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Never miss a delivery again…
Ring video doorbells, whether battery-powered or wired, have a variety of features on board. It depends to some extent on the doorbell you’ve chosen whether you’ll have access to things like Bird’s Eye View, but all of the latest doorbells offer features like motion detection and person and package detection.
However, it’s the last feature we’re talking about here. Packet detection is a feature that allows the Ring Video Doorbell to recognize packages (in case the name doesn’t give it away), and while it can’t stop people from bringing them to your front door once they’ve left, at least you will be able to know if one was delivered.
Here’s a step-by-step explanation of how to set up packet detection on a Ring Video Doorbell, what the feature does, and how to customize it.
what you will need
- Your Ring video doorbell
- The Ring app
- Your smartphone or tablet
The short version
- Start the Ring application.
- Touch the configuration gear in the upper right corner.
- Touch the ‘Motion Settings’ tile.
- Scroll and tap ‘Smart alerts’.
- Select ‘Set smart alerts’.
- In the Package section, touch the video or bell icon.
- Select ‘Activate function’ and ‘Continue’ in the pop-up windows that appear.
- Create a Package area.
- Pull the dots to expand the area and move the area wherever you want.
- Adjust Packet sensitivity Going back to the Package section and tapping ‘Personalize’.
- Hit ‘Save’ to save the changes.
There are a couple of things you should know about packet detection on Ring Video Doorbells to get the most out of this feature. The feature is designed to notify you when a package appears in your Ring Video Doorbell’s view. Once set up, you’ll also be able to view packet events specifically with your Ring Video Doorbell’s timeline in the Ring app, but you’ll need a Ring Protect subscription to access the feature.
Packages are most reliably detected when they are a standard box with all sides around 10 inches or longer, so you may not be notified if envelopes, tubes, groceries or meals arrive at your door. You must have motion detection turned on, as the Ring Video Doorbell will detect motion and the camera will check the package zone you have set up for any boxes. The package must also be placed in the Package Zone and in view of the camera to be detected.
On that note, it’s worth reiterating that packages left outside the Packet Zone will not be detected as a package and this feature works most reliably if the Packet Zone is within 2 meters of your Ring Video Doorbell. . With this in mind, below are steps on how to configure and customize packet detection for Ring Video Doorbell.
Time needed: 5 minutes
- Open the Ring app and go to your Ring Video Doorbell settings.
First, you’ll want to open the Ring app and tap your Ring Video Doorbell from the feed (if you have more than one Ring device set up). There is a settings gear in the top right corner, tap on it to access Ring Video Doorbell settings. You will then need to tap the “Motion Settings” tile at the bottom of the screen.
- Open smart alerts
Within the Motion Settings tile, there are several options. You’ll want to scroll down to find “Smart Alerts.” Tap “Smart Alerts” and select “Set Smart Alerts” if the pop-up window appears. It may not be, and if it is not or after you do, you will see a Package section.
- Activate packet alerts
If you are setting up package alerts for the first time, the video and alert icon in the Package section in Smart Alerts will appear grayed out. Tap any of those icons to activate the packet detection feature. Several pop-ups will appear, the first of which will ask you to “Activate the feature.”
After this, you will need to select “Continue” in the next three pop-ups to acknowledge that you understand what packets will be detected, how they are detected, and how to review previous packet deliveries in your timeline.
- Create a package zone
If you are setting up packet alerts for the first time, after the pop-ups we mentioned above, you will be asked to set up a packet zone. To do this, drag the dots to make the area smaller and larger, or press and hold in the middle of the orange area to move the entire area. Remember, you must be within 2 meters of your Ring Video Doorbell.
- Customize your package and alert area
Once you have set up package zones and alerts for the first time, you will see the “Customize” option in the Package section as available to select. Tap ‘Customize’ and you can change your package zone or add another one.
However, you can also tap ‘Package Sensitivity’, which allows you to adjust the Motion Sensitivity and Package Sensitivity sliders to help you refine your notifications. Move the sliders to the right if you want more alerts, or to the left if you receive unwanted packet alerts. Remember to press ‘Save’ at the top right to save your changes.
That’s all! You should now receive an alert every time a package is delivered and left within your Package Zone.
Frequently asked questions
There are many Ring Video Doorbell models, but these are the models that support packet detection:
Video Doorbell (2nd Generation)
Video doorbell 2
Video doorbell 3
Video Doorbell 3 Plus
Video doorbell 4
Video doorbell 5
Wired Video Doorbell
Pro Battery Powered Video Doorbell
Professional Video Doorbell
Video Doorbell Pro 2
Elite Video Doorbell
Battery Doorbell Plus
Yes, you will need a Ring Protect subscription to access person and package detection.
