Previously, I discussed my preference for Ethernet (cabled networking) over Wi-Fi. In order to prevent Wi-Fi jamming, avoid having to re-enter Wi-Fi passwords constantly, and to improve dependability, this is necessary.
Because of this, when I recently ran out of Ethernet ports on my home router, I frowned… There were no replacement network switches, so the only choice was which device I had to turn off. My first plan was to use Ethernet alone, but then I saw that the Ring Alarm system also supports Wi-Fi. Woohoo! As an alternative, I could just connect it to the Wi-Fi network and not think about the dangers of Wi-Fi jamming assaults.
Taking the Ethernet cord from my Ring Alarm base station, I logged into the Ring app and accessed the settings menu. My issues began at that point. For some reason, I couldn’t get my Ring Alarm into pairing mode when I attempted to use Wi-Fi. That being the case, how did I go about correcting the situation? So, in a nutshell, the solution is…
There are many things you may attempt if your Ring Alarm won’t enter pairing mode (for example, to alter the Wi-Fi information). Although this is often the case, additional time-consuming actions must be taken if it fails.
Yes, I did everything that came to me. In the end, however, I switched back to using an Ethernet cable. In any case, if your Ring Alarm base station won’t enter pairing mode, follow the instructions in this page. Despite the fact that I don’t have the Ring Alarm Pro base station, the troubleshooting processes are almost same.
If you’re not familiar with the Ring Alarm system, here’s a quick refresher.
The Ring Alarm System in a nutshell.
The Ring Alarm system’s main control panel.
While ADT charges $50+ a month for home security monitoring, the Ring Alarm system just charges $10 a month for expert monitoring or you can simply monitor the system yourself and save money. Awesome!
It’s also convenient since this system is wireless and can be attached to most surfaces using adhesive strips:
The sticky strips and screw holes on the back of a Ring Motion Sensor are seen in this photograph.
Install the touch sensors and motion sensors where you want them, and they’ll link wirelessly (using a technology called Z-Wave) without you having to worry about wiring cables everywhere.
My front door has a Ring Contact Sensor installed.
The Ring Alarm base station’speaks’ Z-wave to each component and then communicates the data back to Ring’s cloud servers (and hence your Ring smartphone app) over the internet.
Wall-mounted Ring alarm base station.
Internet Protocol (IP) Protocol of Ring Alarm System
There are many Z-Wave-enabled Ring Alarm components (e.g. sensors and range extenders) and they all “speak” Z-Wave, but your home router is not interested in Z-Wave since it only cares about internet data.
There are two ways in which Z-Wave data may be sent to Ring’s servers through the Ring Alarm Base station (the one shown above, and the Ring Alarm Pro – launched in 2021):
When and how Ring’s alarm system’s components talk to one another.
If you don’t have WiFi in your house, you may still connect your Base Station to it via an Ethernet connection.
A router and an Ethernet cable in my hands.
As a result, in the event that:
Previously, your Base Station was wired through Ethernet, but now you’d want to go wireless… OR
You already have a WiFi connection to your Base Station, but you wish to switch to a different WiFi provider.
Changing the WiFi password is required. This seems straightforward, doesn’t it?
Ring Alarm Base Station (under the Devices menu) is all you need to do to begin the process of upgrading your internet.
It’s all well and good, but there are situations when this doesn’t work out as planned. To go into setup mode, the software prompts you to hold down the pairing button:
An example of how to enter pairing mode with the Ring app
Even a complete neophyte like me can easily see and push down:
The Ring Alarm Base Station gen 1’s pairing button
That’s not how it went for me. The Ring Alarm base station logo is supposed to flash up and rotate while it’s in pairing mode, however this didn’t happen for me.
After unplugging the Ethernet line, I was unable to update my Ring Alarm system’s WiFi information. Doh! As I’ll explain below, there are a few simple measures you may do to get things back to normal.
Alternate Solution #1: Continue to follow the “official” instructions.
The “official” recommendation here is to do nothing at all. However, I realize that that doesn’t sound particularly useful. After a few tries, some customers have claimed that they had to shut their Ring app and re-press the pairing button (on the Base Station) many times before it finally connected.
When someone asks, “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” in IT, they mean this. However, it has worked for some individuals, so it’s worth a second look.
It didn’t work for me, as you can see. Pressing the pairing button again and over again didn’t help. In order to continue, I proceeded to the following stage.
Option #2: Take out the battery.
The Ring Alarm Base Station features a battery backup, which is a nice feature.
That’s not all: It has a battery back-up! A Ring camera or your mobile phone may be turned off and on again, but not the Base Station. You could, of course, wait for the battery to run out in the next 24 to 48 hours. However, this isn’t necessarily the most efficient method.
Remove the battery pack and see if that helps.
Make careful to remove the power cable before you begin. As long as the gadget is powered on, never remove the battery back-up.
Once you have a screwdriver, remove the battery comparison screw:
Remove the battery from the Ring Alarm Base Station by unscrewing it.
There’s a way to see the real battery here:
Base Station Battery of the Ring Security System
Three wires (red, black, and white) are plugged into a socket at this stage. To disable your Ring Alarm Base Station, this must be removed. Getting the wires out might be tough, and you don’t want to do it by hand either. Instead, use a screwdriver with a flat head to pry it open from the rear:
Using a flathead screwdriver, remove the battery connection from the Ring Base Station.
It will eventually be removed:
The Ring Alarm Base Station’s now-disappearing battery
Wait a minute, then put the battery pack back in, screw the compartment top back on, and attempt to fix it again.
Some people reported that this solved their problem. Sadly, that didn’t work for me, so I’ll have to try something else.
Option #3: Make a phone call to customer service.
Because Ring has so many debugging processes to go through, customer assistance may take anywhere from 15-30 minutes.
My almost two-and-a-half-hour phone conversation with Ring customer service
Customer support may be able to assist if you’ve previously followed the first two steps and are still experiencing issues with your Ring Alarm Base Station.
Make sure you choose the correct nation from the drop-down box on their “Acquire in contact” page in order to get their phone number.
Delete and re-add it from the app is a fourth option.
The Ring Alarm may be removed from the app and re-added if you do not want to contact Ring. It’s important to remember, however, that this strategy should only be used sparingly. Setup requires that the Base Station be placed into pairing mode so that it generates the Bluetooth signal that is recognized by the app.
Setting up or connecting a Ring Alarm Base Station involves searching for a Bluetooth connection.
This means that you may not be able to install the Base Station again, leaving you with a Base Station that doesn’t operate. That brings us to solution #3, which is another long conversation with Ring customer support.
Solution #5 below was all that made sense for me..!
5: Forget About It And Use Ethernet
Nothing worked in the end, and Ethernet is what I like anyhow. In response, I opted to fork out $15 for an 8-port switch:
Gigabit Ethernet network switch from Netgear.
In order to get the Base Station back online, I connected it to the network switch, which then connected to the router.
Cat5e Ethernet cable connected to the Ring Alarm’s base station
Although it may seem like a waste of time, you may be surprised by the unforeseen benefits of connecting it over Ethernet. When you go to the alarm page on your Ring app, instead of seeing this:
How do you know when your WiFi has been updated? cellular backup is used by the Ring Alarm system.
Instead, it currently displays:
A component of the Ring app dedicated to the Ring Alarm base station.
As the saying goes, it’s “back online.”
As a result, I now have access to the device’s settings and can begin the setup (or changing of WiFi information) process in earnest.
In other words, if you momentarily connect your Base Station to the Internet, you may be able to re-enter the pairing mode and connect to the Internet.
When I tried to connect in the Ethernet wire, however, nothing occurred. Still, the app indicated that I was relying on mobile phone power. In reality, it took anything from five to ten minutes before I was able to reconnect to the internet.
a Ring alarm base station email informing me that my internet connection has been restored
You may always utilize an Ethernet connection – even if it’s only for a short period of time – to go back online. You may be able to re-enter pairing mode after doing this.
Contacting Ring customer care may be your only choice if the instructions above don’t work.