Ring Video Doorbell 2 Review: A Solid Video Doorbell for Any Door
Our Verdict
Band Video Doorbell two is flexible plenty to go anywhere, plus information technology has good move-warning settings and low cloud-storage costs.
For
- You lot can exclude parts of the photographic camera view from movement alerts
- Bombardment ability for flexible placement
- Slim, attractive design
- Useful social part in app
Against
- Notification sound is grating
- Easily stripped security screw
Tom's Guide Verdict
Ring Video Doorbell 2 is flexible enough to become anywhere, plus information technology has skillful motion-alert settings and low cloud-storage costs.
Pros
- +
You can exclude parts of the photographic camera view from move alerts
- +
Bombardment power for flexible placement
- +
Slim, bonny design
- +
Useful social office in app
Cons
- -
Notification sound is grating
- -
Easily stripped security screw
Ane trouble with smart home devices is that not everyone in the household is willing to use their smartphone for everything. Ring's Video Doorbell 2 tin replace a wired doorbell, but considering it's battery powered, it'due south also flexible plenty to install wherever you lot want, and an optional accessory provides a nice, loud doorbell chime inside the firm. Your family unit gets the best of both worlds: a alive video feed and intelligent notifications for those who want to use their smartphones, along with a traditional doorbell for those who don't.
Ring has released the Ring Video Doorbell iii ($199) and Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus ($229), and is discontinuing the Ring Video Doorbell ii. The newer models tin can also run on battery power lone, and in the case of the Ring iii Plus, has a new characteristic chosen Pre-roll, which tin can assist bear witness you more of a motion event. For more than, bank check out our Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus review.
- Ring vs. Nest: Which is the all-time video doorbell?
Ring Video Doorbell two setup and design
Since the Band Video Doorbell 2 runs on a bombardment pack, you can put information technology where there isn't already a doorbell. Information technology can too supplant an eight- to 24-volt wired doorbell; the exact voltage isn't of import, because it'southward only used to recharge the Ring'due south bombardment. If you don't connect the Band to a power source, y'all'll have to recharge the doorbell every few months to a year, depending on how frequently it's used.
The Ring doorbell bolts direct to the business firm, different the RemoBell and August doorbells, which require that you commodities a subclass to the house and so adhere the doorbell to the subclass. Afterwards you attach the Ring doorbell, the device's embrace clicks onto the outside to hide the screws that adhere it to the business firm. You secure the encompass with a unmarried security screw tucked onto the bottom of the unit.
My trouble was that as presently every bit I tried to tighten that security screw, information technology stripped. Even worse, I'd attached the doorbell to the house before adding the device to my network, and the first step in adding it to the network was pressing a pairing push on the side of the doorbell. But I couldn't do that thanks to this comprehend that I couldn't accept off. Special screw-extracting pliers came to the rescue. This is an issue that other Ring Doorbell owners have mentioned on Amazon, too.
MORE: Best Video Doorbells
Aside from that, though, the Band Video Doorbell 2 looks adept, if a little bulky at v ten 2.5 x 1 inches. Ring includes both black and silver covers, which is a nice touch on, and the blue doorbell push button lights upward at dark. (The Ring Pro has a slimmer design, because it gets rid of the battery pack, merely it's besides more than complicated to install.)
During the setup procedure, you tin can add an actress layer of security past enabling two-cistron hallmark from the Band app. Here's how to enable two-gene authentication (2FA) for Ring cameras.
Pair this doorbell with the $29 Band Chime, which plugs in indoors, and you'll even hear a doorbell ring inside the house. (The $49 Band Chime Pro does the same matter while likewise extending your Wi-Fi point closer to the doorbell.) That manner, family unit members who don't want to be glued to their smartphones volition still know the bong is ringing.
MORE: Top-Rated Wireless Home Security Cameras
Band Video Doorbell 2 video and sound quality
Amidst the doorbell cams we tested, Band's had the highest resolution, at 1080p. (August's Doorbell Cam Pro has a lower resolution of 1280 x 920.) The video quality didn't blow me away — live look-ins were frequently choppy and pixelated, although the recorded video looked better after the fact.
The quality of the live stream depends on your network speed and force; Ring's optional Chinkle Pro also works to extend your Wi-Fi network to the Ring doorbell if y'all tin leave it plugged in by the door.
When speaking with someone at the door, nosotros had to holler a footling to be heard over the motorway a block away. Simply the audio itself was clear and loud, and the cursory delay was manageable. All the cameras we tested had similar audio quality, and results will vary based on how noisy the surround is.
Ring's 160-degree field of view as well bests the 120-caste field of the August doorbell, showing you more than area around your firm. But the August'due south HindSight feature is better at showing you video of people actually budgeted your house, instead of just catching them as they're walking away, and the August's congenital-in lights provided a better image at dark.
Ring app and operation
Once I was up and running, the doorbell worked swell. You lot tin can check the battery level from inside the app, and you'll get a notification when you need to recharge, but that shouldn't happen for months.
The Ring app's big reward is that it lets y'all exclude parts of the photographic camera's field of vision from triggering motion alerts.
The Ring app'southward big reward is that it lets you lot exclude parts of the photographic camera's field of vision from triggering motion alerts. For example, my firm has a shallow driveway, with the forepart door relatively close to the street. For the Ring Video Doorbell two, the Ring app could show me the camera'south 160-degree field of view divided into a grid, letting me deselect whatsoever segment where I didn't want movement to trigger an warning. This let me exclude virtually of the street and sidewalk, while keeping almost of the driveway and porch.
August's app lacks this characteristic, and then I would go alerts every fourth dimension a car drove by. The Band Pro doorbell supports an fifty-fifty more precise motility-alarm setting, letting you lot depict boxes on the verbal places where motion alerts should be triggered.
A jolly three-tone ring is not a sound I want blaring from my telephone every fourth dimension someone walks their canis familiaris too shut to my business firm.
The Ring app as well lets you set a schedule for when to let motility alerts, which could be handy. However, it would be better if notifications fired more chop-chop; often I'd respond to a motion alert just in time to meet a person's dorsum exiting the field of view, or a motorcar's rear bumper driving abroad.
Just the bigger problem is that the notification sound is so terrible. Information technology's a jolly three-tone band, like a fancy doorbell, merely that's not a sound I desire blaring from my telephone every time someone walks their dog as well close to my house. I wound up turning the motility alerts off in the Ring app, because my whole family hated the sound so much. I didn't want to continue the motion alerts on but tell my iPhone not to play the sound (in Settings > Notifications > Band), considering I did nevertheless want to hear the sound when someone rang the bong. The optional Ring Chinkle Pro device ($49) that goes inside the business firm, information technology should exist noted, sounds its tone only when someone rings the doorbell.
The Band app lets you plow off Live View if you lot want to save the doorbell's bombardment life.
Ring also has a social function, where with one button press you can share a concerning video with nearby Ring users, kind of a geeky neighborhood scout. Every bit of a contempo app update, neighbors can leave comments on each other'south videos, although no 1's identified by name or address, for privacy.
Band smart dwelling integration
Like the August Doorbell Cam Pro, the Ring video doorbells can connect to a smart lock. Ring doesn't make its own smart locks, but inside the Band app, you lot can pair your doorbell to a compatible smart lock from LockState, Kevo, Kisi or Lockitron. Then, when y'all get a notification that someone rang the doorbell, you tin can press a push within the Ring app to launch the smart lock'southward own app and unlock the door.
That's nice, just August'due south ecosystem is more than tightly integrated, because information technology makes its ain smart lock, and you lot tin control them both from the aforementioned app.
If you have an Echo Evidence or Fire Television receiver, you can also view a live feed from the Ring doorbell on those devices. This is handy if your phone isn't available and someone rings the bell.
Both Ring and August's doorbells piece of work with Alexa and Google Home, but August'southward goes deeper, equally it also works with Apple HomeKit, Nest, Honeywell and other smart home systems.
Ring cloud storage plans
Ring's cloud storage fees are the lower than Baronial'due south and RemoBell'due south. Band charges $3 per calendar month (or $30 per year) for 60 days of storage, and if y'all have multiple Band cameras, yous tin pay $10 per month or $100 per year to cover all of them. (Ring has a total lineup of security cameras as well as the doorbells.) Here's how Ring's cloud storage plans compares to Nest and Arlo.
Lesser line
Those who are looking for a video doorbell, simply who don't want to go through the trouble of replacing or installing the wiring needed for a traditional doorbell will like what the Ring Video Doorbell 2 has to offer. It has a sharp, 1080p resolution, and its app boasts lots of settings to help you get simply the alerts you want — which is crucial, since its warning sound is so annoying. While the Nest Howdy is the best video doorbell overall for its improve video quality and facial recognition (here'due south our comparison of Ring vs. Nest), the bombardment-powered Ring Video Doorbell two makes information technology a more than flexible pick.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/ring-video-doorbell-2,review-4955.html
Posted by: walkwhaters.blogspot.com
0 Response to "Ring Video Doorbell 2 Review: A Solid Video Doorbell for Any Door"
Post a Comment