Ring Video Doorbell – Review

The Ring Video Doorbell has been a great addition to my home automation system, and I recommend it to my friends.

It took me awhile to purchase this product, because I had a wiring problem. My home didn’t have a doorbell already installed, the previous owners had installed a new front-door, and somewhere along the way the doorbell didn’t get re-installed.  Although I was aware that the Ring Video Doorbell came in both a wired and battery operated version, I was concerned that charging the device would be a hassle and a frequent activity, that wasn’t the case. There is one downside, which I’ll talk about later, but even if you don’t have existing doorbell wiring, this is still a great product to have.

So why install a remote video doorbell?  First, this product allows you to answer the door, and talk with someone at the door while you are away from the door (maybe in the backyard) or remotely. It supports multiple chime units (one comes with it, additional are at an optional cost), and it has the ability to connect to other home automation gear, so you do some really cool things…

You can be aware of someone pressing your doorbell wherever you are in the world, and have an ability to interact with them. That’s a great security feature.  You can also be alerted if someone comes to your front door but doesn’t ring the bell (via motion detection), which provides security and peace of mind. Another benefit is the doorbell supports multiple ringers, which can be placed anywhere in the house (although needs to be in Wifi range), so if you are home, but have parts of your home where it’s hard to hear the doorbell, this can solve the problem. Since the ringers just plug-into an electrical outlet, you can also move them around as needed, perhaps putting one in the back yard if you’re having a get together. Ring offers an in-app integration to several other home automation products which can trigger other home automation systems, but most importantly, can enable you to unlock your door remotely with a compatible door lock. Finally, since it integrates with other 3rd party home automation systems, the Ring Video Doorbell can also trigger other home automation activities, more about that later.

Product Details…
This review is for the Ring Video Doorbell, they also offer a PRO version, I haven’t tested that one yet. I use it with two chimes, one that came with the doorbell, and a second I purchased separately.

The Pros…
First off, a first-class out-of-box experience. Everything you need is in the box, good explanation, no issues installing it with what was in the box. Second, it has great battery life, so even if you don’t have doorbell wires nearby, don’t worry. I waited many months to buy mine because I didn’t have any existing doorbell wires, and I was worried about battery life, I finally gave-in and wish I’d purchased one earlier. Mine runs for many months without a charge, and you can check status anytime, so you don’t have to worry about it running out of batteries while you are away. If you CAN connect it to existing doorbell wires you should, you won’t ever have to recharge it, and you can also look out the camera anytime, even if someone hasn’t hit the ring button, but don’t let a lack of wires stop you from getting one.

Being able to answer the door while away from home is great, and even if you don’t (or can’t answer) when it rings, you’ll have a video of who rang, with audio, so you know what’s going on. You can also have more than one person receive the alerts, so you don’t have to rely on one family member to always be the one answering the doorbell. Being able to plug the ringer in anywhere in the house (must be in Wifi range) is really helpful, you can also control the ring type and volume. Multiple chime units are supported (one comes with the unit, additional can be purchased) can help address issues in larger homes where there are areas of the home where you can’t hear the doorbell well. Since the chime units plug-in to a wall outlet, you can also move them if needed, for example if you’re having a party in the back yard, you can plug the chime in outside, so you can still hear the doorbell.

The Ring app has options to connect to other home automation hubs, security systems and digital locks, so you have the option to trigger other activities, or even unlock the door for someone who’s at your door while you are away.

While I don’t have any evidence to prove it, I do believe that just having this doorbell makes it less likely that someone will try and break into your home (at least through the front door!) or steal a package from your porch. Ring also offers optional camera-only units, so if you have another area of the house that you’d like to monitor, this could be a good solution as well.

The Cons…
The Ring Video Doorbell comes with a proprietary screwdriver that attaches the unit to the house. This makes sense, as you don’t want the unit stolen (they offer free replacements if it is stolen), but I did misplace mine, which made it impossible to recharge. Customer service was great and shipped me a new screwdriver (for free!) I’ll be more thoughtful about it next time. So a bit of a con, but not sure how else you’d protect the device from being stolen. There is sometimes a lag having the app notify you that there is someone at the door, not sure if that is the device, or how I have my phone setup, but it is possible to have a delay in answering. My biggest frustration though has been the motion detection. It’s very configurable, but I’ve been unable to set it up so I don’t get a lot of false notifications of motion.  I do live on a fairly busy street, but the street is more than 35 feet from the door, the motion detector should be able to filter that out. So I have turned-off notifications from the motion detection.  Another small issue is you can only delete notifications on the phone app one-by-one. If you have a lot of notifications you want to delete in bulk, you need to login from a computer and do that from a web browser.

Integrations…
This product gives you lots of great options for integrating to other home automation systems. Within the Ring app, there are integrations you can turn-on to ADT home security, to Wink and Wemo home automation controllers, and several brands of remote door locks. I really like the door lock support for Level 2 users who want to be able to answer the door and unlock it for someone, without having to build a full-fledged home automation system with a hub/controller. Ring Video Doorbell also integrates with IFTTT which lets you integrate it with hundreds or thousands of other devices, this is really great, the options are almost endless.

Based on the wide availability of integrations, there are several great use-cases for integrating the Ring Video Doorbell, including:

• Answering the door while you are away from home and unlocking it for a friend or family member.
• Muting your SONOS speakers when the doorbell rings so you can hear the chime, and also talk with someone at the door without having to talk over the music.
• Flash lights when the doorbell rings for hearing impaired people, or in rooms (like a workshop) where you may not hear the chime.

Tips…

1. Test the location before you mount the bracket on the wall. I mounted mine a bit higher than I should, I should have mounted it lower for easier access for kids, and to have a better view of the ground where packages could be placed.
2. This product has a long battery life, but that means it takes awhile to charge. As you start to install the unit, one of the first things you should do is plug it in so it has a chance to get fully charged before you install it.
3. If you can attach it to existing doorbell wires and use them to power the unit do so, it will save you from having to charge it, and it will give you the ability to look out the camera even when no one is at the door. If you can’t though, it’s still worth buying.

The Verdict…
This is a great product that I would recommend to anyone that lives alone, or for any family where the house is empty for any significant periods of time. It’s also not hard to install, so even a novice can do it, yet it has some really powerful integration capabilities if you want to get more complicated with what it can do.  It solves real problems, works reliably and is of high quality.

Update – 1/23/17
The doorbell recently had a firmware update. In that update, you can now have “live view” through your doorbell, even if someone hasn’t rung the bell. This was a feature only available on units that were hard-wired for power, it’s now available for battery powered units as well (as mine is). This is a great feature if you want to check your front porch for a package (the delivery folks don’t always ring the bell). You are warned that this feature will use more battery, I haven’t yet tested that to see how much of an impact it has.

The folks at RING came across this review (after I wrote it, I received no free product or compensation for writing this) and offered a discount code for readers of this site. If you’d like to buy one, go to the RING site (www.ring.com) and when checking-out use the promo code 3livermore. This code should save you $25 on your purchase.