Is your Ring camera not recording motion? Don’t worry, it can be fixed. This guide will review practical, tested tips rather than theoretical solutions, from Ring Protect subscription settings to motion detection zones, smart alerts, and modes like Home or Away that may disable recording. No matter what camera mode you have, these solutions will help you out.
Understanding the Problem: Is It Detection or Recording?
Let’s start with a fact: just because your Ring camera isn’t alerting you, it doesn’t necessarily mean it hasn’t detected motion. And even if it does, it might not be recording.
Confusing, right? Rest assured, you’re not the only one stuck at this point. That’s why it’s essential to know precisely what the problem is and what you’re dealing with before you do anything. Understanding this simple difference is the first step to solving the problem.
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Difference Between Motion Alerts and Motion Detection
I’ve seen a lot of people get confused about this part. Ring has two motion-related features: “motion detection” and “motion alert.” There’s also something called motion warning, which is a whole another story, you can read more about it on our Ring motion alert vs. motion warning guide.
Motion detection means the camera has seen something, but motion alert means notifying you of what was seen. Like a security guard who sees something suspicious but doesn’t tell anyone, your camera may have recorded the motion and even saved it to the cloud. Still, you won’t receive any notifications if alerts aren’t enabled.
Now, things get more complicated when Smart Alerts come into play. This feature uses AI to detect whether motion is related to a person, package, animal, or machine.
If these settings aren’t configured correctly, it may intentionally ignore certain motions, cars, or animals. So, before you dive into more advanced settings, grab your phone, go into the Ring app, and check: Are both motion detection settings enabled? And is the motion alert turned on?
Role of Ring Subscription in Motion Recording
A little-known but important fact is that even if your camera detects motion well, nothing is recorded to the cloud without a Ring Protect subscription. It may be unpleasant, but you can only access live streaming and notifications without a subscription. There’s no video archive, snapshots, or the ability to review past videos.
Many users get stuck here: the camera sees motion and sends an alert, but nothing is recorded when they review the footage later. If you haven’t yet subscribed to Ring Protect Basic, now is the time to seriously consider it because, without it, your camera is like an eye without a memory.
Another thing to note is that some people think their trial period is still active, even though it has ended. Check this in the app: go to the Control Center, then Account, Plan, to ensure your subscription status is up to date.
Quick Pre-Checks Before Troubleshooting a Ring Camera not Recording Motion
Before exploring deeper settings or resetting your camera, perform a few essential pre-checks. Think of these as the digital version of “Is it plugged in?” You’d be surprised how often one of these simple issues is the real culprit.
Check Power Source and Battery Health
This may seem like a simple tip, but it’s crucial; if your Ring device isn’t properly powered, it won’t detect motion or record anything. If you’re using a battery-powered model, like the 2nd-generation Ring Doorbell, log into the app and check the battery level in the Device Health section.
If the battery level is below 20%, charge it immediately. In my experience, when the battery drops below 10%, the camera may behave strangely, such as delayed motion detection or incomplete recording.
Ensure models like the Floodlight Cam or Stick-Up Cam Plug-in are plugged into a working power source. I once spent half an hour troubleshooting a camera before discovering the fuse was blown!
Power is everything—without it, your Ring’s just a shiny door ornament. Check the battery (charge if under 20%), and for plug-ins, confirm the outlet’s alive. A blown fuse once stole 30 minutes of my life
Conclusion
This guide was all you needed to overcome the Ring camera not recording motion problem. With a simple review of the settings, checking the modes, modifying the motion zones, and finally resetting the device, if necessary, you can easily get the camera back to its ideal performance.
