Get tips on how to fix your Ring Alarm Contact Sensor (1st Generation) by reconnecting it, removing the device, performing a factory reset and more.
Reconnecting your Ring Alarm Contact Sensor (1st Generation)
If your Contact Sensor (1st Generation) is losing or has an unstable connection, you can try moving it closer to the Alarm Base Station or add a Range Extender between the Contact Sensor and Base Station. If you’re still experiencing connectivity issues:
- Remove the cover from the device, and remove the battery.
- Wait a few seconds and then reinsert the battery.
- One LED light flash: Contact Sensor is in-network.
- Three LED light blinks: Contact Sensor is out of network.
- Nothing happens: Replacing the battery with a new one.
Removing your Ring Alarm Contact Sensor (1st Generation)
To remove the Contact Sensor:
- Open the Ring app.
- Tap the menu (☰).
- Tap Devices.
- Tap Contact Sensor 1st Gen in the Contact Sensor section.
- Tap the Device Settings tile.
- Tap Remove Device at the bottom of the screen.
- Confirm device removal by tapping Remove Device on the next screen.
- Tap Got it once your Contact Sensor is successfully removed.
The Ring app will let you know the device was removed. You should leave the battery out until you are ready to reconnect your Contact Sensor (1st Generation) to your Base Station.
Ring Alarm Contact Sensor (1st Generation) still won't connect or adds as a Binary Sensor
To stop the Contact Sensor from adding as a Binary Sensor:
- Remove the cover from the device.
- Remove the battery from the device.
- Open the Ring app.
- Tap the menu (☰).
- Tap Devices.
- Tap Contact Sensor 1st Gen in the Contact Sensor section.
- Tap the Device Settings tile.
- Tap Advanced Options.
- Tap Z-Wave, then tap Remove Z-Wave Device.
Do not tap “Reset Z-Wave Network”.
This will remove your entire Ring Alarm network and you’ll need to reset every device. - Tap Remove and the app will say “Removing device, listening for device to remove.”
- Insert the battery into the device. The device should be removed successfully and you may now set up the device.
If this still doesn’t work, you may need to factory reset the Contact Sensor.
Factory resetting your Ring Alarm Contact Sensor (1st Generation)
If you've tried all of the above steps and you're still having difficulty with your Contact Sensor, you can try to factory reset the device.
Important!
This will remove device settings such as chirps and volume adjustments and reset the device back to the original default settings.
- Remove the cover from the device.
- Remove the battery from the device.
- Press and hold the tamper button (found near the antenna).
- Insert the battery while holding the tamper button. The LED light will flash. Hold the button until the LED light stops flashing, OR until you see a solid LED light.
- Put the cover back on the device.
If you have tried all of these steps and it still doesn’t work, review best practices for Ring Alarm Contact Sensor setup and use. We also recommend reaching out to our support team for assistance.
