Why Your Ring Alarm Keeps Going Off

Ring isn’t alone when it comes to false alarms. For various reasons, alarms go off, especially during heavy thunderstorms, and Ring Alarm devices aren’t impervious to accidents of nature or circumstance. But why does your Ring Alarm seem to keep going off?

Many things can set off a Ring Alarm, including unintended motion settings, poorly installed sensors, sunlight, pets, and even the natural expansion and settling process that houses undergo as the seasons change.

When installing the Ring Alarm system, it’s important to pay attention to the instructions and use precision as well as forward-thinking when installing sensors and cameras. If you’re having problems with your Ring Alarm constantly going off, hopefully, you will find some answers here to eliminate the problem.

Why Will Ring Alarm Go Off?

The Ring Alarm can go off for any number of reasons, including:

• Slight movement in highly sensitive motion zones
• Poorly placed sensors
• Sunlight, pets, or settling triggering motion detectors

How to Avoid False Alarms with Ring Alarm

The following are a few ways you can prevent or resolve the issues mentioned above to prevent future false alarms from occurring:

Properly Set Motion Zones

First, you’ll want to adjust your motion zones to prevent false alarms.

The Ring app is universal for Android and iPhone users, and you’ll do most of your setup and settings adjustments from here.

1. Open the Ring App and Select Devices.
2. Select one device at a time to adjust settings.
3. Select Motion Settings.
4. Select Motion Zones.

From here, you can adjust the size and shape of the motion zones, reducing it to avoid high traffic areas that aren’t of any consequence and only include what you want.

Adjust People Detection

To adjust People Detection—which is part of what Ring calls “Smart Alerts”—open the Ring App and select the three-line symbol at the top of the screen.

1. Select Devices, followed by the device you want to adjust.
2. Select Motion Settings > Smart Notifications.
3. Tap Enable Feature.
4. Choose to Continue.
5. Person and Other Motion are the options available on the next screen. From here, you can choose the type of alerts you want with people, pets, and other motion activities.

Move Door, Window, and Motion Sensors

Ring Window and Door Contact Sensors are simple to install, even when there are offsetting obstacles, such as the trim around the window or door.

The sensors come in two parts and function through the use of magnets. One each part, some lines need to be precisely lined up with one another on both parts. The two sensor pieces cannot be any more than ½” apart. If you place the sensors in such a way that the lines are not matching, or the sensors are a hair outside of ½” apart, you’ll likely have problems with the Ring Alarm System.

Want to learn more about the Ring Alarm? Check out our full Ring Alarm Guide on Setup, Tips and Tricks.

If you’re dealing with the trim offsetting the two sensors, lay down an extra layer of adhesive underneath the sensor that isn’t level to help adjust it.

Ring Motion Sensors are also capable of creating false alarms if you don’t take certain considerations:

• Do not install them in places where they are in the shade for part of the day and exposed to the sun later. This can create heat and motion triggers as the sun strikes the motion sensor.
• Do not install where a ceiling fan is closely adjacent. The motion from the fan will continually trigger the motion sensor.
• Do not leave lightweight objects lying around. When the A/C or heat kicks on, balloons, pieces of paper, or other lightweight debris may shift under the breeze, setting off the motion detector.
• Any pets over 50 pounds may be enough to set off a Ring Motion detector, even with the appropriate settings.

Other Tips to Avoid False Alarms

Once you’ve adjusted your Ring Alarm’s settings, keep the following tips in mind:

• When mapping up the layout for your Ring Alarm System, it’s important that everyone who will have to access the system knows the passwords and understands how the features on the Ring Alarm System work.
• After installing Window and Door Contact Sensors, periodically check them every few months to make sure that the lines are still level and the distance between the contact points does not exceed ½”.
• Over time, as temperatures throughout the year fluctuate, wood expands and contracts. Houses will also subtly settle on their foundations. This may slightly alter even the most meticulously installed sensors. Checking them from time to time is a good way to avoid false alarms.
• Make sure to set entry and exit delays that are long enough to give you or others time to reach the keypad and disarm the system.
• Ensure that any battery-operated devices tied to the Ring Alarm System have plenty of juice and check all wired devices to ensure they are operating properly after any temporary power outages.
• Make sure to always arm the device for Away when you leave and Home Mode when you’re home. You would be surprised how often this is a factor with false alarms.

Final Thoughts

Setting up a Ring Alarm system should always be preceded by carefully mapping the layout, adjusting the settings properly, and having everyone on the same page regarding the Alarm kit’s settings, motion, and general features.

The Ring Alarm system is a highly customizable DIY system. It’s a great system to have for the protection and security of you and your family. To avoid any false alarm headaches, just be sure to carefully set it up and keep the system maintained and up-to-date. You never know when you may need to depend on it.