A Ring Video Doorbell is a good deterrent against theft at your home, but unfortunately, it can’t stop porch pirates from grabbing packages that have been left outside your front door. What it can do, however, is alert you when a package has been delivered so that you can bring it in or keep an eye on it on your Ring video feed.
Package detection can identify packages that have been left in specific areas monitored by your Ring Video Doorbell and alert you when one is detected. It means that you’ll know the instant a package has been left outside your door, and you can take the appropriate action. Here’s how to set up package detection on a Ring Video Doorbell.
What is package detection on a Ring Video Doorbell?
Package detection is a feature of the Ring app that can alert you when a package is detected in a specific area that your Ring Video Doorbell is monitoring. When a package is left within the selected region, Ring’s AI will recognise it as a package. You can have your video doorbell record video when a package is detected and set it up to send you an alert that a package has been left at your door.
It’s a useful feature that ensures any packages that are delivered don’t get left on your front doorstep for too long. This is especially useful if you’re expecting items that are perishable, such as food packages, or if you’re expecting high-value items that you don’t want to leave sitting on your doorstep all day.
You can specify the zone that the Ring app will use to look for packages so that you’re not getting alerts every time someone walks past your home carrying a box. If you’re still getting too many false positives or too few alerts when packages are delivered, you can also change the sensitivity of the package detection.
How to set up package detection on a Ring Video Doorbell
If you have a compatible Ring Video Doorbell (see below for a full list of supported products), you can set up package detection within the Ring app. You can also tweak the settings within the app if the package detection isn’t working effectively.
- Open the Ring app.
- Tap the Gear icon in the top right corner of the thumbnail view for your video doorbell.
- Select Motion Settings from the options at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap Smart Alerts.
- Under the Package section, tap the Video Camera icon to record video when a package is detected. Tap the Bell icon if you also want to receive alerts when a package is detected.
- To change the package detection settings, tap Customise.
- Select Package Zone to specify the area that should be monitored for packages.
- Tap Package Zone and drag the circles around to define the area that you want.
- Tap Save when you’re done.
- To change how sensitive your package detection is, tap Package Sensitivity.
- Move the Package Sensitivity slider to change how sensitive the detection is. If you’re getting too many false package alerts, slide it further left or move the slider right if you’re missing some package events.
- Tap Save to keep the current settings.
Which Ring Video Doorbells support package detection?
Package detection is only available on certain models. You’ll also need a current Ring Protect subscription in order to be able to make use of the package detection feature.
The complete list of compatible products is as follows:
- Video Doorbell (2nd Generation)
- Video Doorbell 2
- Video Doorbell 3
- Video Doorbell 3 Plus
- Video Doorbell 4
- Video Doorbell Wired
- Video Doorbell Pro
- Video Doorbell Pro 2
- Video Doorbell Elite
- Battery Doorbell Plus
If you’re not sure which model of Ring Video Doorbell you have, you can find it in the Device Health section of the app.