Can You Make Your Ring Doorbell Record Longer Videos?

Many Ring Doorbell users, as well as some people that still haven’t got it but are interested in buying it, have the same question. Can you make the Ring Doorbell recordings longer? Unfortunately, the answer is no, you simply cannot.

The biggest downside to the Ring Doorbell is its short video recording time which maxes out at 20 seconds for older devices and 60 seconds for the more recent ones. The difference is a bit more technical than just new and old technology, but that will be covered further in the article.

Stick around and find out more about the Ring Doorbell’s video recording abilities.

The Big Issue with the Ring Doorbell Video Recording

If you are looking into the Ring Doorbell products, or you already got one, you know that they aren’t exactly cheap. The biggest problem people have with the Ring Doorbell is the 20-60 second limit on video recordings. There is simply no way around this, unfortunately.

The oldest version had a 20-second recording limit, which was further improved to 30 seconds, and now it sits at less than impressive 60 seconds. The makers of the Ring haven’t given a clear explanation why they still haven’t improved the video recording time on their devices.

There were some rumors about this happening in 2019, but there is still no change on the horizon at the time of this writing. Maybe 2020 will bring the much-anticipated change. For now, we can discuss the specifics of Ring Doorbell recording times.

This information was taken straight out of the official Ring support page.

Why Doesn’t the Ring Doorbell Record Longer?

Many people have this burning question and the answer is quite simple. Ring representatives stated their devices make such short recordings to save on battery life and data charges. That seems fairly unreasonable, but what can you do?

They also say that the video recording is limited by a so-called Motion Stop feature, which stops the recording soon after the device detects motion. The devices that run on a battery – Ring Video Doorbell, Ring Video Doorbell 2, Ring Stick Up Cam, Ring Spotlight Cam Solar, and Ring Spotlight Cam Battery – stop recording after only 20 seconds.

Hardwired devices that don’t have the battery option – Ring Pro, Ring Elite, Indoor Cam, Ring Spotlight Cam Wired, and Ring Floodlight Cam – can record up to 60 seconds without stopping. Additionally, a Ring representative stated that the answered Ring notifications can be recorded for as long as ten minutes.

This information should be taken with a grain of salt, though, as it comes from a person claiming to be a Ring employee on Reddit. Her profile checks out, but who knows if this is true.

Why Is That Such a Big Problem?

Ring Doorbell offers you a variety of neat features that can keep your household safe. Yes, they do give you cloud storage and an option to constantly monitor the live feed. What good is that, if you can’t get a longer recording?

Picture this: a burglar tries to break into your house, and the video cuts off after 20 seconds or one minute. How can you prove in court that this person has robbed you, or tried to rob you if the video cuts off?

Basically, they can just cover their faces for a minute, and then they can do whatever they like. This is just an imaginary scenario to show you how big of a problem the limited recording time could make. Since you are paying top dollar for the Ring Doorbell, you expect maximum security, and it has holes from the get-go.

Of course, you are still much better off with the Ring Doorbell than without it. This system is still fairly new, and it will probably get better with time. We are still waiting on the promised longer Ring Doorbell recordings, though.

Improvement Is yet to Come

Everyone is still unsure when the Ring devices will get improved video recording times. They offer a lot already, but this feature seems to be the only thing holding them back. The alternative options are not much better either, and for the most part, they are more expensive.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Did you have issues with the Ring Doorbell recording time or it serves you well? Let us know in the comment section.