Installing a Ring Doorbell is a sure-fire way of making your home smart, safe, and secure. Unlike traditional peepholes and old-fashioned security systems, video doorbells connect to your home wireless network and record digital, high-definition videos of whoever comes within range. That way, you get to see whoever’s at the door or around your home, even when you’re not around. Typically, a Ring Doorbell is designed to be mounted vertically, but can it also be mounted horizontally?
You can install a Ring Doorbell horizontally, but it’s not recommended. It isn’t designed to display rotated video, so mounting it horizontally would mean having to turn the phone yourself whenever you want to view the video feed. Other than this, it’s perfectly fine to mount it horizontally.
However, you need to note some essential details if you want to install your Ring Doorbell sideways. It doesn’t only matter whether the doorbell is installed vertically or horizontally; what matters more is how to position your device to work as perfectly as it should.
How Does a Ring Doorbell Work?
Once installed, all Ring Doorbells connect to the house Wireless network and alert its users once there’s movement within the detected area or chime when the doorbell button is pressed. While some Ring models are hard-wired to a power source, many others work with rechargeable batteries.
No matter the model, all Ring doorbells have the following features:
- Doorbell chime and notification when the doorbell button is pressed.
- Motion activation
- Two-way talk functionality
- Infrared night vision
- Video recording and storage
- Access to live footage via the Ring app
- Alerts when motion is detected
The Ring app allows you to check your doorbell’s status, change alert settings, and check doorbell history.
Can You Mount a Ring Doorbell Horizontally?
You should install doorbells vertically because that’s how they’ve been designed to work. However, you could also mount your Ring Doorbell horizontally, although it’s usually inconvenient.
One of the reasons it’s inconvenient is that no matter how you choose to mount your Ring Doorbell, the video will still be shown vertically in the app. You cannot change this option in the app settings. So, if you install your doorbell sideways, you would have to rotate either your neck or your device whenever you want to view the video.
Mounting a Ring Doorbell Sideways: What to Expect
Perhaps someone would mount their ring doorbell sideways because of how easy it is to install that way. Still, that position does not offer the best view.
Also, if you decide to mount your Ring Doorbell this way, the built-in motion detection may not work correctly. Then, as we’ve mentioned earlier, there’s also the issue of viewing your videos sideways unless you tilt your phone or neck, which can sometimes be frustrating.
Sometimes, when you pull the video up on your phone, then rotate the phone, the screen will auto-correct and change the position of the video again. As a result, it can be burdensome to get the proper orientation to watch the video.
How Should You Position Your Ring Doorbell?
The Ring Doorbell should be positioned as intended so that you can get the best results. When finding the perfect position for your Ring Doorbell, you should consider the following factors:
- The setup of your environment;
- The height of the door;
- The distance of the door from the street;
- The objects within your Ring Doorbell’s range.
One major mistake people make while installing their Ring Doorbell is placing it too high, thinking it would better catch people’s faces that way. That is a misconception, and you only need to place your doorbell about 48 inches above the ground to get the best result.
You should place the doorbell not too high from the ground because these Ring Doorbells feature “Passive Infrared” motion sensors or PIR. These sensors recognize and pick up motions/movements by monitoring heat within its range. So, once a person comes within range, the heat measurement changes, and the PIR sends out an alert.
The motion sensor is designed to pick up movement about five to thirty feet away from its placement. Also, these sensors pick up horizontal movements rather than vertical ones. So anyone who places the doorbell too high above the ground might get more alerts from other objects other than humans.
Which Side of the Door is Best for Your Ring Doorbell?
In most homes, you would find the doorbell mounted on the right or left side of the front door. However, as a thumb rule, some people place their doorbells on the side of the door handle.
The first thing to consider before deciding which side of the door is best for your Ring Doorbell is the bell’s primary power source.
The Ring Doorbell Pro (on Amazon) has limited placement options because the device must be hard-wired to the existing doorbell wires in your home. On the other hand, the Ring Doorbell (on Amazon) or Doorbell 3 (on Amazon) are both battery-operated and allow for more placement flexibility. You can mount the doorbells anywhere on your door, the door frame, or even the sidewall of your home.
Another battery-operated Video Doorbell is the Peephole Cam (on Amazon), but this doorbell has no positioning flexibility. This is because the device has to be placed on the door’s existing peephole. The Ring Doorbell Elite (on Amazon) works with an ethernet cord that is connected to the home’s internet router. That implies that this device must be placed where it can easily connect to the ethernet cord.
Can You Mount a Ring Doorbell on the Door Directly?
A Ring Doorbell can be mounted directly on the door, but not all doorbells are best suited for the door. One of the Ring Doorbell models ideal for placing on the door is the Ring Peephole Camera. Once attached to the door’s peephole, this doorbell can detect just about anything, including knocks.
If you want to mount your Ring Doorbell directly on the door, your best bet is the Ring Peephole Camera. This model is straightforward to install and use and will cause minor damage to the door or other property.
You can also try different positions and angles that work best for your doorbell before installing it.
Can You Mount a Ring Doorbell at an Angle?
Two special installation kits are used to mount a Ring Doorbell at a particular angle. They are the Corner kit and the Wedge kit.
- With the Corner Kit (on Amazon), you can adjust the angle of your doorbell from 15° to 55°.
- The Wedge Kit (on Amazon), on the other hand, allows you to adjust the angle from 5° to 15°.
These kits are helpful because they provide more flexibility for your doorbell. With them, you can mount your Ring Doorbell at any preferred angle, so you can limit and control unwanted movement alerts.
Although some Ring Doorbells come with these installation kits, others do not. In that case, you can select compatible kits for your device.
How Can You Mount Your Ring Doorbell?
It is easy to install or mount your Ring Video Doorbell. First, however, you have to make sure you download the free Ring app and link up your device to the doorbell by following the instructions on the app.
Different Ring Doorbell models come with installation kits and instructions. Hence, what works for the Ring Doorbell 2 may not work for the Ring Doorbell Pro.
Follow the rules to install the doorbell safely, but note that you’ll need a wireless router for this. Also, use the included screws to attach it to the wall. If there’s an existing doorbell, you can connect the doorbell to it for power unless the doorbell is battery-operated. Note that you don’t need a current doorbell to mount your Ring Video Doorbell.
Conclusion
Whether you install your Ring doorbell vertically or horizontally, what matters the most is getting the placement and angle correctly. Once that is done correctly, your doorbell will perform as it should. However, it is recommended that you stick to the vertical installation.