I'm converting my existing hardwired alarm to Ring wireless. Nothing fancy, I just opened one of the wireless Ring contact sensor and taped the magnetic reed switch, one wire to the left (green) and one on the right (red). Now if I connect the two wires, (green and red) it registers the sensor as "closed" and when I open/detach the wires it registers the sensor as "open". So far so good.
The door has a magnetic reed switch in the door jam. I found the wires for that door with a wire tracer and checked it with a continuity tester.
Now the problem, when I connect the sensor wires to that circuit it registers as "closed", even when I open the door. I was prepared for it not to work, but not in that manner, I thought that the resistance of the wire due to the length would tell the sensor that the door was "open" even when it was closed. A possible fix was to use a relay, but I'm really scratching my head on why it works this way.

 

Did you reset it? https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1&q=How+do+you+reset+a+ring+contact+sensor?

 

Did you reset it? https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1&q=How+do+you+reset+a+ring+contact+sensor?

I have not. The sensor communicates with the home base, it works as designed with the magnetic base, it works with the taped wires I added. The only problem is when I extend the wires over 10 feet.

 

I don't have a solution, but I would like to restate your problem so that I can make sure that I understand it and maybe others can weigh in....

You have a sensor like this:

The smaller piece is a magnet. The larger piece has a coin cell battery operated transmitter (Z wave to a base) and reed switch.

You have a door with a previously installed reed switch. There is more than 10 feet of wiring on the previously installed reed switch taking the contacts out to some terminals somewhere. You went inside the transmitter and removed the reed switch leads and connected the two leads to the contact terminals for the existing reed switch in the door.

When you simply reconnect the leads to the reed switch inside the transmitter, it still works. When you connect the leads to the external reed switch, it does not work. You have not reset the sensor as per my previous query, but it still works if you tape connect the wires (that you cut). You checked the external reed switch wiring with a continuity tester and it showed continuity.

If that is all true, I still have no solution for you but someone else may, so please correct my interpretation if it is wrong. I do have a couple of comments...

I assume that you tested the reed switch inside the door with a magnet and demonstrated that it operates. You said you used a continuity tester, can you look at the resistance when operating it repeatedly and see if it reveals anything unexpected? Remember also that reed switches do not always have to be normally open, they also make them normally closed.

That is a very low powered transmitter and it may be that the wiring is too much of a load...you are not the only one who as experienced this problem - see https://www.reddit.com/r/ringdoorbell/comments/91ytwr/ring_alarm_tips_and_best_practices/ search for the word "caveat" and see the message where someone did the same thing and could not get it to work if the reed switch wiring was more than 8-10 feet. Someone else suspected that the pre-existing wiring included a resistor.

That's all I got but would like to know how it turns out please.

 

Yes, I checked the external reed switch, it is working, and I do not see any resistance on my meter. I had the same suspicion with the wiring because I don't know what was done behind the walls. So I ran 20+ feet of wire and tested it and had the same outcome.

I assumed that voltage ran across the reed switch, but I could not read it with the multimeter, too low? I was testing with a single phone wire with 4 individual insulated strands. (red/black/yellow/green) This morning I tested it with two wires, so the loop is at least 2' apart, and it works. So my guess is that it's not voltage but a signal that runs across the reed switch. The close proximity of the strands for 10+ feet is causing the single to jump?

I think that a relay will fix it, but I want to understand why it works this way.

(I'm new to this so my terminology might be wrong. Please correct me, I appreciate corrections, why make the same mistake twice.)

 

I think that a relay will fix it, but I want to understand why it works this way.

Me too, but I didn't see a schematic for one anywhere.

 

Alarm switches typically use twisted pair wiring.

Do you have a piece of cat 5 or another twisted pair wiring to connect your magnetic switch to the Ring device?

 

Alarm switches typically use twisted pair wiring.

Do you have a piece of cat 5 or another twisted pair wiring to connect your magnetic switch to the Ring device?

I have 20+ feet of cat 6, I used the green pair and got the same outcome, I also tried using two pairs, one wire from each pair and also got the same outcome.

 

Me too, but I didn't see a schematic for one anywhere.

I'm hoping this will work.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2PCS-1-Cha...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

 

That relay module might have worked if I understood what the "signal" was, it's not a constant 5 VDC. Digital signal?

I instead used a solid state relay, Omron G3MC-202P. Simpler so It worked, for me.

I also attempted to replace the 3V battery on the sensors with 3VDC I get from using a Power Supply Converter Module for the Arduino, LM2596S. I tuned it to the exact same voltage, 3.02 VDC on my multimeter. Problem is that the sensor recognizes that the voltage is not the battery, and puts the sensor offline. Noise?

It worked enough for me to call this a win. I do have a lot of questions and maybe will revisit the build.

 

Glad you got it fixed to your liking. I have no idea why the first relay linked would not work for you.

 

Just thought I would post an update to this project. The solid-state relays, Omron G3MC-202P, are working perfectly.
I replaced the 3V battery on the sensors with 3 VDC power transformer. It did not work before, but after a bunch of Ring updates, applied by Ring, it now works. I also added a micro switch between each sensor and the one power supply. So when you need to reboot the sensors, you can use the micro switch. Also, put all your mods on a UPS, because if the power goes out to the sensors, you will need to reconfigure/reboot them all.