Ring's Alarm articles warn that resetting is not a casual fix. To reboot the Alarm Pro without losing anything, quickly press and release the reset pinhole on the back with a paper clip; holding it factory resets the base station and requires setting up the base station and all accessories again. Ring's guidance is not to factory reset the base station without support from a trained Ring expert, and to contact Customer Support if you are struggling.
The checks in more detail
A full reset removes sensors from the base station, so every sensor must be factory reset too before it will reconnect, and Ring has a guide for resetting Alarm devices such as sensors, keypads and sirens, each with its own button sequence. Use a reset when the base station will not connect, when it is stuck in cellular backup after a reboot, when you are giving it away or when Ring Support asks.
Before you do, note your Modes, contacts and monitoring settings, since they need re-entering, and remove the base station from your account if selling it. After the reset, run setup again, re-add each sensor, restore Modes and test. Unregistering, described in the offline article, is the last resort. Take screenshots of your mode settings and contacts before any reset, because they take far longer to rebuild than the hardware does to set up. After the reset give the base station several minutes to finish starting before you begin setup, since early attempts fail.
Do not reset during a storm or outage, since a base station that loses power mid-setup can need another reset. Ask Ring Support to confirm the exact reset steps for your sensor model, because sequences differ between sensor generations and a wrong one wastes time. Keep a photo of each sensor's label before the reset, because some sensors need their serial number or a QR code again during setup and the label is easier to read now than after mounting.
Differential
Likely causes of “Ring Alarm Pro Base Station will not reset or needs to be reset safely”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A stuck base station
What separates it The base station will not connect because it is stuck in a bad state
How to confirm Give it a quick reboot first, and contact Ring support before you do a full reset
- 2
A stuck cellular backup
What separates it The backup state persists because the base station stays on its cellular backup
How to confirm Reboot it, and then contact Ring if the backup state does not clear
- 3
Giving it away
What separates it The old owner's settings remain because the base station is being given to someone else
How to confirm Reset the base station, and unregister it from your account, so the new owner can set it up
- 4
A failed setup
What separates it The base station is half configured because the setup failed partway through
How to confirm Reset it and try the setup again from the beginning
- 5
Sensors after a reset
What separates it The sensors will not reconnect after the base station was reset
How to confirm Factory reset each sensor, and then add each one to the base station again
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether you have tried a quick reboot of the base station
- Your modes and emergency contacts, written down before the reset
- Which sensors are paired with the base station
- Whether professional monitoring is active on the account
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedNote your settings
ReversibleNote your settings first, including your modes and contacts, so that you can rebuild them.
Try a quick reboot
ReversibleTry a quick reboot with the pinhole, pressing it briefly and not holding it down.
Contact Ring Support
ReversibleContact Ring Support before a reset, since Ring advises that a reset is not a casual fix.
Factory reset if advised
ReversibleFactory reset if Ring advises it, by holding the pinhole until the base station resets.
Set up again
ReversibleSet the base station up again in the app, following the prompts for a new setup.
Reset and re-add sensors
ReversibleReset and add the sensors back one by one, since each must be paired again after a reset.
Test everything
ReversibleTest everything before you rely on it, opening doors and windows to check each sensor reports.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Sensors
- Each sensor type has its own reset sequence.
- Support
- Ring advises contacting support before a base reset.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If a reboot does not help, contact Ring Support before resetting
- !If a sensor will not rejoin, reset that sensor
- !If you are selling it, unregister the base station from your account before you reset it
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Alarm reset.
Base station and Z-Wave reconnect steps.
Alarm Pro setup.
Setup issues.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
How do I reboot without resetting?+
Quickly press and release the reset pinhole, which reboots it without erasing any settings.
What does holding do?+
Holding the pinhole down performs a factory reset, which erases the settings.
Do I need support to reset?+
Ring advises that you contact support before resetting, because a reset is not a casual fix.
Will sensors reconnect?+
Sensors reconnect only after a reset, when each one is factory reset and added again.
Should I reset when selling?+
Yes, reset it when selling, after you remove it from your own account.
What is unregistering?+
Unregistering means removing the base station from your Ring account, so that it is free to be used again.
Will monitoring pause?+
Monitoring will pause during the setup, so make sure it is working again afterwards.