Ring Pet Detection Not Working? Let's Get It Fixed
The pet detection feature on Ring cameras is a fantastic tool for pet owners, allowing you to keep an eye on your furry friends without being bombarded by constant motion alerts. However, when it stops working correctly—either by failing to detect your pet or by sending false notifications—it can quickly become a source of frustration.
This troubleshooting guide is designed to help you resolve common issues with Ring's pet detection. We will explore the settings that control this feature, how to optimise your camera's placement, and other steps you can take to ensure you only get the alerts that matter to you.
Common Symptoms of Pet Detection Issues
If you're having trouble with this feature, you're likely experiencing one of the following scenarios.
- Your camera sends a generic "Motion Detected" alert instead of a specific "Pet Detected" notification.
- Your pet is clearly visible moving in front of the camera, but no notification is sent at all.
- You are receiving frequent false alerts for pets, triggered by things like shadows, moving cars, or swaying trees.
- The pet detection feature is greyed out or cannot be enabled in your Ring app settings.
- The camera detects people correctly but consistently fails to identify cats, dogs, or other animals.
- Event history shows a motion event, but it is not correctly categorised as a pet.
How to Troubleshoot Ring's Pet Detection Feature
Follow these steps to diagnose and correct the problem. It's often a simple settings adjustment that's needed.
1. Ensure Smart Alerts Are Enabled
Pet detection is part of Ring's "Smart Alerts" functionality, which is only available to Ring Protect subscribers. First, confirm your subscription is active, and then check that the feature is turned on.
- Open your Ring app and select the camera you want to adjust.
- Tap on "Motion Settings".
- Select "Smart Alerts".
- Ensure that the toggles for "Person" and "Other Motion" are configured to your liking. For pet detection, you typically want "Person" on and "Other Motion" set to send you a notification, as pets fall into this category for some devices. On newer devices, you may see a specific "Pet" option.
2. Adjust Motion Sensitivity
If the sensitivity is too low, your camera may not be picking up the smaller movements of a pet. Conversely, if it's too high, you'll be inundated with false alerts.
- In the "Motion Settings" menu, find the "Motion Sensitivity" slider.
- If you're not getting any alerts, try increasing the sensitivity one level at a time.
- If you're getting too many false alerts, decrease the sensitivity.
- Test the camera after each adjustment to find the right balance.
3. Customise Your Motion Zones
Motion Zones tell your camera exactly where to look for movement. If your pet's favourite spots aren't included in a motion zone, you won't get an alert.
- Go to "Motion Settings" and tap on "Edit Motion Zones".
- You will see your camera's view with one or more coloured boxes.
- Adjust the zones to cover the areas where your pet walks or plays. Be sure to exclude areas that might cause false alerts, like a busy street or a neighbour's garden.
- Save your changes and monitor the results.
4. Check Camera Placement and Angle
The position of your Ring camera can significantly impact its ability to distinguish between different types of motion.
- Height: The camera should ideally be mounted around 2-3 metres (7-10 feet) off the ground.
- Angle: Angle the camera downwards slightly. This provides a clearer view of the ground and helps the software better judge the size and shape of objects, making it easier to differentiate a pet from a person or a vehicle.
- Lighting: Ensure the area is well-lit. Poor lighting or heavy backlighting can make it difficult for the camera's motion sensors and AI to work effectively.
By carefully working through these settings, you can fine-tune your Ring camera for accurate and reliable pet detection.