Connecting your Ring doorbell to your Facebook Portal is a great way to see who is at your door right on your Portal screen. With this setup, you don’t need to be near your phone or computer to see live video from your Ring doorbell. Here is what you need to know about connecting your Ring doorbell to your Facebook Portal.
Requirements for Connecting Ring to Portal
In order to connect your Ring doorbell to your Facebook Portal, you need to meet these requirements:
- Ring Video Doorbell Pro, Ring Video Doorbell Elite, Ring Video Doorbell (2nd gen), Ring Video Doorbell 4, or Ring Video Doorbell Wired
- Facebook Portal or Portal+
- The Ring and Facebook apps
- 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network
The Ring app allows you to set up and manage your Ring doorbell. The Facebook Portal app allows you to manage connections between your Portal and other smart devices. Your Ring doorbell and Portal both need to be connected to the same 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network in order to communicate with each other.
How to Connect Ring to Portal
Follow these steps to connect your Ring doorbell to your Facebook Portal:
- Open the Facebook Portal app on your smartphone or tablet.
- Tap on “More” and select “Device Connections”.
- Select “Ring” from the list of devices.
- Sign in with your Ring account credentials.
- Select the Ring doorbell you want to connect.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to enter the pairing code.
- Your Ring doorbell is now connected to your Portal!
The pairing process links your Ring and Facebook accounts. Make sure to sign in using the same credentials for both your Ring and Facebook apps.
Viewing Your Ring Doorbell on Portal
Once your Ring doorbell is connected to your Portal, you will be able to view the live camera feed and answering doorbell rings on your Portal screen:
- Say “Hey Portal, answer the door” when your Ring doorbell is pressed to answer on your Portal.
- Say “Hey Portal, show my front door” to view the live feed on your Portal.
- Portal will automatically show the live feed when the doorbell button is pressed.
The video will appear full screen on your Portal display. You can talk to visitors using the built-in microphone and speakers on your Portal.
Smart Alerts on Your Portal
With a Ring doorbell connected, your Portal can send you smart alerts when the doorbell detects motion or is pressed. You can customize in the Facebook Portal app which alerts you want to receive on your Portal.
Enabling Smart Alerts
- Open the Facebook Portal app.
- Go to “Settings” and select your connected Ring doorbell.
- Turn on smart alerts for “When your Ring detects motion” and “When the Ring button is pressed.”
Now your Portal will say “Motion detected at your front door” or “Someone is at your front door” when those events occur.
Setting Quiet Hours
You can set quiet hours in the Facebook Portal app to disable audio alerts during certain times. For example, you may want to turn off audio alerts at night.
- Go to “Settings” and select “Quiet Hours” in the Facebook Portal app.
- Set your desired quiet hour schedule.
With quiet hours set, your Portal will only display a visual alert and not announce Ring notifications during those times.
Viewing Ring Videos and Snapshots on Portal
The Ring and Facebook integration allows you to view recordings from your Ring doorbell directly on your Portal.
Viewing Snapshots
When you connect your Ring account, recent snapshots from your Ring doorbell will be displayed as Ambient Images on your Portal whenever it is not in use. This creates a digital photo frame effect showing recent visitors, packages, etc.
Viewing Video Recordings
You can also view full video recordings from your Ring doorbell on your Facebook Portal:
- Say “Hey Portal, show my Ring videos”
- Select the video you want to view from the list
- Use the on-screen controls to play/pause and adjust volume
This allows you to easily see missed events and recordings from your Ring doorbell on the big screen.
Adjusting Motion Settings
You can customize your Ring doorbell’s motion detection settings right from the Facebook Portal app:
- Open the Portal app and go to “Settings”.
- Select your connected Ring device.
- Adjust the motion detection slider and set motion frequency.
Adjusting these settings can reduce unwanted notifications and capture only events/people you want to see.
Troubleshooting Ring and Portal Connections
If you’re having trouble connecting your Ring to your Facebook Portal, try these troubleshooting tips:
Restart your devices
Restarting your Ring doorbell and Portal can help clear any errors and reset the connection.
- In the Ring app, tap the doorbell settings and select “Restart Device”.
- For Portal, reboot by long pressing the volume down button on the back for 10+ seconds.
Make sure Ring and Portal are on the same Wi-Fi
Your Ring and Portal both need to be connected to the same 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network. Check that they are connected to the same network in their app settings.
Update the apps and firmware
Ensure the Ring and Facebook apps are up-to-date and install any available firmware updates for your Ring and Portal. Updates can fix bugs and improve connectivity.
Unlink and relink accounts
Try unlinking your Facebook account from Ring and set up the connection again from scratch. This can resolve account linking issues.
Contact customer support
If you still can’t get your Ring connected to Portal, contact Ring or Facebook customer support. They can help troubleshoot any persistent connection issues.
Privacy Considerations
When linking your Ring doorbell to your Facebook Portal, it’s important to understand how your data is handled to protect your privacy:
- Ring and Facebook link accounts for connectivity but don’t share user data.
- Portal only accesses live streams when prompted and doesn’t record them.
- You control which smart alerts are enabled on your Portal.
- Ring recordings are end-to-end encrypted.
Review the Ring and Facebook privacy policies to understand how your data is managed when using these integrated services.
Other Ways to View Your Ring on a Smart Display
The Facebook Portal isn’t the only way to view your Ring doorbell on a smart display. You can also connect your Ring account to these platforms:
Amazon Echo Show
Link your Ring account in the Alexa app to enable video playback on Echo Show devices. You can view live streams and recordings by asking Alexa.
Google Nest Hub Max
In the Google Home app, add your Ring account to view the camera feed on the Nest Hub Max. Google Assistant voice commands let you display the live view.
Ring Stick Up Cam Battery
The Ring Stick Up Cam Battery has a built-in HD screen for viewing live footage from its camera. This makes it a standalone smart display.
Conclusion
Connecting your Ring video doorbell to your Facebook Portal provides convenient access to your Ring features on a shared smart display. With just a few taps in the apps, you can view live streams, recordings, and alerts from your Ring doorbell directly on your Portal screen without needing your phone.
Make sure your Ring model and Facebook Portal meet the requirements for linking accounts. Follow the in-app pairing process to get your devices connected over Wi-Fi. Customize your smart alerts and motion settings to tailor notifications on your Portal.
Linking Ring and Portal together integrates their capabilities into one smart home ecosystem for enhanced security monitoring, visitor communication, and convenience. Just be sure to understand how data sharing works between the services to protect your privacy.