One of the big differences between a Ring Video Doorbell and the Ring Peephole Cam (Door View Cam) is that the Peephole Cam (Door View Cam) is located in the middle of the door, where people aren't expecting a doorbell. Fortunately, the Peephole Cam (Door View Cam) has you covered with its knock detection technology.
This article will answer commonly asked questions concerning the knock detection technology.
Note: Knock detection will be disabled when you first activate your Peephole Cam (Door View Cam). You will need to enable it in the Ring app and use the sensitivity slider to adjust the sound detection. Also, make sure you've removed the protective film on the Peephole Cam (Door View Cam) as this will also prevent knock detection.
What is knock detection and why do you need it?
While Ring's Peephole Cam (Door View Cam) has a doorbell ringer, the device is usually mounted in locations where people don't naturally expect doorbells - so they tend to knock. That's why the Ring Peephole Cam (Door View Cam) comes with knock detection technology that alerts you when there's a knock on your door. Once you've been informed of a knock on your door via a mobile notification, you can open the notification to go to Live View. In Live View, you can interact with the person via live video and two-way talk.
Will knocks on my neighbor's door in an apartment building trigger the Peephole Cam (Door View Cam)?
Peephole Cam (Door View Cam) uses an onboard accelerometer in conjunction with its other sensors and an on-device algorithm to determine if someone is knocking on your door. If you are getting alerts when you shouldn’t get them, you can lower the sensitivity in the Settings in your Ring app.
Can you disable knock detection?
Yes. You can disable knock detection, which will stop the device from detecting knocks entirely.
Turning Knock Detection off and on
Knock detection can be turned on and off through the Settings toggle of the Ring app.
- Tap menu (☰) on the top left in the Ring app.
- Tap on Devices.
- Select the Peephole Cam (Door View Cam).
- Tap on Device Settings
- Tap on Knock Detection Settings
- Make sure it's toggled on
- Tap Adjust Sensitivity
- Set this to a lower number to detect lighter knocks (More notifications)
or to a higher number to detect only harder knocks (Fewer notifications)
Is your apartment door made of heavy metal or wood and having trouble detecting knocks? There is a sensitivity slider available through the Settings toggle in your Ring app. If you have heavier metal doors you can try turning the sensitivity up while people with lighter doors made of materials like fiberglass or steel can turn the sensitivity down.
You can also use the sensitivity slider to dial in more or less types of activities that will generate the knock detection alert. Some activities like slamming the door may result in an alert regardless of the sensitivity.
How do you test whether the knock detection is working?
Every door responds differently. To test Knock Detection, walk out of your home and close the door. Move away from your door for 30 seconds, then knock. If knock Detection doesn't work as you'd expect, try a different knock sensitivity setting in your Ring app.
Need to test again? Just wait for the light to stop spinning and knock a few seconds later.
