Why Is Your Ring Doorbell (Or Camera) Making Clicking Noise ?

Recently, when I installed the Ring doorbell in my apartment, I also invested in an indoor Ring Camera. It’s a next-generation Security Camera designed for your indoors, to bolster the security around your house. I can say I am quite impressed with its 1080p full HD resolution, two way audio, HD Video Recording features, and a viewing angle that is wide enough to cover an excellent stretch inside my house.

Just the other day when I hosted a quiet family dinner, I disabled the audio and motion recording on my Ring Camera, so that none of our guests were disturbed. There isn’t even a second  delay in Ring Notifications on my Smartphone and it would have kept buzzing all the time, sensing people moving around.

I also pointed it towards the wall so that there’s nothing on the Live-View and we could enjoy our private time but I found it quite odd to notice my Ring Camera making clicking noise!

That shouldn’t have been the case, at all since I had manually disabled Live-View and recordings on it. I convinced my guests that there was nothing at all to worry about but yes, it didn’t leave my mind ever since. 

So, after everyone departed, I sat to dig deeper into the matter and to my relief, I found out that there’s nothing to be wary of when you hear your Ring Camera or the Ring Doorbell making clicking noise. 

It’s very normal for a Ring Doorbell or a Ring Camera to make a ‘clicking sound’ when they switch to ( or from) the Night Vision Mode. In other words, when there’s very minimal light around.

I could now relate to my Ring Doorbell clicking noise when sometimes at night,  while I would try to fall asleep, the Doorbell would keep making clicking noises and to annoy me, it would sense a dog or a random car crossing the road. All of it made sense now ! 

I know, it would be tempting to mute this clicking noise on your Ring Device but what I learnt is, it’s not possible !

You cannot disable the Night Vision Mode on your Ring Doorbell or a Ring Camera, unless you have the Ring Doorbell Pro 2, which is the only exception here. 

The night vision can only be turned off on a Ring Doorbell Pro 2.

In this article, I will discuss every possible detail about how these Ring devices work in the night-vision mode and why is that they make this clicking noise. Additionally, you’ll also learn here, what possibly can be done to fix or reduce these clicking noises on the Ring devices. But first let’s learn how the Ring camera or doorbell works.

How Does A Ring Doorbell Work : 

• The Ring Doorbells, which are very easy to install, record short 30 seconds- 3 minute video clips when a motion is detected and you can watch them on the Ring App, on any of the smart devices you own. 
• However, to be able to use such Smart features, you must enable motion detection and Live-View settings on your Ring devices.
• Otherwise, you’ll keep wondering why there is no motion detection and no live-View available on your Smart doorbell. 

Why Does A Ring Doorbell Make Clicking Noises?

If you are quite near, or you just walk past the Ring doorbell( or the Camera), you might hear your doorbell or the Ring Camera making clicking noise which can be weird to you. But thankfully, this is usually not a matter of concern and here’s why.

• The Ring doorbells have been designed to work day and night. When it’s dark,  the Ring doorbells use their IR ( Infrared ) Cut Sensor to watch and record any motion. 
• That’s why, the day-time recordings are different from the night-time recordings.
• When this IR Cut Filter makes a movement inside your Ring Doorbell, it makes a clicking noise, as this filter physically moves away ( or towards) the Camera, depending on the amount of light around the Ring device, for blocking the infrared lights.
  
• If this filter is stuck, you may also view fairly pink/purple video recordings.

Other Possible Reasons Why Your Ring Doorbell Might Be Making A Clicking Noise : 

There can be a few other reasons too that can make the IR Cut Filter move, resulting in your Ring Camera or a Ring Doorbell clicking noise.

1. In the case of a Ring Doorbell, sometimes it can be the doorbell transformer that might be making a clicking noise, in times of a power fluctuation.
2. It has also been reported by some users that due to the doorbell’s wiring too, they have noticed clicking noises on their Ring Chime, inside the house. In rare cases, loose electrical connections can also result in a ‘clicking-like’ noise on the Ring devices, especially if they’re hardwired in your house’s connections.

However, this clicking noise is not very loud or notable, just a minor iniquity on part of the Ring devices. But, if it is very loud, then there’s an issue with your Ring device and you will notice poor quality video recordings, more often during the night-time. 

In that case, you should contact a professional electrician if you find that the clicking noise is caused by the electrical connections. 

Assuming that there’s no hardware issue with your Ring doorbell and the Camera, at the moment, let’s explore the prospects of fixing this issue.

Is It Possible To Disable The Clicking Noise On Your Ring Doorbell:

(If Not Disable, Learn How Can You Reduce This Clicking Noise)

Honestly, you cannot do much to stop your Ring Doorbell from making these clicking noises. It’s a legitimate part of having a Ring device at your house. 

Infact, other Smart Cameras, even the non-smart ones, make this ‘clicking sound’ when they switch to or from, the night vision mode. 

If the Ring doorbell is in very dark surroundings, supposedly no light around it and then there is light which is bright and shows frequently, the Ring Doorbell will keep making a clicking noise, as it will keep switching to the night vision mode constantly.

As a resolve, you can control some of the settings but you cannot simply disable the Night Vision on the Ring devices.

How To Disable Night Vision : ( On Ring Doorbell Pro 2 ) 

There is one and only exception- the Ring Doorbell Pro 2, which contains a setting wherein you can disable the night vision mode. In that case, when it is dark and the doorbell senses a motion or a light, you won’t hear Ring Doorbell clicking noise as the settings have been manually disabled for the same.

1. Open the Ring App and tap on your Ring Doorbell Pro 2 from the Devices.
2. Now, first click on Device Settings and then, on Video Settings.
3. You’ll see an option ‘Night Vision’. Tap on ‘disable’ to turn this feature ‘off’.

How To Reduce Clicking Noise On Other Ring Doorbells : 

( The standard Ring Doorbell Models : The Ring Doorbell 2,3 and 3 Plus) 

Now, if you have other Ring Devices like a Ring Camera or the Ring Doorbell 2,3 etc, there are a few tips which can help you fix your Ring doorbell or the Ring Camera making clicking noise. 

1. You can disable ( or enable ) colour night vision on some of the Ring devices. This adds up a ‘fake’ colour to the low-light recordings and it won’t be totally dark for the Ring device to turn into a night vision mode. 

2. The Colour Night Vision Settings interplays with the IR Cut Filter’s movement so when you flip this setting on your Ring device, it can help reduce the clicking noise a bit, on your Ring device. 

Steps To Change the Colour Vision Settings On Your Ring Doorbell:

• Open the Ring App and tap on your device, the Ring doorbell or the Ring Camera. 
• From the Home page of your device, tap on Device Settings.
  
• There, tap on the option Video Settings and click on Colour NIght Vision.

Make this change in the Settings of your Ring doorbell and monitor the device closely to see there’s a change in the clicking noises or not.

Few Other Tips To Reduce Clicking Noise On Your Ring Doorbell:

• To fix your Ring doorbell clicking noise, try brightening your front porch or the nearby surroundings. The place where your Ring doorbell is installed, should not be totally dark, at night. If it is dark around, the Ring doorbell will go into the night vision mode and whenever it senses a motion, it will keep making a clicking noise. 
• You can choose to invest in wall sconces, hanging porch lights or fancy outdoor lanterns which will not only bedeck your house but also will help in keeping the area fairly lit so that the Ring doorbell doesn’t go into the night-vision mode and makes a clicking noise. 

How To Fix A Ring Camera Making Clicking Noise

As discussed above for a Ring doorbell, the same reason applies to a Ring Camera too for making clicking noises. 

When the Camera switches to the night vision mode, this clicking noise comes when the IR Cut Filter moves.

If you use any of the Smart Ring Security Cameras like the indoor Ring Camera or the Ring Spotlight Camera Plus, it is common to notice a clicking noise on them when the Cameras switch from the day mode to the night mode. 

The heat from the Infrared light is capable of damaging the Camera’s Image Sensor and that is why, this shutter moves shuts and opens periodically to maintain proper temperature on the Camera’s Lens, saving it from any IR damage.

Nonetheless, there’s nothing to worry about as you can fix this issue easily. People find it annoying to hear this clicking sound especially when it’s absolutely quiet around and this clicking noise keeps pestering you, despite being low in volume. 

So, to get rid of this disturbing sound, you’ll have to disable the night vision mode on your Ring Camera. 

How To Disable Night Vision On Your Ring Camera :

1. Click open your Ring App and from the Devices, tap on Ring Camera.
2. Now, go to Device Settings and there, click on Video Settings. 
3. There’ll be an option as Night Vision. If it’s enabled, tap on it and disable it. 

That’s how you can turn off the Night Vision Mode on your Ring Camera and get rid of the bothersome clicking sound on it.  

FAQs

Q1. Why is my Ring Camera making a static noise ?

Answer – Mostly, a static noise on the Ring devices is caused due to network interference. In such a case, you must check the signal strength and RSSI on your Ring Camera if they are sufficient for audio and video streaming. 

Q2. Why is my Ring doorbell making a high-pitched noise ?

Answer – If your Ring doorbell exhibits a high-pitched noise, it can be fixed by performing a hard reset on the doorbell. When the Ring doorbell will be set up afresh, such issues get resolved and the doorbell works smoothly. To reset, you’ll need to hold the reset button on your Ring doorbell for at least 20 seconds. 

Q3. Does a Ring Camera trigger with sound ?

Answer – No, a Ring Camera can only be triggered by motion. To further sensitize your Ring Camera’s triggers, you can increase motion sensitivity and motion frequency on the Ring Camera, along with, broadening the area of motion detection zones. 

Q4. Why is my Ring doorbell fuzzy?

Answer – A Ring doorbell can be fuzzy if you experience poor quality of audios and videos when you watch Live View and Recorded Videos on the Ring App. Most commonly, it is due to a weak Wi-fi connection or a case of data loss. It can also be due to few incompatible settings on your router. 

Q5. Why is my Ring Camera making a siren noise?

Answer – There’s a siren on the indoor Ring Camera but for it to be active and buzzing, it needs to be enabled. It’s not a routine thing for a Ring Camera to be making this siren noise. If this sound you hear on your Ring Camera, is different from the siren sound from the Live View, reset the Ring Camera by holding the reset button for about 20 seconds. Then, this siren sound should go off. 

Conclusion 

The clicking sound on your Ring devices can hardly be heard during the daytime as there’s a lot of hustle and bustle around but it can be a little annoying at night since everything else is silent. 

On some of the Ring devices, as discussed above, on the Ring Doorbell Pro 2 and the Ring Security Cameras, it is possible to stop them from making this clicking noise but if you do so, there’s a catch to it ! 

Unfortunately, the conventional trade off for having a Home Security System is between freedom and Security. To enjoy more of one, you’ll have to compromise with the other and sadly, this is the only way out ! If you want to enjoy a more controlled and quiet environment around your Ring devices, you will have to turn off the Night Vision Mode which can compromise on the Security aspect during the night time, especially.

I disabled the Night Vision as I could spare my Ring Camera from recording at night inside the house but it’s up to you to decide if you can afford to disable Night Vision on your Ring Doorbell which is mounted outside for securing your house.

So, I suggest, don’t be distressed with this feeble clicking sound, atleast at the cost of disabling an important feature like the Night Vision on your Ring Doorbell or the Ring Camera, especially if the Camera is outdoors !