charged using a micro-USB connection. A completely dead battery usually takes about 5-6 hours to charge fully.

Checking the Ring’s battery level is easy using the companion smartphone app. You open the app to check the battery level yourself or wait for it to send you a push notification and/or email alerts when it’s getting low.

I recommend buying an additional spare battery so you can switch them when the batteries low. Or you could connect an optional solar power unit to keep the battery charged at all times.

Which Ring Doorbells Require Hardwiring?

Both the Pro and Elite Ring Doorbell need to be hardwired along with Ring security cameras and Ring Alarm. The Ring Video Doorbell Pro does not come with a battery and is powered by wire. It comes with a Pro Power Kit that you can use to hardwire it into your existing home wiring. The Ring Video Doorbell Elite is a professional-grade solution that uses wiring for both power and data.

The Ring Video Doorbell Elite requires an Ethernet connection but not power wires.

An Ethernet connection provides fast, and reliable data flow while also supplying power to the Ring using the Power over Ethernet protocol.

Wired Vs Wireless Ring Doorbell

While most Ring Video Doorbell models are completely wireless using battery power and a WiFi connection, there are some advantages to using wired models.

By using a wired Ring Doorbell you never have to worry about changing the battery. On average, a Ring Doorbell’s battery lasts about 6-12 months between charges based on usage. And they take about 4-6 hours to fully charge.

On the communication front, you might find it easier to use WiFi to communicate with your Ring. But an Ethernet connection is faster and more reliable. However, older doorbells didn’t use Ethernet so you’ll have to run new wiring. But the great thing about using Ethernet is that it also charges the device. So all you need is the one wire.

Using an Ethernet cable to communicate with the Ring can be helpful if your home WiFi connection is unreliable or there are WiFi networks in the area that cause interference. Another benefit to using Ethernet is that it’s faster with less dropouts and/or range issues. And the signal quality is usually better.

Communication over WiFi works great if you have a high speed internet connection. But if you have dial up or DSL I’d recommend wiring the Ring.

The best thing about going with a wireless Ring is versatility. You can connect them just about anywhere. If you have a gate, detached garage, pool house, guest house or other structure where you want a video doorbell but don’t want to run wires, a wireless Ring Doorbell is a great option.

Summary: Are Ring Doorbells Wireless?

Ring Video Doorbells are wireless and connect to your smart phone or computer via WiFi. They’re very easy to install and set up as long as you have WiFi. Just follow the easy step by step instructions that come with the Ring. Most people have no problem setting up the device in a few minutes all by themselves. Many Ring Doorbell models also come with a rechargeable battery which eliminates the need for doorbell wires. If you want a truly wireless connection then a battery powered Ring is the best choice. Every model (except for the Ring Elite) uses your home’s WiFi network to connect to the internet. Once connected, the Ring can send you alerts and notifications on your mobile device or PC whenever someone approaches the door.

Some Ring Video Doorbell models require hard-wiring to supply power. But they still work wirelessly over WiFi to send alerts and notifications. Most models also let you talk to the person standing at your door through a smartphone.

All of the communication, video, notifications, alerts and updates between you and the Ring Doorbell happen 100% wireless. The only wire that may be required is power.

There’s one big advantage to hard-wiring a Ring Video Doorbell vs using a battery. With a hard-wired model you never have to change the battery. Battery powered Ring devices require you to change the battery as needed. It will notify you on your smartphone when it’s time for a change.

The advantage to using a battery powered Ring Doorbell is that you can install it anywhere. This include apartments that don’t have an existing doorbell wire. A battery powered Ring Doorbell is truly wireless and can be installed just about anywhere.

If you have any questions about a Ring Doorbell, email any time.