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Will a Ring Doorbell Work With a Mobile Hot Spot? 6 Steps

Will A Ring Doorbell Work With A Mobile Hotspot

With a Ring doorbell, you get 24/7 front door surveillance from the palm of your hands.

It notifies you when someone rings on your door, allows you to see them, and communicate with them even if you aren’t within your premises.

But does this amazing technology work with a mobile hotspot?

A Ring doorbell will work with a mobile hotspot if it has a dedicated connection. However, some mobile hotspots come with restrictions as to what devices can successfully connect and function. But all in all, it’s worth giving it a shot.

In this article, I’ll answer the question of whether a Ring doorbell can work with a mobile spot.

Read on to understand how this smart device works and get a glimpse of some frequently asked questions regarding its functionality.

What Is a Ring Doorbell?

A Ring doorbell is a smart device that doubles as an intercom feature that allows you to see and communicate with your visitors and a doorbell to notify you when someone rings on your front door.

The beauty of this device is that it gives you surveillance of your porch all day long from the palm of your hands because everything is done through a user-friendly smartphone app. This means you don’t need to be home to see who’s at your door.

To enjoy the convenience of this gadget, you’ll need to attach it to your front door or porch wall using screws or adhesive tape, whichever you fancy!

After the attachment of the gadget, you need to download a Ring app on your tablet or smartphone from your device’s app store.

Upon installation, the Ring app will become the primary interface through which you can monitor your Ring doorbell regardless of where you are.

During the installation of the app, you’ll need to create an account. Here, you’ll be required to fill in some basic information such as your name, phone number, and email address, to mention a few.

After successfully creating your account, you’ll see a list of Ring devices within your vicinity. And if this is your first and only device, it’ll be the only device on the list.

Once you select your device, you’ll be prompted to join a Wi-Fi connection.

However, this isn’t meant to connect your phone to a Wi-Fi network but the Ring device.

Essentially, the Ring doorbell comes equipped with a small Wi-Fi router meant to solely allow your smartphone or tablet to connect to it seamlessly.

After selecting the network and filling in all your credentials, the Ring doorbell should connect to your internet server and be fully functional.

How To Connect Your Ring Doorbell to a Mobile Hotspot

Due to some unavoidable circumstances, you may find that your internet is down, or you are in an area where you can’t access Wi-Fi, and so the only option you have left is to create a mobile hotspot to keep your smart devices running.

This leaves you wondering whether a Ring doorbell will still function when connected to the mobile hotspot.

According to Chelsea_Ring, the Community Manager at Ring Community, it’s possible for your Ring doorbell to function when connected to a dedicated mobile hotspot.

However, some hotspots are restricted on the devices that can function when connected to them.

But it’s worth giving it a try to know where your hotspot lies.

Here is a simple process to connect your Ring doorbell to a mobile hotspot:

  1. Go to the Ring app on your smartphone or tablet.
  2. Tap on the ‘Main menu.’
  3. Select ‘Devices.’
  4. Under ‘Devices,’ click on ‘Doorbell.’
  5. Then select ‘Device health.’
  6. Lastly, click on ‘Change Wi-Fi Network’ or ‘Reconnect to Wi-Fi.’ While doing this, ensure your hotspot is active for ease of detection.

Once you have selected your mobile hotspot, check whether the Ring doorbell is functioning.

If properly connected, you will still get the push notifications and live feeds from your Ring Doorbell regardless of where you are.

However, it isn’t advisable to leave your Ring doorbell connected to a mobile hotspot for long as it consumes loads of cellular data and can be overly expensive in the long run.

Learn more: Why is my Ring camera footage unavailable?

How Does a Ring Doorbell Work?

How Ring Doorbell Work

A Ring doorbell works by providing live footage of your front door through a mobile app. It connects to an internet server and transmits all the live footage to you. Ring notifies you when it detects motion, and you can see the person and communicate with them through your phone.

For this to happen, you need a stable internet connection, and your Ring app needs to connect to the same server that your Ring doorbell is connected to.

Your phones also need to be connected to the internet for efficient data transmission.

And this is why most Ring doorbells are designed with a small Wi-Fi router solely meant for connecting the Ring app to the Ring doorbell device.


Frequently Asked Questions


While Ring operation is fairly easy and its connection to your home internet network is largely seamless, there can be a bit of a learning curve getting used to your new smart doorbell.

These answers should help guide you through any issues that may arise. 

How Do I Know if My Ring Doorbell Is Connected to the Internet?

For seamless functionality, you have to ensure your device is connected to a strong network. To check whether your device is successfully connected:

  1. Open your Ring app
  2. Click on ‘Devices.’
  3. Select your Ring device, ‘Doorbell.’
  4. Then select ‘Device health.’
  5. You’ll see the status of your device under ‘Network.’

Why Does My Ring Doorbell Keep Going Off?

Multiple factors may trigger your Ring doorbell to go off unexpectedly. They include:

  • Temporary loss of power
  • A power surge that affects your internet connectivity
  • Changes in your Wi-Fi setting, for example, a password change
  • If your device has power issues because of a discharged battery

Read also: 8 Easy Ways To Fix a Ring Doorbell That Won’t Stop Ringing

How Long Does a Ring Doorbell Battery Last?

Your device’s lithium battery can last anywhere between 6-12 months.

However, this time depends on the amount of activity at your front door. The higher the activity, the faster the battery drains and vice versa.

What Happens if My Ring Doorbell Dies?

If the battery dies completely, your Ring doorbell will switch off, and you’ll have to read it back to the app.

If you are using the original Ring doorbell, its lithium battery isn’t removable and you’ll have to detach the device for charging.

If you are using the Ring doorbell 2 and 3, their batteries are removable, and you can remove them for charging.

To avoid all this hassle, you can connect (hardwire) your Ring doorbell to your existing doorbell’s wires, and by this, your smart device will never run out of power.

Additionally, you can get the newer Ring Doorbell models that are hardwired, and you’ll never have to worry about the battery running low.

How Do I Check the Battery Life of My Ring Doorbell?

You can check the status of your battery through the following steps:

  1. Open your Ring app
  2. Click on the ‘Main menu.’
  3. Select on ‘Devices.’
  4. Choose your ‘Ring doorbell.’
  5. The battery level will be shown at the top right corner.

Once your battery-operated Ring doorbell starts running low on power, you’ll receive notifications via email and through the Ring app.

Wrapping Up

With a Ring doorbell, you get to monitor the situation at your front door or porch area 24/7 without even having to be in the house.

You can know when someone rings on your door, see them and chat with them.

However, this smart device relies on a stable internet connection to perform all these roles.

And in the absence of a Wi-Fi connection, you can connect it to a dedicated mobile hotspot.

However, you should be wary of the Ring doorbell’s high cellular data consumption that can end up costing you a lot in the long run.

Check out: 13 Steps to Installing a Ring Peephole Camera (No Peephole)