As you may already know, Ring stores all video footage captured from your doorbell or cameras in the cloud. But that footage isn't kept there indefinitely.
By default, Ring stores your doorbell footage for 60 days. After this, your old footage is permanently deleted.
There is a way to extend this up to 180 days, so in this article, I provide step-by-step instructions on how to do this. I also walk through how you can archive important clips and save them locally on your smartphone or PC.
How Far Back Does a Ring Doorbell History Go?
Although there are certain restrictions based on your location and the tier of the Ring Protect Plan you are on, the maximum period you can store footage right now is 180 days.
However, Ring sets the default storage period to 60 days for all cameras and doorbells in the US while it defaults to 30 days in the UK and Europe. This is most likely to save on cloud storage costs.
I highly recommend adjusting the storage length to the maximum as you never know when you may need it, and it doesn't cost you any extra.
How to Adjust the Storage Time For Your Videos
Adjusting the storage time is a simple process and you can easily carry it out via the app. Here’s how:
- Open the Ring app on your device and tap the three-line icon (Hamburger Menu) on the left of your dashboard.
- Find and select “Control Center” in the dropdown menu.
- From here, navigate to Video Management.
- In Video Management, find and select “Video Storage Time.”
- Here, you can adjust the storage time for each of your connected Ring devices. So simply tap on the “Edit” button next to your device's name.
- Choose your desired video storage time.
- Finally, save changes and exit.
To Adjust Storage Time Via a Web Browser
- Log onto Ring.com and navigate to your account.
- Under Account, select Control Center.
- Find and select Video Management.
- Inside Video Management, find Video Storage Time and select it.
- Find your device, and next to it, select Edit.
- Here, choose your preferred video storage duration.
Remember, to change these settings you'll need a Ring Protect Plan or to be on a Trial. Also, changes only apply to videos recorded after the new settings are saved.
How to Check the History of Your Ring Doorbell
There are three ways to view your event history: the “Timeline” and “Event History” on the app, along with the Event History tab available through Ring.com (via a Web Browser).
- So if you need to review and download a single piece of footage from a particular date and time, I recommend going through the timeline feature on the app.
- Alternatively, if you need to check the logs of recorded activity, you can go to the Event History.
- Meanwhile, for downloading, reviewing, and organizing multiple pieces of footage, It's best to check the Event History via the Web Browser using a computer or laptop for better control.
I'll run through each of these below.
Checking Ring Video History Via the Timeline
- First, open the Ring app.
- On the homepage, you will see a thumbnail of your devices' camera feeds. Tap on the corresponding device's thumbnail.
- After that, tap on the video feed at the top, and it will switch to a live feed.
- From here, you can scrub back and forth to change timelines and see what has happened during each event.
You can also tap the “Today” button, and a menu will pop up where you can select a different date and start scrubbing through the footage recorded on that day.
Check Ring Footage Via the Event History Section
If you want to use the classic Event History mode:
- Open the Ring app or go back to the homepage.
- Then, tap on the menu icon in the upper left corner of the screen.
- After that, tap on “Devices.”
- Choose your corresponding device from the list.
- The device's dashboard will show up.
- From the dashboard, select Event History.
- A list of all recorded events and their types will show up. Here, you can use the icon tabs to filter events.
Review Footage Via the Web Browser
To access your Ring video footage from a laptop or PC:
- Open up your web browser and head over to Ring.com
- Then, log in to your account by clicking on the “Log in” button at the top right.
- After that, provide your login details.
- Choose your Home/Location and you'll be greeted by the location dashboard of your Ring cameras.
- Click on the snapshot of the camera you want to access.
- Alternatively, you can click on the “History” tab at the top.
- You can then cycle through the recorded events and play each video corresponding to that event.
- At the top left, you can set up event filters or assign which camera you want to check the footage of.
- Right below the playback window, you'll have four small buttons at the right, these will allow you to share footage, favorite them, delete, or download.
- To carry out bulk actions, tap on “Manage” at the upper left.
How to Download Footage from Your Ring Doorbell
If you're worried about archiving your data or acquiring a specific piece of footage necessary for a police report, don’t worry. Ring allows you to download your footage whenever needed.
From Ring.com
- If you're on the Ring website, log in.
- Scroll to ‘History’ and pick ‘Manage'.
- On this page, select your footage.
- The website will ask you for password confirmation again. After re-entering your password, hit ‘Download'.
- You'll get a time-stamped .zip file.
- Extract this, and you've got your pieces of footage as .mp4 files.
From the Ring Mobile App
The mobile app also has the same utility.
- First, dive into the menu (hamburger menu icon) and find ‘History'.
- Scroll to find the footage you want.
- Hit ‘Share' and then ‘Download'.
- You can then find these videos in your Files (Android), Gallery (Android) or Photos (iOS) apps.
Tips for Managing Your Ring Doorbell's Video History
You may want to access your Ring doorbell camera footage regularly depending on your circumstances. If so, knowing how to manage your Ring doorbell's event history is an absolute necessity.
So to make sure your Ring video doorbell records all important events and saves them up for future review, you should:
- Purchase a Ring Protect Plan: First of all, you should subscribe to a Ring Protect Plan to save your footage on the cloud. There are three tiers available with all providing the same 180 days of recent footage (Defaults to 60 days regardless of the plan).
- Maintain The Subscription: Whatever subscription plan you choose, it's imperative that you never miss out on a subscription because the moment your subscription ends, your content gets deleted from the cloud servers immediately.
- Extend Storage Times: You do have the option to configure for how long you want to keep your content alive on the servers. With the maximum being 180 days, I recommend that you keep this setting at this value.
- Maintain a Fast and Stable Internet Connection: The Ring Protect Plan subscription is only half of the equation and the other half is a speedy internet connection with a considerable amount of data. We recommend a high-speed internet connection (at least 2 Mbps per device) with unlimited data or 50 GB to 300 GB of data per month.
What to Do If Your History Is Not Working
Sometimes, your Ring doorbell may not work properly, and you won't be able to access the Event History feature or check out any individual past events.
When this happens, there are several reasons why:
- Your subscription plan might have ended.
- You might not be a primary account user that's linked to this device.
- You might be using third-party apps (such as Amazon Alexa) that cause delays or interference with the Ring app.
- The Ring app is not responding
I've written a full guide on this that's worth checking out here.
What to Do If Your Ring App is Not Working
- Check your Wi-Fi network to see if it’s connected to the internet.
- Use your laptop or PC to access your Ring device via the website.
- Close the app on your smartphone or restart your smartphone and try again.
- Update or reset the Ring app – you will have to reconnect to all of your Ring devices.
Common Questions Relating to Ring Doorbell's Video History
Does a Ring Doorbell Record Footage 24/7?
No, Ring doorbells do not record footage on a continuous basis.
It only begins capturing footage once it has picked up movement, when you access the live feed, or when somebody presses the Ring doorbell button. That is why it's important to fine-tune the motion detection on your doorbell, so as not to miss an event.
Note: Ring Protect Plan Pro offers 24/7 professional monitoring as part of its Ring Alarm bundle package. While this provides 24/7 monitoring, it still is not 24/7 video footage.
If you really need continuous, round-the-clock footage, you will need a hardwired camera or doorbell with a local NVR. I recommend checking out Lorex or Reolink camera systems in that case. More details on NVRs are available here.
Can I Use My Ring Doorbell Without a Subscription Plan?
Yes, you can. However, you will not have access to any video footage history. You will only be able to open up the live feed and use the device as a standard video doorbell.
Can My Ring Doorbell Record Without Wi-Fi?
Yes, your Ring doorbell can technically record without Wi-Fi.
However, without Wi-Fi, you can't view or retrieve these recorded clips, and they won't be saved for long due to the limited local storage on the doorbell itself.
What Sort of Internet Package Do I Need for a Ring Doorbell?
Ideally, you want to dedicate 2 Mbps of bandwidth to each Ring device. So I recommend going with an internet package that provides unlimited data or 50 GB to 300 GB of monthly data for uploading footage to the cloud.
Fiber broadband is always best in these scenarios.