Ring Alarm automation is built from Modes, sensor settings and Alexa routines. Ring's modes article explains three modes, Disarmed, Home and Away, and for each you choose which sensors are active, whether entry delay applies and what the siren does. You can switch modes by hand, by keypad, by schedule or with a geofence-style setting in the app. Arming and disarming with Alexa uses a spoken PIN. Ring's alarm can also drive Ring lights and cameras, for example turning on a floodlight when a door sensor opens, and Alexa routines can react to alarm events.
The checks in more detail
If an automation does not run, check the base station is online, the mode is the one you expect, the sensor is not bypassed and the routine trigger uses the current device name. Bypassed sensors are ignored until the next disarm, which is a common reason a sensor seems not to trigger. Rebuild a routine if you renamed a device. Test with a manual trigger and keep the setup simple.
Before relying on schedules, check time zone and location, since they follow the address in the account. Describe each rule in one sentence and test it after any change to modes, since a rule that cannot be described simply is hard to debug. A rule that fires twice usually has one trigger in Ring and one in Alexa, so remove one. Review your modes after any change to the sensors, since a new sensor is inactive in a mode until you add it.
If you use several people's phones for location-based changes, decide which phone is the master, since two phones disagreeing about who is home is a frequent reason a mode changes when nobody expects it. Add a monthly reminder to review your modes, since sensors added over time are easy to forget in the mode settings. Where a sensor triggers a light, test at night and in daylight, since motion sensors and lights can behave differently with the sun, and note the result so you can see whether a rule needs a daylight condition.
Differential
Likely causes of “Ring Alarm Pro Base Station routine, schedule or automation is not running”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
The wrong mode
What separates it The sensors are inactive because the alarm is in a mode that does not arm them
How to confirm Check the mode settings, and choose the mode that arms the sensors you want to use
- 2
A bypassed sensor
What separates it A sensor does not trigger the alarm because it has been bypassed
How to confirm Clear the bypass before you arm the system, so that the sensor is included
- 3
An offline base station
What separates it The automation does not run because the base station is offline
How to confirm Fix the connection for the base station, and check it shows online in Device Health
- 4
A renamed device
What separates it A routine stops working because a device was renamed after the routine was made
How to confirm Rebuild the routine, and choose the renamed device again from the list
- 5
A wrong time zone
What separates it The schedule fires at the wrong hour because the location's time zone is not right
How to confirm Correct the location for the system, so that schedules follow your local time
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Which mode is active, and which sensors it arms
- The trigger that starts the automation
- The names of the devices used in the automation
- Whether the base station shows online in the app
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedCheck the current mode
ReversibleCheck the current mode and its sensors, since each mode decides which sensors are armed.
Clear bypasses
ReversibleClear any bypasses before you arm the system, since a bypassed sensor will not trigger the alarm.
Confirm the base is online
ReversibleConfirm the base station is online in Device Health, because an offline base cannot run an automation.
Test manually
ReversibleTest manually by triggering the event yourself, and see whether the system responds as expected.
Check device names
ReversibleCheck the device names, and rebuild any routine if you renamed a device after you set it up.
Check the time zone
ReversibleCheck the time zone for schedules, since a wrong location makes schedules fire at the wrong hour.
Keep it simple
ReversibleKeep it simple by making one rule at a time, so you can find the cause of any problem.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Devices this page covers
- Ring Alarm Pro Base Station with built-in eero wifi 6 router and the Ring Alarm sensors that connect to it over Z-Wave. Ring writes one help-center article per fault for Ring Alarm; the notes name where the base station and its sensors differ.
- Modes
- Set which sensors are active per mode.
- Bypass
- Bypassed sensors are ignored until disarm.
- Tools and supplies
- The Ring app on an up-to-date phone, a paper clip for the reset pinhole, a small screwdriver for battery covers, an ethernet cable for testing, replacement batteries for the sensors and a pen and paper for the model and error message.
- Repair cost
- Most fixes cost nothing. Figures: a Ring Chime Pro is about $59.99, Ring Protect Plus rose to about $12 a month on February 1, 2026, and each Ring Power Pack gives up to eight hours of backup power. Check the limited warranty first.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If routines fail after rebuilding, contact Ring Support
- !If a mode misapplies, review its settings for each sensor
- !If the Alexa routines fail, relink the Ring skill in the Alexa app
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Modes.
Arm and disarm.
Alexa arming.
Base station and Z-Wave reconnect steps.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
What are Ring modes?+
Ring has three modes, which are Disarmed, Home and Away, and each sets which sensors are active.
What is a bypassed sensor?+
A bypassed sensor is one that the system ignores until the next time the alarm is disarmed.
Can modes be scheduled?+
Yes, modes can be scheduled, so that the mode changes at times that you choose.
Can alarm events trigger lights?+
Yes, alarm events can trigger lights and other devices, using routines in a supported app.
Why did my routine stop?+
A routine stops when a device is renamed or offline, so check both of those first.
Does the time zone matter?+
Yes, the time zone matters for schedules, because they run at the local time of the location.
Should I test regularly?+
Yes, test regularly, so you know the system still does what you expect after any change.