So here is another one of my fairly lengthy reviews....
The Ring is actually one of my favorite new devices, and the only "doorbell/camera/intercom" that does EXACTLY what I needed it to do. I had done research for a while before I saw it advertized. Granted, some people are not in the unique situation that I am in (which I'm about to explain), but I think the details will be helpful regardless.
So here's my story. Bear with me....I am a writer, so I'm naturally verbose... I live on a decently sized 7000 sq ft lot, with the main property set back far from the street, probably 200 ft or so. There is another smaller property (that I rent out) just in front of the main house. In front of that is a small office. Each of these buildings get closer to the street. Because everything is so far back from the street, and I essentially have no backyard, we put up a 6ft privacy fence and gate along the street, to enclose the property. We jokingly call it "The Compound". So you get the idea. There are also two large dogs, who not only love to explore and escape when possible, but intimidate strangers and package delivery people who show up to the gate.
So, my problems were multiple. Because of the dogs, no one could open my gate and walk up the pathway to either the main house or the studio apartment to ring a doorbell or deliver a package. Because there are two living spaces with two separate people as well as an office building, it gets confusing as to who lives where and who is in which building at any given time, so multiple doorbells seemed pointless. Because of the privacy fence, leaving packages without signatures on the street outside the gate (obviously there's no porch or private area) is impracticle, not to mention most carriers won't do it anyway. Then, there's the addional issue of security. If we had doorbells, then we wanted video. We knew that if we were going to have a doorbell, then it needed to be on the front gate, but also transmit wirelessly, ideally to a phone/tablet, but a computer at the very least. There is no electricity that far down the yard by the street, so hard wiring was not an option without a lot of work and money. Not to mention hardwired doorbells (unless you have a pre-existing unit) require step down transformers. So it seemed like we were pretty screwed. We had researched some units, I think Skybell was the name of one, and a couple of others, and while they offered WiFi transmission, they required hard wired electricity.
Then we found Ring. Almost seemed too good to be true, because there were features that we hadn't even thought about that solved additional concerns. Ring HAS A BUILT IN RECHARGEABLE BATTERY. There's a no brainer. Amazing that someone hadn't done this before, but there you go... So naturally we bought it just based on that to give it a try. Obviously it can also be hardwired to an existing or new doorbell plate and all the tools are in the package.
So here's why we love it, and why the extra features are so useful, and I've heard there are more to come. They just released Chime, and I'll discuss that in a second. These points are in no particular order....
A: Ring has a good, high resolution camera (bear in mind, that the further away from your WiFi router you are, the resolution will degrade. That's just science...), the night vision is impressive, and the wide angle of the lens is more than enough to see everything. The microphone is very good, as is the outdoor speaker. Honestly much clearer than expected.
B: The WiFi power is solid. You set up the connection to your network through the Ring app on your phone (more on the app later). It's a very easy process, and the app walks you through it. Because of the massive distance of the yard I described, we did end up having to add a WiFi extender to the office (which was the closest building to the street), to make the camera connection more efficient. Bear this in mind if you're installing far away from your router. Once Ring is connected it shows up as a registered device, and you can add more later if necessary. Now here's the super cool part, and how it affects home security. I now know Ring advertises this as one of it's key features, but to see it in action really sells it. Much like the Belkin WeMo system, once the device is connected to your network, it is then routed through your phone, literally enabling you to answer your doorbell (and see who is there) from anywhere. I have answered the gate from 2000 miles away, asked for a package to be left there, and then had a friend (or roommate) go and pick it up. Nobody knew I wasn't home. Visit Ring's website for videos on this feature.
C: Almost a continuation of B, Ring also features customizeable motion sensing. I don't really need to go into detail on this, because everyone will use it differently, but for us it's handy for package delivery when someone doesn't ring the bell (yes, I get a lot of packages....). It would also be useful of course if you suspected that someone was trying to break in or tamper with your stuff, or you have a crazy stalker, which leads us to....
D: Cloud recording!! Ring has a cloud recording service. It's fantastic. If you activate it (which I believe is about $3 a month), every time the bell rings or the motion sensor is triggered, it uploads the video to the cloud, and you can review it at any time through the app. So far we haven't had the misfortune of security issues, but it is really handy (and worth it in my opinion) to see who was at your gate if you miss a "call" from the Ring.
E: Multiple users. A huge selling point (well we were already sold, but we discovered this later) is that you can add multiple users to the Ring device. My roommate/tenant downloaded the app, set up an account and then I added her to the list. When the gate rings, she is alerted at the same time I am, no matter where we are, and she also has access to all of the cloud recordings and features. This is a great feature if you live in a compound....;) Joke aside, we both travel a lot independantly for business, so having multiple users be able to access the features I've previously outlined, increases security and also allows each of us to take care of things at the house more efficiently.
F: The app is very well designed. Simple, easy to use and intuitive. We're all Apple users here, so I've only seen it on iOS, but I have it installed on my phones and iPad and it works great. I actually use old, beat up iPhones and iPads as wall mounted "light switches" for home automation stuff, so my whole house rings when someone is at the gate. I can use any of the devices to see the camera. Also, when you login to your account on any iPhone/iPad, your registered Ring device(s) pop up. Aside from that, the app allows you to customize settings (mainly motion), add devices and look at cloud recordings. You can also monitor battery life if you are using the wireless rechargeable battery. Again, all done very intuitively. I was going to mention this separately, but this seems like a good place instead. While I am happy to have my whole house "ring", my tenant does not want hers to. She works from two phones and an iPad, has the Ring app installed on all of them, but mostly keeps her phone ringers off. As a result she misses a lot of doorbell rings. She also doesn't necessarily, as many people wouldn't, always want/need to get Ring notifications when she is out and knows I'm home. Amazingly, the Ring folks just launched Chime, which is pretty much for people like her. We will be installing one in her place. From what I understand it is essentially a stand alone, almost "old school" doorbell ringer (chime, i guess....), that you wall mount and rings in your house separately from your phone. It is connected through the Ring app and is customizeable (volume etc). I haven't played with it yet, but will soon and review it.
G: One last note about the unit itself. It's very sturdy and weather resistant. We live in Central Texas and just went through a bashing from the edge of the hurricane weather. Ring is fine, just as they advertise. Once you mount it, there are two small security screws on the bottom that are designed to make stealing it a pain in the ass. Ring apparently has a replacement program for theft (see H) by the way. All installation tools needed to mount and set up are included in the package. Screws, screwdriver and bits, and any other accessories for hardwiring to electricity (mine had a diode included in the box). There was even a micro USB cable for re-charging the battery, which is very easy to do. Undo security screws with special bit, take Ring off the mount and then plug it in as you would a phone etc... Battery life is apparently 6 months or more before recharge with normal usage. For those of you that care, the packaging it arrives in is very elegant and frustration free.
H: Customer service is impeccable. While in an ideal world you should never have to call them, I initially received a unit with a slightly defective battery (it wasn't holding a charge very long). They replaced it immediately (arrived in a couple of days) with virtually no questions asked. Also, the website is informative and answers most questions. If you have to call and the hold time is too long, they'll call you back without you losing your place in line.
My only gripe about Ring so far is that there is no Mac OS desktop support/app. I work from my computer a lot. I am a musician, a photographer and a writer, so when knee deep in a project that requires concentration or silence (i.e. phone turned off), it would be nice for a doorbell alert to pop up on the computer screen and a little video window. HOWEVER, I have heard rumors that desktop support is on the horizon.
So there you have it. My lengthy review. I hope it helps. Excuse typos and grammar. If Hemingway had written on an iPhone, it would be pure s*** too.....;) That's assuming of course that you like Hemingway in the first place.....
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"Alexa, turn on the lights."
Control the lights with your voice.
Answer the door from anywhere
Stay connected to home with motion-activated alerts, HD video and two-way talk from Ring Video Doorbell. Get alerts on your phone, tablet and PC when anyone comes to your door, so you can see, hear and speak to visitors from anywhere.
Watch over your home in wide-angle 720HD video, and protect your property around the clock with infrared night vision.
Get alerts on your phone, tablet and PC when anyone presses your Doorbell or triggers the built-in motion sensors.
Hear and speak to people at your door from your mobile device with Ring’s built-in microphone and speakers.
Check-in on your property with a press of a button, and use Live View to get on-demand video and audio any time.
Easy installation
Comes with all the tools you need to install and set up your Doorbell in just minutes.
Adjustable motion detection
Adjust the sensitivity of your motion sensors to find the ideal setting for your home.
One simple app
Link all your Ring devices to the Ring app and control your entire home security from one easy-to-use dashboard.
Ring Protect Plan
Get even more out of all your Ring doorbells and cameras with Ring Protect, a comprehensive service that lets you review what you missed. See, save, and share videos and photos when you activate video recording and photo capture for $3/month per device or $10/month per household.
Security and privacy controls in a convenient dashboard
With Control Center, you can add and remove authorized client devices, shared users, and select linked accounts–all from one place on your phone, tablet, or PC. Learn more about security and privacy.
Works with Alexa
Link your Ring account to Alexa for hands-free home monitoring so you'll always know when someone's there. Hear announcements on your Echo devices when your doorbell is pressed, and automatically see a live view of your camera on Echo devices with a screen. Talk to visitors through compatible Echo devices, like Echo Dot or Echo Show, by simply saying “Alexa, talk to the front door.”
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Ring Video Doorbell
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Reviews with images
Ring vs Skybell comparison = Ring wins
Update 6/6/2017Someone pried the button off my doorbell and I had to interact with Ring customer service for the first time. I'm upgrading them back to 5 stars because I was so impressed with my interaction (unlike Skybell). I went on chat to see about buying a replacement button. Zach told me they didn't offer replacement buttons, but would be happy to replace the whole unit for me. A few minutes later, I had an order confirmation and a new unit on the way. I'm impressed by how easy it was to contact them, and how responsive they were. On top of that, I'm pretty sure a break-in to my neighbour's house was averted when a suspicious person came to look through her windows last night and she confront him through her Ring.Update 6/1/2016Finally got live view on my own Ring now. Other members of my household got it a few weeks earlier than I did so they don't seem to roll it out by household but rather by individual account.Update 3/31/206Although my Ring has the latest firmware update (1.6.76), I still don't seem to have live view on my app. According to the Ring support site this feature is being steadily rolled out and users will receive an email when their device has been enabled. My neighbour's Ring has already been activated so I added a screenshot of what your Ring should look like with live view as an option. Note : According to the support page on Live View, you will only have this feature on the regular Ring if you are connected to doorbell wiring for power.Update 3/23/2016You might want to wait to get the new Ring Pro depending on your needs. They just announced that they are accepting preorders for availability within the next couple of months (not available to preorder on Amazon yet.) The new Pro version requires wired doorbell power while this current version allows battery. The Pro version is 1080P instead of 720P and supposedly has better options around motion detection and night vision. I'm curious to see if the Pro version will resolve some of the issues I've seen (and some of the criticisms other reviewers have) of the delay between a motion alert or doorbell ring and getting the alert on your phone.In my previous update 3/19/2016 I erroneously stated that only Ring Pro will have live view. As Joe pointed out in the comments, Live View should be available as a firmware update for existing Ring devices. My device did not yet update so I cannot test this feature, but once mine does I will check it out and update this review again!-------I bought the Skybell first because I hadn’t heard of Ring. Due to a manufacturing issue where I started seeing the video feed of SOMEONE ELSE’S front door instead of mine, I got a Ring instead. I'm actually glad it happened because I prefer the Ring so much more to Skybell, despite some of the limitations.Having had a chance to install both on my door, here are my impressions:***Installation***Skybell comes with the bell, a mounting plate, and some instructions. Screws were standard and installation was relatively straightforward. Getting the doorbell to connect to our network was a PAIN. It wasn’t able to connect via a 5G network plus it didn’t have strong enough signal strength so we had to get a second router for and set up a whole separate network for Skybell.Ring’s package impressed the heck out of me. You get a little tool pouch with all the tools you need to set up the Ring, including a screw driver, drill bit, self level and more. If you are screwing into stucco (as I was), I don’t recommend you use the included drill bit. The hole it drilled was a little large and I had to silicone caulk the hole afterwards to give the screws enough grip. Ring connected to our network pretty seamlessly and didn’t need to have a separate network nor require the 2nd router.***Size***Ring is MUCH larger than Skybell. I wish it was thinner but I understand there’s a lot to cram in. The Ring does stick out quite a bit visually on my wall, but worth it for what I get. See attached photo to see the size difference.Skybell: 2.15cm / 0.8in thick, 7.1cm / 2.8in diameterRing : 0.87in thick, 4.98 tall by x 2.43 inches wide***Battery / Power to the device***Skybell is fairly low powered, so there is no battery attached to it. It runs off the power from your doorbell so it cannot be mounted anywhere you do not have direct power.Ring is battery powered. I charged it to about 60% via a USB cord first before I plugged it into the wall. You can get some trickle power from the doorbell, but depending on the weather and use, you may find you drain the battery faster than it charges. An hour after the bell has been plugged and with one test video call in I was at 57% battery. Three days later it charged to 77%. This might get annoying, but it does mean Ring can be mounted anywhere, not just where you have direct power.***Mobile App***Skybell only lets you have one user at a time. If you want more than one person to have access to the video stream you have to share accounts. I do like that you can see your doorbell on demand. I like being able to check in on my door. I understand that Ring is working on this but it’s not yet available.Ring lets you have multiple users. The first installed user just has to send email invites to the other users. Ring shows you recent activity, but you need to pay a $3 a month subscription to see your videos on cloud. I wish that wasn’t the case but $3 isn’t that bad. I imagine I will upgrade for the cloud storage long term.In terms of use of app, the Ring interface was relatively straightforward to use and understand. I like being able to set the active zones for tracking motion so that you don't get too many false alarms.***Video on demand**Skybell : yes, but I saw another person's front door too.Ring : not yet, coming soon***Motion detection:***Skybell : YesRing: Yes***Video quality***I couldn’t find the specs on the Skybell. Ring seemed to have slightly higher video quality in the day and slightly higher audio quality but this may be subjective.Please note : If you are expecting the quality that you get on your web cam or Facetime on an iPhone the quality will NOT be comparable. This is still early technology so the voice quality and video quality will be a bit crude. I suspect the design team had to make some trade-offs between video quality and ability to power the unit via battery / trickle charge from the doorbell electrical wire. That said, I am able to identify the voices and recognize people in the camera so that for me is sufficient though of course I hope that future generations will continue to improve in this respect. Ring's cloud recording page gives you a pretty accurate idea of what your videos would look like.***Lag / Delay between door bell ring and phone notification***Seems to be about the same on both. There is a bit of a delay, but for me that’s acceptable compared to the alternative of just missing the door altogether.***Customer Service***Haven't had to interact with Ring's customer service, but Skybell's was so horrid I'm still upset about the interaction. Skybell wanted me to ship my defective Skybell to them at my expense when it was broadcasting someone else's video stream instead of mine right from the start. I get that it's expensive for them, but it's NOT a way to win a customer.UPDATE : I actually did have to interact with Ring customer service and they impressed me greatly. My doorbell button was probably tampered with and they issued an exchange, no questions asked within minutes of contact.Overall, between Skybell and Ring, Ring wins for me hands down.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2017
I've never been so impressed with a delivered product. This thing was bubble wrapped perfectly. The item itself came with every single thing you need. Even a mini level, it was so cute. Instructions were easy to follow and it was extremely professional in it's packaging and product. I was blown away. I set it up to my wifi through the app. This is where a problem came in. Once it was set up and I was testing it in my garage the picture was so blown up and white you could hardly see and my app was not working. It would spin and freeze up on me which was a major disappointment. I have a Note 5 so it should be a good enough phone, right? Well, my son, being an apple junky downloaded the app to his phone and what do you know? The dang thing worked perfectly other than the blown up image. I was worried I'd have to send it back and debated exchanging it for the pro so I could have a better quality picture.
The next day, I decided to hook it up first and test it out from there. It was a simple set up, removing my old (actually new since last year) doorbell and hooking the wires to the plate. I attached the doorbell to the plate, and no doorbell. My son was KIND enough to remind me to turn the power back on. LOL. Brain fog moment. I did as he suggested, lol (him laughing the whole time) and tried out my new Ring doorbell. I immediately got an alert and of course my phone would not view it so my son happily showed him the picture from his phone and the clarity was great! Not blown up like it was in my garage. I'm assuming that was due to all the lighting. We were able to talk to each other which was awesome.
I also discovered that I could download the app on my windows 10 computer which I immediately did and perfect clarity. Well, my hubby said Christmas was coming early for me and I can upgrade to the new note 8 since this doorbell was super important to me. I'm often running inside the house to check my door when my rude dogs think every person walking buy is a danger and on our property even if their yards away. Now I can conveniently check my computer first or my phone, which decided to start working after my Christmas gift was revealed, of course.
I'll still need that 8 because....well....it's got a better camera, you know. lol. I do have difficulty with the app working at times on all devices as it will sometimes take a while to upload. I found going straight to live view solves that issue 9 times out of 10. I can still hit the green phone button to utilize the speakers. Don't forget to hit the red phone button when your done talking or the UPS guy will still hear your conversation which is kind of embarrassing. LOL. I learned that the hard way.
I wish the clarity were a bit better but having said that I do have solid images and it's really pretty good for the price. Not sure doubling the price for a hair better quality would be worth it or not. Maybe later down the road I'll get the upgrade. I would really love the latest and greatest but nearly $500 made me choke on my saliva. I'm very happy with my purchase, would highly recommend, and I no longer have to get the unwanted exercise of running to my front door every time the dog barks. I will be paying for the cloud service, after all, we do need it to record or what's the point, right? But 3$ a month is doable. Don't think I need the 10$ package.
P.S. If I remember (brain fog) I'll try to update when I get my new phone and let you know if the app works better on it or not! Love the product!
The next day, I decided to hook it up first and test it out from there. It was a simple set up, removing my old (actually new since last year) doorbell and hooking the wires to the plate. I attached the doorbell to the plate, and no doorbell. My son was KIND enough to remind me to turn the power back on. LOL. Brain fog moment. I did as he suggested, lol (him laughing the whole time) and tried out my new Ring doorbell. I immediately got an alert and of course my phone would not view it so my son happily showed him the picture from his phone and the clarity was great! Not blown up like it was in my garage. I'm assuming that was due to all the lighting. We were able to talk to each other which was awesome.
I also discovered that I could download the app on my windows 10 computer which I immediately did and perfect clarity. Well, my hubby said Christmas was coming early for me and I can upgrade to the new note 8 since this doorbell was super important to me. I'm often running inside the house to check my door when my rude dogs think every person walking buy is a danger and on our property even if their yards away. Now I can conveniently check my computer first or my phone, which decided to start working after my Christmas gift was revealed, of course.
I'll still need that 8 because....well....it's got a better camera, you know. lol. I do have difficulty with the app working at times on all devices as it will sometimes take a while to upload. I found going straight to live view solves that issue 9 times out of 10. I can still hit the green phone button to utilize the speakers. Don't forget to hit the red phone button when your done talking or the UPS guy will still hear your conversation which is kind of embarrassing. LOL. I learned that the hard way.
I wish the clarity were a bit better but having said that I do have solid images and it's really pretty good for the price. Not sure doubling the price for a hair better quality would be worth it or not. Maybe later down the road I'll get the upgrade. I would really love the latest and greatest but nearly $500 made me choke on my saliva. I'm very happy with my purchase, would highly recommend, and I no longer have to get the unwanted exercise of running to my front door every time the dog barks. I will be paying for the cloud service, after all, we do need it to record or what's the point, right? But 3$ a month is doable. Don't think I need the 10$ package.
P.S. If I remember (brain fog) I'll try to update when I get my new phone and let you know if the app works better on it or not! Love the product!
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