Ring is a smart home and home security device manufacturer.
If you’ve watched all seasons of Shark Tank U.S., you may remember the episode where Jamie Siminoff, the founder of Ring (then Doorbot), pitched his home security device to the “sharks.”
Although Jamie didn’t get an investor on the show, his unique product showed tremendous potential. After Doorbot became Ring in 2014, it started attracting more attention. Supposedly, the rebranding was part of the company’s efforts to attract equity investors.
Amazon eventually acquired the company in 2018, and the rest, as they say, is history. What started as a humble one-product business has spawned many products across different categories in the last few years.
Ring Video Doorbell is Ring’s flagship offering. It’s a smart doorbell that seamlessly teams up with third-party tools.
So, can it pair with a smart TV? If yes, how? And how does one set it all up? Read on to find out and more.
Yes, you can use Ring Doorbell with your smart TV, provided your television has certain built-in capabilities and meets specific software requirements.
Ring Doorbell helps you use your TV to view the front door, so you can check who’s at the door when the bell rings or watch things in the front yard.
Samsung smart TVs that were released in 2018 (NU7400 and later models), 2019 (RU7400 and subsequent models), and 2020 (TU8500 and later models) support Ring Doorbell Pro.
If you have a non-Samsung TV (LG, Sony, Hisense, Insignia, etc.) or even a Samsung without SmartThings support, check if it has Alexa built-in or is at least compatible with the app. All the latest TV models should support Alexa.
If your TV has no SmartThings and doesn’t support Alexa, don’t worry we’ve got you covered. Keep reading to find out how to set up Ring with unsupported devices in the next section.
You’ll also need a smartphone or tablet that runs Android 9.0 or later with Google Play Store access to download the necessary apps. If you use an iPhone, ensure it’s running iOS 14 or higher.
How to Set Up Ring Doorbell on Supported Smart TVs?
Do note Samsung’s SmartThings only supports Ring Doorbell Pro.
Ring Doorbell has multiple avatars, which include Ring Doorbell, Ring Doorbell 2, and Ring Doorbell Pro.
Samsung SmartThings doesn’t support live video feeds with the other Ring doorbells.
If you’re connecting your non-Samsung TV with Alexa, you can connect them to all Ring Doorbells. If you’d like to link your Samsung TV to non-pro Ring Doorbells, skip SmartThings and go the Alexa route instead.
Samsung TVs
To use the Ring Doorbell with your Samsung smart TV, set up SmartThings and link it to your Ring account. Here are the steps:
1. Download the SmartThings app on your phone.
2. Log into the app and link it to your Ring account.
3. Tap the Plus icon and then tap Device.
4. Type “ring” in the search box and choose Ring.
5. Choose Doorbells and then tap Next.
6. Tap Authorise Connection to Ring.
7. Type your Ring account login information to sign in and tap the Authorize button on the next page. Your Ring and SmartThings accounts are now linked.
Here is a video demonstrating the above:
How to connect a Ring Doorbell with your Samsung TV | Samsung UK
8. Next, turn on your TV and log in using your Samsung TV account. Add your TV to your SmartThings phone app.
9. In the app, tap the (+) icon and go to Add device.
10. Tap TV and choose Samsung.
11. Tap Add after your Samsung TV appears.
12. Enter the PIN showing on your TV into the SmartThings phone application and tap Done.
Here is a video demonstrating the above:
How To Set Up SmartThings for Your Samsung TV
You should now be able to monitor your Ring Doorbell Pro with your TV or phone. A notification will pop on your TV when someone activates your Ring Doorbell or hovers around.
You’ll, however, have to enable those options in the Ring app. Just open your SmartThings app and enable Motion and/or Ring.
If your TV is a non-Samsung, enable its doorbell monitoring feature using Alexa.
Since Ring is now an Amazon product, linking the two is easy. Here are the steps:
1. Link your Ring Doorbell and the Amazon Alexa phone app. Download it here: iPhone and Android.
2. After installing the app, launch the application and head to More. Tap the three horizontal lines option on the bottom right of the screen.
3. Tap Skills & Games.
4. Tap the search icon (magnifying lens) in the top right of your screen and then type “ring” in the search field.
5. Tap Ring and then Enable to Use after signing in using your Ring account information.
6. Tap the Enable Skill and Link Accounts option. An Amazon account login page will appear if you’re not already signed in.
7. Type in your Amazon user ID credentials and sign in.
8. You’ll see a Ring login page. Type your Ring account user ID and password and tap the Sign in button.
9. Tap Authorize on the Ring Authorize Application page to link your Ring and Amazon accounts.
10. On the next page, tap Discover Devices. Alexa will start searching for devices to link to.
11. After your Ring device is found, tap Set Up Device.
Your Ring Doorbell should now be set up and ready for use on your Alexa-supported TV. When someone’s at your front door, your Alexa-enabled TV will let you know.
Here’s a video showing you the above setup steps:
How to Connect Ring to Alexa Skill
Connect and add more Ring devices to your Alexa app using the same steps.
How to Set Up Ring Doorbell on Unsupported Smart TVs?
To link your Ring Doorbell to your smart TV that doesn’t support SmartThings or Alexa, use streaming devices to good effect.
Amazon Fire TV
If you don’t have a Samsung TV with SmartThings or the TV is not Alexa-compatible, you can still provide it Alexa functionality by hooking it up with an Amazon Fire Stick.
After inserting the Fire Stick into your TV and setting it up, link it to your Ring Doorbell by following the steps for Alexa-enabled TVs listed above.
Apple TV
To link your Apple TV to your Ring Doorbell, first set up your Apple TV as your HomeKit hub. Here are the steps:
1. Connect your Apple TV to your TV. Setting up and connecting the device to your TV is quick and easy.
Power on your Apple TV by plugging in its power cord.
Connect your smart TV and Apple TV box using an HDMI cable.
Power on your TV and follow the setup instructions on the screen.
2. Ensure your Apple TV is using the latest software. (Select Settings > System > Software Updates > Update Software. If an update is available, a pop-up message will appear.)
3. After confirming the software status, head back to Settings and select AirPlay and HomeKit.
4. Navigate to Home under the Home Hub section and ensure its status is Connected.
The Apple TV is now set up as your HomeKit hub.
Next, connect Apple TV to your Ring Doorbell (via HomeKit). You’ll need a third-party tool, such as HOOBS, to get Ring to work with HomeKit since Ring and Apple devices don’t talk to each other directly.
Follow these instructions to set up the line of communication:
5. Tap the Link Account button. It may take a few seconds to show up.
6. Type in your Ring account credentials to log in and verify.
7. Scroll down on the Ring page and click Save. Click the Accessories option to see your Ring Doorbell live video.
8. To add the Ring device to your HomeKit, select the Bridges section and click Ring Bridge.
9. Scan the QR code using the Home app on your iPhone to connect Ring to Apple TV HomeKit.
10. Long-press the TV button on Apple TV’s remote;
11. Navigate to the Home hub, and then you will see the Ringplugin there.
You should now be able to watch Ring Doorbell live feeds on your Apple TV.
Here is a video demo of the above:
How to Add Nest & Ring To HomeKit! (+ HOOBS 4 Updates)
Roku Player
To connect your Roku player to your Ring Doorbell, you’ll need Amazon Alexa. Here are the steps:
1. Connect your Roku streaming device to your TV.
2. Install the Amazon Alexa app on your smartphone.
3. Open the app and tap More.
4. Tap TV & Video under Alexa Preferences.
5. Tap Roku under Featured (skills).
6. Tap the Enable to Use button.
7. Sign into your Roku account.
8. After logging in, tap the Accept and Continue button to link your Roku device and Alexa.
9. Choose your Roku device next under the Select eligible devices option and tap Continue.
10. Tap Link to the Alexa app. Your Roku device should now be linked to Alexa.
11. Next, in the Alexa app, choose the Roku device you’d like to manage from the app.
Watch this video to see how it’s done:
How to Connect Roku to Alexa (and why you might not want to)
Next, connect the Alexa app to your Ring Doorbell (check the “Alexa-Supported TVs” section) to see Ring footage on your Roku TV and use other handy functions, such as activating notifications.
FAQ
Can I Use Ring Doorbell with Google Home?
Yes, you can pair your Ring Doorbell with your Google Home devices. However, the pairing won’t be as seamless, or all Ring features won’t be accessible on your Google devices.
For example, you cannot use your Google Nest Hub (Google’s alternative to the Amazon Echo Show) to watch videos captured by your Doorbell. Moreover, Chromecast devices cannot broadcast Ring videos to TVs or other displays like Amazon Fire TV.
But, as mentioned above, you can pair a Google Home device and a Ring Doorbell and gain control over certain aspects of your Ring Doorbell.
For instance, you can instruct your Google Assistant to trigger the Ring doorbell to record short videos. If your Ring device is not hardwired and uses batteries instead, you can find out battery health using the Google virtual assistant.
Conclusion
With home security devices like Ring, watching who’s on and around your property has never been easy.
Although Ring isn’t the only company offering smart home security solutions, it’s undoubtedly one of the bests. And if you have an Amazon TV, Ring becomes an obvious choice.
Ring Doorbell works with a plethora of other third-party hardware too. The initial setup, however, could be more complicated, as explained above.
But there’s no coding or extensive technical knowledge needed. Anyone can set things up if they can spare some time and effort.
Catherine Tramell has been covering technology as a freelance writer for over a decade. She has been writing for Pointer Clicker for over a year, further expanding her expertise as a tech columnist. Catherine likes spending time with her family and friends and her pastimes are reading books and news articles.
