How to Protect Your Home While Traveling for the Holidays 

The holidays are for making memories, not stressing about what's happening back home. Whether you're flying across the country or driving a few hours to visit family, a few simple steps with your Ring devices, like Wired Doorbell 4K Pro, Outdoor Cam 4K Pro, and Floodlight Cam 2K, can give you peace of mind the entire time you're away. 

Here's how to help protect your home before you head out the door. 

How Should You Set Up Your Ring Devices Before a Trip? 

Quick Answer: Switch your Ring devices to Away Mode,¹ adjust your motion settings, and make sure your wifi connection is strong before you leave. These steps take just a few minutes and help your devices work at their best while you're gone. 

Start with the basics: 

Switch to Away Mode.¹ Open the Ring App and set your location to Away Mode. This lets you choose which devices detect motion, record, and send alerts while you're out of town, all with a single tap. 

Check your wifi signal. Open Device Health in the Ring App for each device and confirm your signal strength is strong. Outdoor cameras placed far from your router are the most likely to have a weak connection, which can cause missed or delayed alerts. 

Charge your batteries. If you have battery-powered devices, like Battery Doorbell 2K or battery-powered versions of Outdoor Cam 2K and Spotlight Cam 2K, charge them fully before you leave. Recording in 2K or 4K can use more battery, so a full charge matters even more. A dead battery when you're 1,000 miles away is not ideal. 

Update your motion zones. Adjust your motion zones to cover the high-traffic areas that matter most, like your front door, driveway, and side gates. 

Fine-tune motion sensitivity. With fewer people coming and going, you may want to raise motion sensitivity a bit, so you catch more of what's happening around your home. You can always change it back when you return. 

Where Should You Place Devices Before You Travel? 

Quick Answer: Place cameras at the main entry points to your home: the front door, the driveway or garage, the backyard entry, and any side gate. Ring recommends mounting outdoor cameras about 9 feet high, with the motion sensor level with the ground, for the widest view. 

Use this checklist before you leave: 

Front door: Use Battery Doorbell 2K or Wired Doorbell 4K Pro to cover the porch and walkway so you can see visitors and packages. 

Driveway or garage: Point Floodlight Cam 2K or Floodlight Cam 4K Pro at the approach to your home. 

Backyard entry: Cover the back door, patio, or rear gate with Outdoor Cam 4K Pro or Spotlight Cam 2K. 

Side gates and low-visibility corners: Outdoor Cam 2K is a flexible fit for dark areas that are easy to overlook. 

Power check: Confirm each camera has a full battery or a working wired or solar connection. 

Weather check: Wipe each lens clean and make sure every camera is secure before winter weather arrives. 

Light check: Floodlight and Spotlight cameras have built-in lights. You can pair other cameras with Ring Smart Lighting so your view stays clear at night. 

How Can You Check on Your Home from Anywhere? 

Quick Answer: Use Live View in the Ring App to see any of your Ring devices, including outdoor cameras, in real time from anywhere with an internet connection. 

Sitting at the airport and wondering if that package arrived? Open the Ring App, tap Live View on your Ring doorbell, and see for yourself. Want to check the driveway or backyard too? Switch to Floodlight Cam 4K Pro or Outdoor Cam 4K Pro. You can also use Two-Way Talk to speak with anyone at your door, whether that's a delivery driver or a neighbor dropping off holiday cookies. 

What Other Steps Can Help Protect Your Home During the Holidays? 

Quick Answer: Combine your Ring devices with smart lighting, timers, and a few everyday habits to make your home look lived-in while you're away. 

Use Ring Smart Lighting. Motion-activated lights around your property work well alongside outdoor cameras. They light up the area your camera covers and can help deter unwanted visitors. 

Set lights on timers. Indoor lights on a schedule help your home look occupied in the evening. 

Pause mail and package deliveries. The U.S. Postal Service offers a free Hold Mail service for up to 30 days. 

Keep travel plans offline. Consider sharing vacation photos after you get home rather than while you're away. 

Ask a neighbor for a hand. A trusted neighbor can bring in packages or shovel the driveway. 

These are tips we gathered to help you prepare. What works best may vary by home and neighborhood. 

Ready to get set for the holidays? Shop Ring Doorbells and Outdoor Cameras at Ring.com. 

FAQ 

Q: Should I turn off my Ring devices while I'm on vacation?  

A: No. Keep your devices on and switch your location to Away Mode,¹ so you get alerts and can check in through Live View while you're gone. 

Q: How do I know my Ring devices are working while I'm away?  

A: Open Device Health in the Ring App to check wifi signal and battery level for each device. Pop into Live View now and then for a quick check. 

Q: Can I let someone else check on my home through Ring?  

A: Yes. Add them as a Shared User in the Ring App and choose which devices they can access. You can remove their access anytime. 

Q: Where is the best place to put an outdoor camera when traveling?  

A: Cover your main entry points: the front door, driveway or garage, backyard entry, and side gates. Ring recommends mounting outdoor cameras about 9 feet high, with the motion sensor level with the ground. 

Q: Do Ring outdoor cameras work without a subscription?  

A: Yes. Live View, real-time motion alerts, and Two-Way Talk work without a subscription. A Ring Protect Plan adds video recording and video history.² 

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Ring subscription features and services may vary by country. Not all features available in the United States will be available in every region. 

¹ Compatible Ring subscription required for digital arming/disarming and certain other in-app features. 

² Compatible Ring subscription required. Your Ring motion event videos in the cloud are stored, up to 180 days from recording. Modifying your video storage duration affects only recordings created after the change is applied.