Updated January 15th, 2023
So you’re thinking of getting a Ring Doorbell, but you’re not sure if it will work with your mobile hot spot. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. Let’s go over everything you need to know about using a mobile hot spot, phone hot spot, and other alternatives with your Ring Doorbell.
Can Ring Doorbell Work with Mobile Hot Spot?
Ring Video Doorbells are great. We use one at our home. The downside to them is that they need an always active wifi internet connection to work. You need to pay the Ring monthly subscription for all of the most useful features like video recording. What do you do if you want to use a Ring somewhere that does not have Wifi service?
The Ring Video Doorbell and the Ring security camera will work with a mobile hot spot just like any other wifi router and connection. Connect to the hotspot the same way you connect to normal wifi. The only difference is that you’ll be using the hot spot’s data instead of your home internet service.
To link up to a mobile hot spot do the following:
- Make sure the mobile hot spot is turned on and active.
- If it is a new Ring, follow the setup process to connect it to your mobile hot spot. Choose the mobile hot spot as your network.
- If your Ring is already set up on another network, go to the “Device Health” option in the device settings. You can change the network to your mobile hot spot. You can only connect to 1 network at a time.
- Check if everything is working by doing something in front of your Ring and pushing the doorbell button. If everything is set up you should get the normal warning messages and see the video recording in the app.
Pros and Cons of Using a Mobile Hot Spot with a Ring
There are both pros and cons to using a mobile hot spot with your Ring Doorbell.
Pros
- You don’t need home internet service, and you can take Ring with you to use anywhere such as while traveling.
- You don’t need hardwired home internet service to use a Ring
Cons
- Not all hot spots will work with Ring.
- Ring will consume a lot of data – 50G – 500G per month depending on how often it gets triggered to record. The more it records, the more data it will use. If you are in a busy area where a lot of people come to the door or walk past it will record a lot. If you are somewhere rural where events that trigger recordings are rare, it won’t use much data.
- Ring can only be set to 1 network at a time. You can’t set it to your home wifi and then a mobile hot spot as a backup.
Can You Use Your Phone as a Hot Spot?
Yes, you can use your phone as a hot spot for Ring. A phone will work as the hot spot if you have that service enabled on your phone. However, the phone must remain close to the Ring to maintain the connection. The Ring will consume a lot of data. I would not even consider trying this unless you have an unlimited data plan.
You link a Ring to a phone hot spot in the same way you would link a mobile hot spot.
- Turn on the phone hot spot in your phone settings
- Go to the Device settings for your Ring device in the Ring app
- Go to Device Health menu to change the network.
Using your Ring for travel
There are several limitations you will encounter trying to use your Ring while you travel. You need to keep the Ring battery charged. You won’t have a hardwired door chime to connect to and power it. You should stock up on a few Ring batteries so you can put a fresh one in while the other is charging.
The Ring will only work somewhere with good cellular internet service. You can use a Ring while Off Grid but only if you aren’t so off grid that there is no phone service. If you are going somewhere with poor phone internet connection, your Ring won’t be of much value.
You need a way to mount the Ring doorbell camera so it will be useful. Most hotels or Airbnb hosts aren’t going to be happy about you drilling holes or using mounting tape that will peel paint off. It will be easy for someone to just walk off with your Ring because you can’t make a very permanent mounting.
Alternatives to using a mobile hot spot
If you’re still not sold on the idea of using a mobile hot spot with your Ring Doorbell, there are some alternatives that you can consider.
Wifi service
The obvious alternative is using home wifi service or any other wifi service available within range of your Ring. This needs to be service that can continuously connect and doesn’t require a sign in page such as hotel wifi.
Ring Alarm Pro
Ring Alarm Pro has a cellular connection backup for an additional subscription fee. Like the Ring video door bell, you can use a Ring Alarm without an extra subscription. Most of its useful features require the Alarm Pro service subscription.
The Ring Alarm Pro can use your existing wifi connection. It also has a built in cellular modem that works when your home wifi is down. It can be used as the primary wifi connection to the Ring. Ring Alarm Pro subscription service includes 3Gb of data by default. If you need more data there are additional fees. You have to opt in to use additional data after the 3 Gb runs out. The good news is they only charge you for the data you use. You aren’t forced into paying a ton for unlimited data.
The Ring Alarm Pro also gives you access to the rest of the Ring home security system devices. It will link with door sensors, and water sensors to detect flooding, and a variety of other things.
Ring used to sell a device called the Ring Edge that gave your Ring remote data storage in your home. The Ring Edge is not currently available. Hopefully, they will bring it back in the future for people that don’t want the camera data stored only on the cloud.
Eufy Video Door Bell Battery Powered
Consider using a Video Door Bell that has onboard storage or a remote storage device. The Eufy Video Door Bell Battery Powered Kit has a home base unit that stores video data inside your home and it does not require a subscription. It will record video whether your home internet is working or not. The only downside is that you still need power for everything to work.
See our guide to the best video doorbells without subscriptions for other good options.
You might also like:
- Is Ring Protect Plan Worth It? Which Ring Option Is Best For You.
- How Long Does Ring Battery Last? 7 Tips For How To Get The Most Battery Life
About the author
My name is Doug Ryan. I am a homeowner and love having get togethers and finding the best things to make spending time at home easier and more fun. We spend a lot of time at home so why shouldn’t we have a great time there? I decided to start Great Home Gear as a way to share my knowledge and enthusiasm for all things home living with everyone.
