Motion Detection Notifications

Motion detection notifications are sent when Ring devices detect movement in their field of view. These real-time notifications enable partners to respond immediately to motion events.

Webhook Delivery

Ring delivers all webhook notifications with an HMAC-SHA256 signature in the X-Signature header. Partners must verify this signature before processing the payload. See Notifications for signature verification details.

Webhook Payload

{
  "meta": {
    "version": "1.1",
    "time": "2026-02-13T13:39:57.200155525Z",
    "request_id": "2ad45ade-1818-4154-813b-afdd8bcd8085",
    "account_id": "ava1.ring.account.XXXYYY"
  },
  "data": {
    "id": "<device_id>_human_<timestamp>",
    "type": "motion_detected",
    "subType": "human",
    "attributes": {
      "source": "<device_id>",
      "source_type": "devices",
      "timestamp": 1770989995231
    },
    "relationships": {
      "devices": {
        "links": {
          "self": "/v1/devices/<device_id>"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Payload Fields

Meta Information

• version: Webhook payload version (1.1 includes account_id)
• time: ISO 8601 timestamp when Ring sent the webhook
• request_id: Unique identifier for this webhook request (use for idempotency)
• account_id: The Account ID of the Ring user associated with this event

Event Data

• id: Unique identifier for this specific motion event (format: <device_id>_<subType>_<timestamp>)
• type: Always motion_detected for motion events
• subType: Classification of the motion detected (e.g., human)
• source: Device ID that detected the motion
• source_type: Always devices for device-originated events
• timestamp: Epoch milliseconds when motion was detected

Processing Motion Events

def handle_motion_detection(payload):
    device_id = payload['data']['attributes']['source']
    account_id = payload['meta']['account_id']
    motion_timestamp = payload['data']['attributes']['timestamp']
    event_id = payload['data']['id']
    sub_type = payload['data'].get('subType', 'unknown')
    
    log_motion_event(device_id, account_id, motion_timestamp, event_id, sub_type)
    trigger_motion_response(device_id, account_id, motion_timestamp, sub_type)
    
    return {'status': 'processed'}

Best Practices

1. Verify HMAC signature: Always verify the X-Signature header before processing
2. Use account_id: Associate events with the correct Ring user via meta.account_id
3. Handle subType: Use subType (e.g., human) to differentiate motion classifications
4. Handle duplicates: Implement idempotency using request_id or event id
5. Respond quickly: Return HTTP 200 within 5 seconds to avoid timeout
6. Respect configuration: Check device motion detection settings