Ring video doorbell review

Editors Note: This is the most recent version of Ring Video Doorbell. Read our original review from September 14, 2020 below.

Ring’s latest smart doorbell, called the Video Doorbell ($99.99), is a refresh of the original we reviewed in 2015. This time it offers 1080p video (the original is 720p), improved audio, and a few new features including motion detection, making it a significant upgrade over its predecessor. It also responds to Alexa voice commands and communicates with other smart devices using the IFTTT applet, but it lacks the dual-band Wi-Fi or support video pre-buffering (to capture what was happening before the motion sensor is triggered) of the Ring’s pricier models. . And if you have existing wiring, our Editors’ Choice, the RemoBell S, offers a high-resolution camera and free cloud storage for the same price.

Design and features

With its satin nickel and glossy black finish (it’s also available in Venetian bronze), the Ring Video Doorbell retains the same design used by the original, Video Doorbell 2 and Video Doorbell 3 Plus. Measuring 4.9 by 2.4 by 1.1 inches (HWD), it’s larger than the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro (4.6 by 1.5 by 1.3 inches), but still a hair smaller than its more expensive sibling, the Video Doorbell 3 Plus (5.1 by 2.4 by 111). . inches).

The black top of the device houses a camera and a microphone, while the silver bottom holds the doorbell button, which is surrounded by an LED ring that flashes blue when the button is pressed. At the bottom end is a speaker which is used for two-way communication and is used to ring the doorbell.

Under the hood is a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio Whereas other Ring doorbells have removable battery packs, this one uses a removable rechargeable battery that lasts 6 to 12 months between charges (depending on usage). To charge it, you have to physically remove the entire device, bring it inside, and power it using the included USB cable. However, you can hard-wire it to your existing doorbell cable for continuous charging. The USB charging port, two cable terminals and a setup button are all located on the back panel

The doorbell’s camera captures video in 1080p, has a 155-degree field of view, and uses infrared LEDs to capture black-and-white night video. It will start recording video and send push alerts when the button is pressed or when it senses motion. If you have an Amazon Alexa device, it will tell you when the doorbell button is pressed.

As with all Ring cameras, you must subscribe to a Ring protection plan to access recorded video. At $3 per month/$30 per year, the Basic plan is reasonably priced and gives you 60 days of rolling storage, video sharing, and snapshot capture for a single device. If you own more than one Ring device, $10 per month/$100 per year Plus Plus gives you 60 days of storage for all your devices, as well as professional monitoring if you have a Ring alarm system.

Like other Ring doorbells, the 2020 model works with Alexa voice commands and supports the IFTTT applet that lets it communicate with third-party smart home devices. It also works with select Keikset, Schlage and Yale smart locks, allowing you to lock and unlock your door from within the Ring app. That said, it lacks support for Google Assistant voice commands and doesn’t work with Apple’s HomeKit platform.

The 2020 doorbell uses the same mobile app (for Android and iOS) as all other Ring devices. It opens to a dashboard screen with Disarm, Home and Away buttons at the top. You can enable or disable the doorbell’s motion detection and live view depending on the armed mode. Below these buttons are the Neighborhood and History panels Tap the Neighbors panel to access Ring’s Neighbors feature, which lets you know about any criminal activity in your neighborhood, and use the History button to view a timeline of motion events from all your Ring devices. To view, delete, or download an event video, tap the event list.

Below the screen are panels with a still image of the last recorded activity for each individual ring camera. Tap the doorbell panel to launch a screen where you can view live video or scroll through the timeline to view motion video clips and doorbell press events. There are buttons to forward, reverse and pause the video, and a share button to share clips via Facebook, text message or email. Or, you can tap the Neighbors notification button to post the clip to the Neighbors community portal.

Tap the gear icon in the top right corner to access the doorbell settings. Here you can enable and disable alerts, notifications and motion recording; Watch live video; and adjust mode, device, and speed settings. Motion settings have a wizard to help you select motion zones, a motion verification option that helps reduce unwanted notifications, and a scheduling option that lets you decide when you want to receive notifications. The new Smart Alert setting lets you put the doorbell in people-only mode so you’ll get an alert when a person is detected. Other settings allow you to link the doorbell to various ring devices to trigger recording, check device health (battery level, signal strength, network connection), snooze motion alerts and link the doorbell to an external chime.

Installation and performance

Installing a video doorbell couldn’t be easier. I already had a Ring account, but if this is your first Ring device, you’ll need to download the mobile app and create an account. I opened the app, tapped the three-bar icon in the top left corner, and selected Set Up a Device.

Following the on-screen instructions, I used my phone’s camera to scan the barcode included on the setup sheet and selected my home location for installation. The next few screens provided instructions for mounting the doorbell and what screws to use, and then I was asked to name the device and press and release the orange button on the back of the doorbell. The LED ring started flashing white and a voice prompt told me to follow the instructions, so I went ahead and connected the doorbell to my home Wi-Fi network. A few seconds after adding the device to my network, it was automatically discovered by Alexa and started a firmware update that took about five minutes to complete. I used the included screws to attach the mounting plate to the siding on my house, attached the doorbell to the plate, configured the speed settings, and the installation was complete.

Doorbell performed well in tests. It never fails to respond to a button press and always records video and sends push alerts when buttons are pressed or motion is detected. Only People mode did a good job of filtering motion alerts from passing cards and windblown objects.

The camera delivered sharp 1080p video with vivid colors in our daytime tests, and black-and-white night video showed good contrast and sharp images up to about 20 feet. Two-way audio transmissions were clear and sufficiently loud, unlike the original model, which delivered distorted audio from time to time. I had no problem watching live video on an Amazon Echo Show device using Alexa voice commands, and my Alexa devices always notified me when the doorbell button was pressed.

Conclusion

The Ring Video Doorbell is a solid choice for anyone looking for a smart doorbell camera that doesn’t require wires It’s a snap to install, offers sharp 1080p video, supports Alexa voice commands, and works with other smart devices via the IFTTT applet. It doesn’t have dual-band Wi-Fi or video pre-buffering like Ring’s more advanced models, and you’ll have to pay to remove the entire device to watch recorded video and charge the battery, but at $99, it’s still a good deal. That said, if you don’t mind the wiring, the RemoBell S offers a high-resolution camera and free video storage for the same price, and it works with Google Assistant voice commands, so it remains our Editors’ Choice for affordable video. door bell