Automating a Ring Battery Doorbell Plus means making it work with other devices, such as turning on a light when it detects motion, announcing a visitor on an Echo or setting a routine. Ring gives you a few routes, and the right one depends on what you own. The simplest is within the Ring app: Ring Alarm and Ring Bridge devices can be linked, and the Ring app lets motion trigger a Chime, a light from the Ring Smart Lighting range or a siren.
The checks in more detail
For other brands, the Ring skill for Alexa lets you build a routine in the Alexa app: the trigger is the doorbell's motion or a press, and the action can be a light, a smart plug or an announcement. To set up an Alexa routine, enable the Ring skill, open the Alexa app, choose More, Routines, and add a new routine, choosing Smart Home as the trigger and selecting the doorbell's motion or its button press.
Add an action such as turning on a light, or an announcement on your Echo devices. Alexa Announcements for visitors are a common use. For Google Home, Ring does not offer the same native integration, so the routes there go through a service such as IFTTT, which has its own limits and delays. Check the Ring app's Linked Accounts and Third-Party Services in the settings. If a routine does not fire, check that the doorbell's motion alerts are on, since the routine depends on the event;
check that the skill is still linked, since a changed Ring password breaks it; and check the routine's schedule. Battery doorbells wake only for events, so an automation that needs the doorbell to react instantly may be slower than one on a wired model. Delays of a few seconds are normal. Avoid long chains of actions that depend on each other. Contact Ring if a linked device cannot be found, and check Ring's list of compatible devices.
Differential
Likely causes of “Ring Battery Doorbell Plus routine, schedule or automation is not running”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A skill or account not linked
What separates it No Ring devices appear in routines
How to confirm Enable the Ring skill and sign in again
- 2
Motion alerts off
What separates it The routine never triggers
How to confirm Turn on motion alerts for the doorbell
- 3
A changed password
What separates it The link stops working
How to confirm Re-link the account
- 4
A routine schedule that excludes the time
What separates it It does not run
How to confirm Check the routine's times
- 5
The doorbell's wake time
What separates it A short delay
How to confirm Allow a few seconds
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- When the problem began and what changed
- Any message in the app
- Whether other devices at home work
- The model and serial number
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedEnable the Ring skill
ReversibleIn the Alexa app.
Create a routine
ReversibleWith the doorbell as the trigger.
Choose the action
ReversibleA light or an announcement.
Check motion alerts
ReversibleThey must be on.
Test the routine
ReversibleWith a walk by the door.
Re-link if it fails
ReversibleSign in again.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Routines
- They run an action after a trigger.
- Linked skill
- It gives Alexa access to the doorbell.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the steps do not clear it, contact the maker with the model and serial number
- !Check the warranty before a repair
- !Keep the app and the device firmware updated
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Can the Ring doorbell turn on a light?+
Yes, through Alexa or Ring lighting.
Does Google Home work natively?+
Not in the same way.
Why is there a delay?+
A battery doorbell wakes for events.
What breaks the link?+
A changed Ring password.