Ring - Video Doorbell 2

I have quite a few smart home devices, including a house full of Hue bulbs, smart switches, garage door controller, smart lock, Google Home and Alexa devices. I use SmartThings as my h.a. hub, and also use Stringify for some of my automations. The Ring Doorbell 2 is a nice addition to my set up. First impressions: The Ring Doorbell 2 was nicely packaged and included all the tools and hardware necessary to install, including the little extras like additional wire for hardwired installations where the existing wiring is a bit short. The two included faceplate options are attractive, and it is nice to be able to change these out as desired. The unit feels well made and looks good. Set up and install: The set up and install couldn’t have been easier. Connecting to the network was very straightforward. I have not experienced any connection problems. The Ring easily integrated with the SmartThings hub. Tip: for the best SmartThings integration, change your Device Handler Type to “Ring Doorbell Pro.” This will allow viewing of video within the SmartThings app. We installed the Ring to our existing doorbell wiring. This was extremely easy. Ring provides all the tools you’ll need to do this, including a wedge kit if you need to angle the device. We used the wedge for two reasons. Firstly, it was being installed on a wall adjacent to the door, and the door is inset in a shallow alcove. Secondly, our home’s finish is a rough stucco pattern. This would not have allowed for an flat, even installation surface. The wedge came in handy to rectify potential issues that may have arisen from either of these factors. I was concerned the wedge might not look nice, but it blended well. Motion Detection Functionality: Notifications have been adequately fast and consistent to my iPhone, iPad and Samsung Galaxy S8, with very little lag. I have an automation set up to turn on my Hue porch light at night when motion is detected. There is very little lag here, as well. We took into consideration the physical installation tips to optimize motion detection. As well, we’ve used the app to reel in the distance of the detection. I am not picking up too much undesired activity. The first day, I was picking up a lot of people walking on the sidewalk, but I reeled it in a little more, and that has been greatly improved. And, the device is doing a good job of detecting motion when it should. Camera Functionality: The camera shows a nice, clear picture. I have a lot of bright afternoon sun on door side of the house, and the camera needs a moment to adjust, but once it does, the quality is nicer than I expected. I like that I can have Alexa show me the doorbell camera, as well. I’m using Live View mode, so I can invoke a view from Alexa at any time, whether there is motion/ button press or not. There is lag when opening the video view in the Ring app or with Alexa. While it is faster than the 30 seconds before it becomes a past event, sometimes the activity is gone before video opens, and I have to wait for the saved video in order to see the first few seconds. I don’t know the cause of the lag. Is it the app? The WiFi hardware? Physical interference between the router and the Ring device? A combo of factors? While I don’t know the answer, I hope Ring will address, as it seems to be the weak point of the device. App and cloud storage: The app is adequate. I think it would be nice to be able to easily create stills and edit within the app. It would also be nice if more of the account options could be handled directly in the app rather than having to go to the website. The cloud storage of 60 days for only 3.00 per month seems very fair. Honestly, I am shocked at the number of people complaining about a rather nominal fee for a service that requires Ring to maintain the required infrastructure that allows them to provide that service. There is no “scam” or “bait and switch” going on here. Ring is up front about the terms and the fact that not using the service is limiting. However, I do think a complaint is valid for people who are experiencing enough lag issue that it keeps them from being able to view the video before it becomes a past event. While I can always catch most of my video before that happens, I often miss the first few seconds. Apparently, the lag is bad enough for some people that they miss the whole video. Conclusion: All in all, the Ring Doorbell 2 is an easy to set up and install device that seems to respond well to motion, provide timely notifications, and take good video. While there is room for improvement, I am overall happy with my purchase, and enjoying the device.

Got this on a holiday sale so thought why not. Setup: Very easy setup. My house is older and made of concrete/stucco. Ring provides a drillbit and it worked perfectly and I was able to get my equipment set right up. Connected the Ring via wifi was a breeze it helps you step by step. Picture quality: I was nervous that the quality would be terrible but it is not! I can see very clearly day or night. Features: Ring keeps coming out with updates and it is only making it better. The motion detection would drive me insane at times, but they have tweaks to really tone it down. The talking portion is great so I can talk to whoever comes to my door. They hear me fine and I them. Battery: I use only one battery and it lasts around 2 months for me. During the day I take it out while I'm home and recharge it and put it back in at night. I could get a second battery but haven't seen the need as of yet.

Doorbell was easy to install and configure. A variety of parts were included to help in mounting the doorbell depending upon where you were mounting. Screws for mounting on either wood or brick were included. The doorbell was wider then the door frame I wanted to mount it so I built a little platform to mount it to. I was concerned having a battery operated unit would require the battery to be constantly charged after a week or two. However, this is not the case as the battery life seems to be excellent at this point. Video from the camera is extremely clear far exceeding my expectations. The only drawback I could find is the screw at the bottom of the unit to secure the battery cover on is a little difficult to screw in. Just a minor issue but is something that could be improved upon in the future.

This door bell/camera is exactly what we needed .The install was easy and so far the battery life is excellent. Have done a few tests with how long it takes to notify me on my iPhone. It’s a matter of seconds. I love the fact that I can control false alarms by adjusting the distance of the “radar” ;-) , so no false alarms with passing cars in the middle of the street or no notifications when my neighbors walk their dog across the street. A great feature available is that you can have Alexa notify you by saying “someone is at the front door” .This is handy if you are in the back of house or don’t have your phone on you. This 2.0 version allows you to hardwire it to your existing door bell wiring but for my application it was not necessary. Have not taken the opportunity yet to subscribe to the service offered for video storage but will make a decision after my trial period ends. Really appreciate the Ring community which shows other users alerts and warnings. I would definitely recommend to family and friends for peace of mind and security.

I finally did it !! I got me a Ring doorbell. Set up was a breeze, and now it has been about a month since I have had it. I can honestly say I like this device. The only intruders it has alerted me to lately are just stray cats, but knowing it works is awesome !! I especially like the little touches like the tiny spirit level they provide so you can mount your door bell nicely and professionally. I'm definitely going to chip in for the $30/yr Cloud saving of all the video it catches.

After having the Ring 2 for a few months, I can honestly say this is the best home security camera my household has ever had. Setting up is easy, just make sure you’re able to download the Ring app to use on your smartphone/tablet. You can always allow other people to view your camera(s). The quality is nice, HD, don’t recall if it’s 720p or 1080p but definitely better than ones we’ve purchased for double the price. The only con, which does not bother me, is that the battery life won’t last as long as they advertise it; maybe because we’re catching movement a lot during the day and my family and I always check. But other than that, no issue what so ever. We purchased a second Ring battery from Amazon to keep ready when one runs low, I would say with our usage, the battery runs low in about 6-8 weeks; then gotta recharge it. Overall this is a great product to have, even if you live in an apt and constantly have packages shipped to your apt door. One last thing, you do get 30 free days for recording and playback, after that you would need to pay an annual fee which is cheap, $3 a month I believe or $30 for the whole year; I 100% recommend the latter.

We finally broke down and bought a Ring doorbell and we are not disappointed. It has great video resolution. It comes with 2 angles to mount the camera if needed for whatever reason. I’m not using them, I mounted in the middle of the door instead of on the side like traditional doorbells. Two reasons for this: one is it gets better overall field of view and two it’s also a deterrent for criminals before they even come up to the door. It can clearly be seen on the door instead of anyone coming up to the door and then noticing. That is one reason why we have cameras all over the house along with this Ring. If a criminal sees cameras all around your house, most likely they will be going to the next house that doesn’t have any. Back to the camera. I have a nitpick. Not necessarily bad. Sometimes the camera doesn’t catch the person’s face until they have already rang the doorbell and step back. But if I want to catch them walking up to the door, it catches most of the traffic. I can’t get that sweet spot no matter how much adjustment. So we have it set to max to where it will catch traffic so we can get as much of the person walking up as we can. The battery won’t last near as long but that’s OK it’s easy to change to a second battery. It would be nice if the second battery was included but I understand that companies want to make money for extras. It does include silver and bronze faceplates. Overall very happy with this device.

Love my Ring Doorbell, it’s so easy to use! I even bought one for my daughter for her place. A little safety goes a long way! Very easy to install and add other products to as well. It’s nice to have the option to talk to the person at the door or just check who is there without any communication and have the volume on outside. It has a nice distance on the camera as well.