Color Night Vision on Non-Battery Powered Ring Devices
When viewing the Live View at night on a non-battery powered Ring device, you'll find that your image is in black and white. The color night vision toggle in your Ring App will enable your Ring device to use ambient light to create false color images in Live View.
This article will answer commonly asked questions concerning color night vision.
Note: If you own a Ring battery-powered device, scroll to the bottom of this page for night vision troubleshooting tips.
What is Color Night Vision?
Certain models of Ring devices have a night vision feature that allows you to see through the camera in low light conditions. By using infrared light, the camera can create a black and white image that is then beamed to the Live View in your app. By turning the color night vision feature on, the camera will use whatever ambient light is available to try and create a "false color" image in your Live View. This lets you get a better sense of what's happening in the image by creating a false sense of color depth.
How do I turn the color night vision feature on or off?
To turn the color night vision on or off, follow these instructions:
- Open your Ring App.
- Tap the three lines in the upper left side of the screen.
- Tap Devices.
- Select the device you want to adjust.
- Tap Device Settings.
- Tap Video Settings.
- Tap Color Night Vision.
- Tap the Enable/Disable color night vision to turn the feature on/off.
Troubleshooting Ring Battery Powered Devices and Night Vision
If you have a Ring doorbell or security camera and are having trouble with night vision, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take.
Black Videos
If your videos are completely black, you may need to adjust your router. You can find out how to adjust your router here.
Whitewashed Videos
If your videos have white-washed faces, you may need to adjust the angle of your security camera or doorbell so light doesn't overexpose the images that are being recorded. Each different model of Ring doorbell has a corresponding mounting kit or corner kit to change the angle of the doorbell.
Accessories to Change the Angle of your Doorbell
Night Vision Light Settings
If your videos consistently have poor visibility, you may need to add a small amount of light to the area. In the Ring app, you can adjust your Night Vision settings to Standard, if you have no issues with glare, Wall Nearby if you have a glare from a nearby wall surface or Well-Lit area if your doorstep is well-lit.
Does color night vision turn the entire image to color?
No. Only the parts of the image that are sufficiently illuminated by ambient light will be colorized. Areas too dark to be seen in ambient light will still be displayed in black and white.
Sometimes it seems like items that are really close to the camera don't get as colorized as objects that are farther away. Is something wrong?
No. Objects that are close to the camera get a much higher concentration of infrared illumination from the camera and may appear gray when compared with objects further away where the light has diffused a bit.
The colors in the colorized images look a bit odd. Is that normal?
Yes. The colors in a colorized image are not the true colors of the object. They're just a best-guess approximation based on the amount of light reflecting off the object. As such, the colors in a colorized image will be a bit off from the actual colors.
Do I have to use the colorized night image feature?
No. The feature can be turned off at any time from your Ring app.
Which Ring devices have the color night vision feature?
You can find the color night vision feature on the following devices:
- Battery Doorbell Plus
- Video Doorbell Pro
- Video Doorbell Elite
- Stick Up Cam
- Floodlight Cam
- Floodlight Cam Wired Pro
- Spotlight Cam Wired/Mount
- Spotlight Cam Pro
- Spotlight Cam Plus
- Spotlight Cam Wired/Mount
- Stick Up Cam Wired
- Indoor Cam
