Ring automation lives in Modes, Routines and the Alexa app. Ring's modes article explains three modes, Disarmed, Home and Away, and for each you choose what the doorbells and cameras do: whether motion detection is on, whether alerts are sent and whether video records. Set the mode by hand or on a schedule, and use Mode Settings to see which devices follow. Motion Schedules are a separate feature that silences alerts at set times, and they can be why a device seems to have stopped detecting.
The checks in more detail
Alexa routines can trigger on a Ring event such as a doorbell press or motion, for example turning on lights, provided the Ring skill is linked and Alexa device names match. Ring's smart lighting can react to motion from a camera. If an automation does not fire, check the device is online, that the mode is set as you expect, that a schedule is not silencing it and that the Alexa or Ring routine trigger uses the right device.
Rebuild the routine if you renamed a device, since names break links. Test with a manual trigger, and keep automations simple so a fault is easy to find. When an automation stops after an app update, open it and save it again, because a routine can lose its link to a device when the app changes how it stores triggers. Change one automation at a time and test it before adding the next, since two interacting rules are the usual reason a routine seems random. A routine that fires twice usually has two triggers, one in Ring and one in Alexa, so remove one.
Write the automation as one sentence, such as when motion is detected after dark, turn on the porch light, and if you cannot say it in one sentence it is probably too complicated to debug.
Differential
Likely causes of “Ring doorbells and security cameras routine, schedule or automation is not running”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
The wrong mode
What separates it The device is not recording because it is in the wrong mode for what you expect
How to confirm Check the Mode Settings for the current mode, and make sure they allow recording and alerts
- 2
A Motion Schedule
What separates it The device is silent at set times because a Motion Schedule switches detection off
How to confirm Delete the Motion Schedule, or adjust its times, so it no longer silences the device
- 3
An offline device
What separates it The automation does not fire because the device is offline
How to confirm Reconnect the device, and check in Device Health that it shows as online
- 4
A renamed device
What separates it A routine stops working because a device was renamed after the routine was created
How to confirm Rebuild the routine and choose the renamed device again from the list
- 5
An unlinked Alexa skill
What separates it The Alexa routines fail because the Ring skill has become unlinked
How to confirm Relink the Ring skill in the Alexa app, then test the routine once more
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The mode and schedule in use
- The trigger that starts the automation
- The names of the devices used in the automation
- Whether the device shows online in Device Health
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedCheck the current mode
ReversibleCheck the current mode and its Mode Settings, since each mode decides what the devices do.
Review schedules
ReversibleReview your schedules, including any Motion Schedules that switch off detection at certain times of the day.
Confirm the device is online
ReversibleConfirm the device is online in Device Health, because an offline device cannot run an automation.
Test manually
ReversibleTest the automation manually by triggering the event yourself, and see whether the device responds.
Check device names
ReversibleCheck the device names, and rebuild the routine if you renamed a device after setting it up.
Relink Alexa
ReversibleRelink the Alexa skill if routines fail, since a stale link stops routines from reaching Ring.
Keep it simple
ReversibleKeep it simple by using one trigger at a time, so you can see which one causes a problem.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Devices this page covers
- Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2, Battery Doorbell Plus, Video Doorbell Wired, Stick Up Cam Battery, Spotlight Cam Pro, Floodlight Cam Wired Pro and Indoor Cam (2nd Gen). Ring writes one help-center article per fault for all its doorbells and cameras; the notes name where battery, wired and indoor models differ.
- Modes
- Set what each device does per mode.
- Alexa
- Routines can trigger on Ring events.
- Tools and supplies
- The Ring app on an up-to-date phone, your wifi password, a USB charger of at least one amp for battery models, a small screwdriver only for the mounting plate, and a pen and paper for the model and error code. Turn off the breaker before touching doorbell wiring.
- Repair cost
- Most fixes cost nothing: reconnecting, moving the device, changing motion settings, charging, power cycling and resetting are free. Where money is involved, figures: a Ring replacement battery pack is about $30 (compatible third-party packs run about $18 to $31), a Ring Chime Pro that also extends wifi is about $59.99, a new doorbell transformer is about $20 to $35 with an electrician adding about $150 to $250, and Ring Protect subscriptions, which are needed to record video, rose on February 1, 2026 to about $5.99 a month for Basic and about $12 a month for Plus. Ring devices carry a limited warranty from the date of purchase, which is worth checking before paying for anything.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit models Video Doorbell Wired, Stick Up Cam Battery, Spotlight Cam Pro, Floodlight Cam Wired Pro, Indoor Cam (2nd Gen).
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If routines never fire after rebuilding, contact Ring Support
- !If a mode does not apply, check Mode Settings
- !If the Alexa routines fail, relink the Ring skill in the Alexa app
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Modes.
Motion settings, zones, sensitivity and frequency.
Voice commands.
Motion and doorbell alert settings.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
What is a Motion Schedule?+
A Motion Schedule is a period of time when the device sends no motion alerts.
Can Alexa routines use Ring events?+
Yes, Alexa routines can use Ring events, such as motion or a doorbell press, as a trigger.
Can automations turn off recording?+
Yes, an automation can switch off recording, so test each one to make sure it does what you want.
Should I keep it simple?+
Yes, keeping it simple makes it far easier to find the cause when something stops working.