Deploying Ring Camera Recording with Docker: From Continuous Recording to Motion-triggered Capture

1. Goal

• Enable local recording of Ring camera streams.
• Phase 1: Continuous recording.
• Phase 2: Motion-triggered recording (battery/storage friendly).

2. Environment

• Host: Ubuntu/Debian server or VM
• Docker / Docker Compose installed
• Ring camera already linked in the Ring app
• Testbed used: local VM (same steps apply to production).

3. Core Configuration Files

MQTT broker

mosquitto/mosquitto.conf

listener 1883
allow_anonymous true

Ring-MQTT

ring-mqtt/config.json

{
  "mqtt_url": "mqtt://mqtt",
  "mqtt_options": {
    "username": "xxx@mail.com",
    "password": "yyy"
  },
  "ring_token": ""
}

⚠️ Note: ring_token is obtained via WebUI (http://<host_ip>:55123/). Do not expose the actual value.

Docker Compose

docker-compose.yml

version: "3.8"

services:
  mqtt:
    image: eclipse-mosquitto
    container_name: mosquitto
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "1883:1883"
    volumes:
      - ./mosquitto/mosquitto.conf:/mosquitto/config/mosquitto.conf

  ring-mqtt:
    image: tsightler/ring-mqtt
    container_name: ring-mqtt
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - mqtt
    ports:
      - "8554:8554"      # RTSP 流端口
      - "55123:55123"    # Web UI 端口
    volumes:
      - ./ring-mqtt:/data

4. Steps

1. Start services: docker compose up -d
2. Check Ring-MQTT logs: docker logs -f ring-mqtt → Access WebUI at http://<host_ip>:55123/ and generate your Ring token.
3. Test recording manually: ffmpeg -i rtsp://localhost:8554/<DEVICE_ID>_live -t 30 test.mp4
4. Verify recordings are saved under ./recordings/.

5. Common Issues & Fixes

• Cannot connect RTSP → Ensure token generated & container restarted.
• Recorder container fails → Use correct <DEVICE_ID>_live instead of camera name.
• Files not saved → Check docker logs -f ring-recorder, confirm volume mounts.

6. Security Considerations

• Always hide ring_token and <DEVICE_ID> in public configs.
• Avoid continuous 24/7 recording if using battery-powered Ring devices.
• Plan for storage growth if recording continuously.

7. Advanced Reference (Motion-triggered Recording)

By default, recording runs continuously, which can drain battery.
With MQTT events, we can start recording only when motion is detected.

Script Example

record_on_motion.sh

#!/bin/bash

DEVICE_ID="<DEVICE_ID>"       # Camera ID (hidden)
DURATION=90             # 每次录制时长（秒）
SAVE_PATH="./recordings"
LOG_FILE="./record_on_motion.log"

mkdir -p "$SAVE_PATH"

log() {
    MSG="[$(date +"%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")] $1"
    echo "$MSG" | tee -a "$LOG_FILE"
}

# 持续订阅 motion 事件
mosquitto_sub -h localhost -t "ring/+/camera/$DEVICE_ID/motion/state" | while read state
do
    if [ "$state" == "ON" ]; then
        TIMESTAMP=$(date +"%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M-%S")
        FILE="$SAVE_PATH/Front_$TIMESTAMP.mp4"
        log "Motion detected, start recording: $FILE (duration $DURATION seconds)"

        ffmpeg -rtsp_transport tcp -i rtsp://localhost:8554/${DEVICE_ID}_live \
            -t $DURATION -c copy "$FILE" >>"$LOG_FILE" 2>&1

        log "Recording finished: $FILE"
    fi
done

⚠️ Replace <DEVICE_ID> with your Ring camera’s internal ID.

Usage

chmod +x record_on_motion.sh
./record_on_motion.sh

→ When motion is detected, a short recording is automatically created.

8. Directory Layout

~/dev/ring
├── docker-compose.yml
├── record_on_motion.sh
├── mosquitto
│   ├── data
│   ├── log
│   └── mosquitto.conf
├── recordings
└── ring-mqtt
    ├── config.json
    ├── go2rtc.yaml
    └── ring-state.json

9. Appendix: Port Explanations

MQTT → 1883

• Purpose: Message broker for events (motion, doorbell).
• Who connects: record_on_motion.sh, Home Assistant, automation systems.

WebUI → 55123

• Purpose: Token generation interface for Ring authentication.
• Who connects: You (via browser, one-time login).

RTSP → 8554

• Purpose: Provides camera video stream as RTSP.
• Who connects: ffmpeg, VLC, recording service.

Quick Reference Table