How to Stop Ring Doorbell from Turning on TV
By Trae Jacobs,
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Ring Doorbell does more alert you to guests; it can also connect to your smart TV and show real-time activity on the big screen. From the comfort of your couch, you can see visitors when they ring the bell or watch live footage when the sensors detect motion. However, this feature may not work as expected––especially when it randomly turns on your TV.
To learn about disabling this, continue reading. On this page, we will talk about reconfiguring your devices so that you can get the most out of your smart home security system when connected to your smart TV.
Disable the Ring Alexa Skill
Instead of apps, your Alexa has something called “skills.” Skills allow it to do things like play music, tell you the weather, and play trivia. There is also a Ring Alexa skill. This could be creating something of a domino effect among your smart home devices.
For instance, suppose that your Ring Doorbell senses motion or gets an alert. With the Ring skill, your doorbell will alert your Alexa that someone is there, and your Alexa, in turn, will turn on your TV so you can watch the footage.
To disable this feature, you will need to:
- Open the Alexa app.
- Select the three white lines at the upper left-hand corner.
- Tap “Skills and Games.”
- Press “Your Skills.”
- Select the Ring skill.
- Choose “Disable.”
If this is what’s happening with your TV, this could be the answer to your problem.
Disable “Talking” to the Firestick
If you have an Amazon Fire TV, it already has the features of an Amazon Firestick. Even if you do not recall pairing your Ring Doorbell with your TV, they could still be “talking” to each other.
To disable this feature, you should:
- Go to the Alexa app.
- Press “Devices,” and then “Cameras.”
- Choose your Ring Doorbell.
- Go to “Announcement Devices.”
Once you reach this point, you should be able to deselect your smart TV.
Update SmartThings or TV’s Settings
Even if you don’t have an Amazon Fire TV, many smart TVs have Alexa built right in. This the case for Samsung’s smart TV, as well as Insignia.
To stop your Ring Doorbell from turning on your Samsung smart TV, you would need to make changes in the SmartThings app, not the Alexa app. For an Insignia smart TV, you would go into the TV’s settings or the Alexa app to disconnect your Ring Doorbell.
Turn Off One of Your TV’s Ports
If you do not have an Alexa or an Alexa-enabled device, you might need to shut off one of your TV’s ports that transmits sound. This would effectively stop your Ring Doorbell from “telling” your TV to turn on.
You will need to turn off your TV’s Consumer Electronics Control (CEC). This allows your TV to automatically switch the right input. A good example of CEC in action is when you power on your Xbox, turn on the TV, and the TV automatically goes to your game’s screen.
How you turn off your TV’s CEC depends on what type of TV you have. Some TVs even have different names for CEC. For instance:
- Samsung calls it Anynet+
- Sony calls it Bravia Sync
- LG calls it SimpLink
You can learn more about turning off your TV’s CEC by doing a Google search or consulting your product’s user manual. You can re-enable this feature at any time.
Adjust Your Ring Doorbell’s Motion Range
You may not really mind that your Ring Doorbell is turning your TV on. Maybe it’s just happening too often. Your TV comes on, you expect to see something, but nothing’s there.
You can adjust your Ring Doorbell’s range of activity. That way, you can avoid getting false alarms. You can adjust your activity range by:
- Open the Ring app.
- Tap on the three lines on the upper left-hand corner.
- Go to the options at the bottom and choose “Motion Settings.”
- Choose “Motion Zones.”
- Tap “Add Zone” and select which areas you want your doorbell’s camera to monitor.
- Hit “Save.”
You can set your motion zones to avoid things like the sidewalk, the street outside your house, or other high-activity areas.
In Conclusion
The Ring Doorbell may be turning on the TV because you have enabled your device to “talk” to your Alexa or Amazon Fire TV. Simply check your settings and make sure that your Alexa is not connected to your doorbell. This will stop your TV from coming on at inopportune times.
If not, there are some other steps that could limit the number of times your TV shows you footage.