Video doorbells have become increasingly popular for the smart home. One well-known name is the Ring doorbell, offering a video feed from your door to your smartphone. There may be times when you experience a lower video quality than expected but fortunately this can usually be easily rectified. Here are some tips to improve the picture quality on your device.
Is the device positioned correctly?
Before looking at any settings on the doorbell, it is important to consider the positioning of the device. The video may seem poor quality if poorly lit or overexposed to sunlight. You can rectify this by adjusting the angle or position of the doorbell to improve the lighting.
Has High Dynamic Range (HDR) been switched on?
If your model of doorbell has the option, you can also improve the picture detail and brightness by adjusting the High Dynamic Range (HDR) setting. HDR works by enhancing and expanding the range of contrast and colour. This setting can be found within the ring app under video settings. Once toggled on, you are likely to notice an increase in the image quality. One thing to note with this setting is that it is likely to use more battery when producing this higher quality image.
Is the Wi-Fi signal strong enough?
A common cause of poor image quality of pixelations can be due to a poor Wi-Fi signal. This is because slow Wi-Fi speeds can make it harder to download video and image. This results in a lower resolution and quality. To improve this, check that the router and the Ring Device are closer to each other, so the signal has less distance to travel. Similarly, we recommend checking how many devices you have connected to your network; sometimes a heavy amount of traffic can slow down the Wi-Fi for every device connected. If the Wi-Fi is still not strong enough, you may need to consider a Wi-Fi extender to boost the signal strength for your doorbell.
Has the doorbell been rebooted?
If these checks do not improve the picture quality, you can also try a reboot. Reboots may seem simple, but we recommend trying them for most devices to get things behaving as we would expect. To reboot your doorbell, open the Ring app, select Device Health, and choose Reboot This Device. Once rebooted, turn it back on and check the picture quality for improvements.
Are there any other factors?
It should also be noted that there may be times where the image quality seems lower during periods of harsh weather which cannot always be avoided. Whilst the devices are generally water resistant, rainwater can still cover the camera lens and alter the quality.
It is also possible for the signal to be affected by other electrical devices. If phones, other networks, and other monitors or cameras are positioned closely to the doorbell then their signals can interfere with the signal from the doorbell. The best way to avoid this is by aiming to keep a distance between devices.
Conclusion
With these steps, you can improve the picture quality easily on your device. For more support, we recommend consulting your user manual or visiting the Argos support page for this product.