Another customer Karen Zinkosky experience Bait and switch fine print..
Typical bait and switch fine print, "free" 30 day subscription worked fine, but now even trying to answer an active ring takes too long an it turns into a "past" event, subscription renewal required. For what this thing costs you should be able to at least answer an active alert within 30 seconds without it drifting off to the cloud and not being able to view it at all ... dont waste your money ... unless you want another monthly bill to pay.
Typical bait and switch fine print, "free" 30 day subscription worked fine, but now even trying to answer an active ring takes too long an it turns into a "past" event, subscription renewal required. For what this thing costs you should be able to at least answer an active alert within 30 seconds without it drifting off to the cloud and not being able to view it at all ... dont waste your money ... unless you want another monthly bill to pay.
Review DiscerningTaste experience One of the worst products I’ve ever seen.
I don’t normally take the time to write product reviews. Amazon is great at taking things back when they don’t work. This however is so enraging that I feel it necessary to inform everyone of the fraud that Ring is perpetuating upon society.
First, let me say that if you’re looking for a video doorbell, I assume it will do the trick, though the slow speed and lag time between ring and video connection makes it useless for anything except someone sitting and waiting at the door.
The real failure of this device is its “motion detection”. To illustrate, I’ve attached photos and video. It goes off about every 5 minutes (leaving battery life that lasts 3 days), even for things across the street, even though it’s supposed to have a 5’ range (also attached). The kicker is that it Doesn’t actually catch people coming up to the door. It only shows me coming in our out about 1 in 10 times. I even thought about making a video to show this, but it’s not worth my time for this Piece of junk. Bottom line:
DO NOT BUY
I don’t normally take the time to write product reviews. Amazon is great at taking things back when they don’t work. This however is so enraging that I feel it necessary to inform everyone of the fraud that Ring is perpetuating upon society.
First, let me say that if you’re looking for a video doorbell, I assume it will do the trick, though the slow speed and lag time between ring and video connection makes it useless for anything except someone sitting and waiting at the door.
The real failure of this device is its “motion detection”. To illustrate, I’ve attached photos and video. It goes off about every 5 minutes (leaving battery life that lasts 3 days), even for things across the street, even though it’s supposed to have a 5’ range (also attached). The kicker is that it Doesn’t actually catch people coming up to the door. It only shows me coming in our out about 1 in 10 times. I even thought about making a video to show this, but it’s not worth my time for this Piece of junk. Bottom line:
DO NOT BUY
A review Particular person experience Summary of some useful user questions.
Here is some of the information I was looking for before I purchased this Ring Video Doorbell 2. So far it has exceeded my expectations.
This doorbell records for about 30 sec and is activated in one of three ways: by pressing the ring button, having motion, or pressing "live view" from your phone. It stores this video to a Ring Cloud using a good WiFi connection to the device. From the Ring app on my iphone I can select any one of these videos to see. My wife's phone was set up as a shared user so she can see the videos also, from anywhere there is WiFi or a good cellular connection. My minipad has the Ring app so it gets all the same information my iphone gets. My iphone or minipad can delete files, but my wife's phone can't (I assume because she is a shared user.) All of these devices can hear and speak to the ring doorbell when activated.
This model uses existing 12 v AC wires from the old doorbell transformer. This keeps the battery charged and pressing the Ring door bell also activates my house door bell just as the old button did.
The motion sensor always activates before anyone can get close enough to push the doorbell. I can set the radius of sensing somewhere between 6 ft to 30 ft. About 15 ft has worked well so far. In addition there are pie-shaped motion sensing zones. My door bell is corner mounted with one vertical wedge to aim the camera more towards the front. Because of this aim direction, one motion zone closest to the corner was set inactive.
It will pick up night images from near total darkness, but images are not as good as in daylight. Camera was mounted 48 inches high as recommended. Try to avoid light sources that might shine directly into the camera if you want highest quality images. I plan to add the Ring Cloud package for $3 per month that lets my images stay stored for a month or so.
If you are away from home and not in a good WiFi zone, I think obtaining a immediate live image would be difficult. However, if a live image was previously stored, you would probably be able to view it with a good cellular connection.
I installed the doorbell one week ago and so far It has worked very well.
Here is some of the information I was looking for before I purchased this Ring Video Doorbell 2. So far it has exceeded my expectations.
This doorbell records for about 30 sec and is activated in one of three ways: by pressing the ring button, having motion, or pressing "live view" from your phone. It stores this video to a Ring Cloud using a good WiFi connection to the device. From the Ring app on my iphone I can select any one of these videos to see. My wife's phone was set up as a shared user so she can see the videos also, from anywhere there is WiFi or a good cellular connection. My minipad has the Ring app so it gets all the same information my iphone gets. My iphone or minipad can delete files, but my wife's phone can't (I assume because she is a shared user.) All of these devices can hear and speak to the ring doorbell when activated.
This model uses existing 12 v AC wires from the old doorbell transformer. This keeps the battery charged and pressing the Ring door bell also activates my house door bell just as the old button did.
The motion sensor always activates before anyone can get close enough to push the doorbell. I can set the radius of sensing somewhere between 6 ft to 30 ft. About 15 ft has worked well so far. In addition there are pie-shaped motion sensing zones. My door bell is corner mounted with one vertical wedge to aim the camera more towards the front. Because of this aim direction, one motion zone closest to the corner was set inactive.
It will pick up night images from near total darkness, but images are not as good as in daylight. Camera was mounted 48 inches high as recommended. Try to avoid light sources that might shine directly into the camera if you want highest quality images. I plan to add the Ring Cloud package for $3 per month that lets my images stay stored for a month or so.
If you are away from home and not in a good WiFi zone, I think obtaining a immediate live image would be difficult. However, if a live image was previously stored, you would probably be able to view it with a good cellular connection.
I installed the doorbell one week ago and so far It has worked very well.
This a word from M. Moss experience Not usable for home security.
This is practically unusable for home security. I have family that sing Ring's praises, so I was shocked at how bad the Ring 2 was. I had it hardwired with a strong wifi signal, and had the following issues:
1. The doorbell is in a shaded alcove, so anything outside the alcove / in sunlight is completely washed out and unidentifiable
2. While on cell connection, my phone has worse then even odds of being able to connect for live view, and doesn't provide an error message beyond 'we're having trouble reaching the servers'... despite the fact the servers just told me about motion detected.
3. This wouldn't be as big an issue if I could view live motion on a PC. Unfortunately, every PC I have is a windows 7 or linux machine, meaning I only have access to the web app, which can't provide live view, or do many other things.
4. Occasionally I'll attempt a live view from the cell phone, and it won't fail- but it will show nothing but a black screen. Figure, ohh, maybe this is a bad cell connection, let's see what the Ring website has recorded for the live view session.... it's a black screen. :(
5. Recording only starts 1-2 seconds after motion detected, which means for delivery folk you only see their backs, if you see anything at all
6. Motion not reliably detected, despite sensitivity being cranked up to max
7. The white ring LEDs are far too bright, they invite attention, which is the last thing I want; there's no reason that can't be disabled in settings
8. I don't know it for a fact, but I expect if internet is down or Ring servers are down, nothing will be recorded
9. I find the vendor lockin / Apple approach of "Closed hardware used the way we tell you to" annoying. I'd like to have the option of, say, uploading to a local FTP server rather then sending video to the cloud, especially if my own internet isn't great. Though I accept the DIY tech crowd isn't part of the target audience.
I've switched to the Ring Pro, and most of these seem to be either resolved or at least acceptable, but the Ring 2 is unusable for security. And I don't really understand why- it was released more then a year after the Ring Pro, it's hardwired, it should be able to support basic things like a video buffer, and reasonable internet connectivity.
Nice things:
PIR motion sensor (probably), so things like shadows from trees blowing in the wind don't trigger a motion alarm
Did come with all hardware needed, and useful extras (though the hardwire kit didn't come with anything for connecting to existing wires)
It would support battery operation, so if you wanted to just duck tape it to a post in your front yard you could.
This is practically unusable for home security. I have family that sing Ring's praises, so I was shocked at how bad the Ring 2 was. I had it hardwired with a strong wifi signal, and had the following issues:
1. The doorbell is in a shaded alcove, so anything outside the alcove / in sunlight is completely washed out and unidentifiable
2. While on cell connection, my phone has worse then even odds of being able to connect for live view, and doesn't provide an error message beyond 'we're having trouble reaching the servers'... despite the fact the servers just told me about motion detected.
3. This wouldn't be as big an issue if I could view live motion on a PC. Unfortunately, every PC I have is a windows 7 or linux machine, meaning I only have access to the web app, which can't provide live view, or do many other things.
4. Occasionally I'll attempt a live view from the cell phone, and it won't fail- but it will show nothing but a black screen. Figure, ohh, maybe this is a bad cell connection, let's see what the Ring website has recorded for the live view session.... it's a black screen. :(
5. Recording only starts 1-2 seconds after motion detected, which means for delivery folk you only see their backs, if you see anything at all
6. Motion not reliably detected, despite sensitivity being cranked up to max
7. The white ring LEDs are far too bright, they invite attention, which is the last thing I want; there's no reason that can't be disabled in settings
8. I don't know it for a fact, but I expect if internet is down or Ring servers are down, nothing will be recorded
9. I find the vendor lockin / Apple approach of "Closed hardware used the way we tell you to" annoying. I'd like to have the option of, say, uploading to a local FTP server rather then sending video to the cloud, especially if my own internet isn't great. Though I accept the DIY tech crowd isn't part of the target audience.
I've switched to the Ring Pro, and most of these seem to be either resolved or at least acceptable, but the Ring 2 is unusable for security. And I don't really understand why- it was released more then a year after the Ring Pro, it's hardwired, it should be able to support basic things like a video buffer, and reasonable internet connectivity.
Nice things:
PIR motion sensor (probably), so things like shadows from trees blowing in the wind don't trigger a motion alarm
Did come with all hardware needed, and useful extras (though the hardwire kit didn't come with anything for connecting to existing wires)
It would support battery operation, so if you wanted to just duck tape it to a post in your front yard you could.
As Baseballman86 say I love the concept of this product.
Pros:
I love the concept of this product, and it is extremely useful and reassuring as a homeowner. The design of the product is sleek and attractive and the user interface of the app is very easy to learn and navigate. That said, this product has one annoying flaw, and it's really more of a ripoff than a flaw.
Cons
Once your trial of ring video recording ends, you can no longer access past events without a paid subscription. That's not such a big deal until you realize what counts as a "recent event". If you don't press the button within about 5 seconds of getting a motion alert, you missed your shot and now it's a past event. Say the UPS guy comes, presses the doorbell and walks off immediately. Your phone properly notifies you that somebody is at your door, but you've got something in your hands, or your phone is in your pocket or any other distraction is going on that takes 5 seconds to finish. By the time you hit the notification banner and go into the app, it will take you to a screen that says you need a paid subscription to see past events. Earlier today I got a notification WHILE holding my phone, clicked it immediately, but the live video loaded slowly and by the time it did load, the "event" was considered done and it took me to the screen saying I needed to pay. I have no problem paying to record everything and be able to pull up events from hours, days or weeks ago, but needing to pay because 5 seconds went by and the app loaded slowly is a rip-off. This is a $200 item which replaces a $5 hardware store doorbell, and the ONE thing it's supposed to do (show you live video of rings or motion events at your door) doesn't work about half the time without paying extra. There needs to be about a 30 second window at minimum where you can see what's going on without having to pay extra.
When I contacted customer service about this, they were friendly and helpful, but ultimately only gave me one extra month free trial, which has since expired and doesn't fix the problem. This is a product flaw. Be aware that if you want this to work properly, you're going to need to sign up for an ongoing subscription. To work as advertised, this is really a $200 doorbell with a $30 yearly subscription fee.
Pros:
I love the concept of this product, and it is extremely useful and reassuring as a homeowner. The design of the product is sleek and attractive and the user interface of the app is very easy to learn and navigate. That said, this product has one annoying flaw, and it's really more of a ripoff than a flaw.
Cons
Once your trial of ring video recording ends, you can no longer access past events without a paid subscription. That's not such a big deal until you realize what counts as a "recent event". If you don't press the button within about 5 seconds of getting a motion alert, you missed your shot and now it's a past event. Say the UPS guy comes, presses the doorbell and walks off immediately. Your phone properly notifies you that somebody is at your door, but you've got something in your hands, or your phone is in your pocket or any other distraction is going on that takes 5 seconds to finish. By the time you hit the notification banner and go into the app, it will take you to a screen that says you need a paid subscription to see past events. Earlier today I got a notification WHILE holding my phone, clicked it immediately, but the live video loaded slowly and by the time it did load, the "event" was considered done and it took me to the screen saying I needed to pay. I have no problem paying to record everything and be able to pull up events from hours, days or weeks ago, but needing to pay because 5 seconds went by and the app loaded slowly is a rip-off. This is a $200 item which replaces a $5 hardware store doorbell, and the ONE thing it's supposed to do (show you live video of rings or motion events at your door) doesn't work about half the time without paying extra. There needs to be about a 30 second window at minimum where you can see what's going on without having to pay extra.
When I contacted customer service about this, they were friendly and helpful, but ultimately only gave me one extra month free trial, which has since expired and doesn't fix the problem. This is a product flaw. Be aware that if you want this to work properly, you're going to need to sign up for an ongoing subscription. To work as advertised, this is really a $200 doorbell with a $30 yearly subscription fee.
Another customer Stephanie W said Not worth the money.
The doorbell works well, with some delay with loading the video and providing notifications. Had to charge the battery about every 3 weeks.. Which is annoying because you don't have a functioning doorbell during this time. I wish ring provided an extra battery with this model, as it was about 80$ more than the first model when I purchased it. With the only other upgrade being 1080p video, which isn't much different than 720p. Also in order to view any saved video captured from motion, you have to pay $30 a year. So factor that into your cost...
Edit: with good signal strength and 65% battery it is unable to load live view...
The doorbell works well, with some delay with loading the video and providing notifications. Had to charge the battery about every 3 weeks.. Which is annoying because you don't have a functioning doorbell during this time. I wish ring provided an extra battery with this model, as it was about 80$ more than the first model when I purchased it. With the only other upgrade being 1080p video, which isn't much different than 720p. Also in order to view any saved video captured from motion, you have to pay $30 a year. So factor that into your cost...
Edit: with good signal strength and 65% battery it is unable to load live view...
This a word from Amy D experience We had very high hopes for this product as we had heard many great things. As I read the reviews I became ....
I have given this product one star because I can not give it zero stars.
We had very high hopes for this product as we had heard many great things. As I read the reviews I became a little concerned about some of the one star reviews and complaints about functionality but figured it might be attributed to bad routers, extended distances, poor signals etc. Unfortunately this was not the case as we had none of those circumstances at our home.
I will start with the good. The item comes well packaged with excellent instructions and all of the necessary tools and hardware. It also gives you several different manners in which to mount the unit. We charged the battery for approximately nine (9) hours, tested the camera to ensure that it was working and had it mounted in about five (5) minutes. So far so good. Then we tried to test it.
Our front door has a walkway that leads up to it and it is clear from obstructions for about 40 feet. We set the Ring on the most sensitive and furthest range. I walked at a normal pace from about 40 feet away directly to the Ring doorbell while my wife was inside with her iPhone monitoring the camera for movement and notifications. Imagine my surprise when I was standing right in front of this camera waving my hands like an idiot only to NOT have it notify my wife of anything. Approximately five (five) minutes later, she received a notification along with a video of me walking AWAY from the Ring and my front door. The video started when I was about 10 feet away. (this is after having walked right up to it and waved my hands in front of it).
We repeated several tests over the next two days and realize that the capabilities of this product are a far cry from what was advertised. I'm not sure how we are supposed to have a two way conversation with anyone if we don't get notified until AFTER they leave. On top of it all, after less than a week, the battery notified us that it needed to be recharged.
In short, this product delivered NOTHING that it promised. It's like buying a balloon that has holes in it. You can't use it for what it was intended and that renders it useless.
I have given this product one star because I can not give it zero stars.
We had very high hopes for this product as we had heard many great things. As I read the reviews I became a little concerned about some of the one star reviews and complaints about functionality but figured it might be attributed to bad routers, extended distances, poor signals etc. Unfortunately this was not the case as we had none of those circumstances at our home.
I will start with the good. The item comes well packaged with excellent instructions and all of the necessary tools and hardware. It also gives you several different manners in which to mount the unit. We charged the battery for approximately nine (9) hours, tested the camera to ensure that it was working and had it mounted in about five (5) minutes. So far so good. Then we tried to test it.
Our front door has a walkway that leads up to it and it is clear from obstructions for about 40 feet. We set the Ring on the most sensitive and furthest range. I walked at a normal pace from about 40 feet away directly to the Ring doorbell while my wife was inside with her iPhone monitoring the camera for movement and notifications. Imagine my surprise when I was standing right in front of this camera waving my hands like an idiot only to NOT have it notify my wife of anything. Approximately five (five) minutes later, she received a notification along with a video of me walking AWAY from the Ring and my front door. The video started when I was about 10 feet away. (this is after having walked right up to it and waved my hands in front of it).
We repeated several tests over the next two days and realize that the capabilities of this product are a far cry from what was advertised. I'm not sure how we are supposed to have a two way conversation with anyone if we don't get notified until AFTER they leave. On top of it all, after less than a week, the battery notified us that it needed to be recharged.
In short, this product delivered NOTHING that it promised. It's like buying a balloon that has holes in it. You can't use it for what it was intended and that renders it useless.
While John Archer tell us Great - when it works.
As first-time parents, safety and security are our top concerns. This made a video doorbell very appealing to us. After a ton of research we decided the Ring Video Doorbell 2 would be the best choice.
When it works, the Ring delivers decent video and audio and picks up motion without a problem. Emphasis on "when it works."
Despite our internet running at 300mpbs or faster, our Ring struggles to pick up a solid signal from our router, which is no more than 15 feet from the RING. The several times I've contacted the Ring support team they've been very friendly. They even sent us a signal boosting Chime Pro for free to help with the signal problem. Unfortunately this only made the signal worse according to the support team.
Because our Ring receives a poor signal from our router, it often struggles to connect - failing completely in many cases. It even fails to capture motion because of this. Even when it manages to detect motion, it often doesn't record any kind of motion event footage, as the signal was too poor.
Fortunately we live in a fairly safe neighborhood, in a fairly safe town. This made it all the more upsetting when we came home to find someone's tools ON TOP of our Ring device. The person failed to detach the Ring, luckily. The real irony is that the Ring didn't even capture footage of the event due to its poor signal.
Despite this, we now pay the $3 a month required to save our online footage - when it captures. We're out of the return window due to our many attempts to fix the device through Ring support. If I could do it over, I'd be tempted to send it back and try another brand. Everything else in our house gets a killer signal, so why this device can't get a signal from our router that's only 15 feet away is beyond me.
As first-time parents, safety and security are our top concerns. This made a video doorbell very appealing to us. After a ton of research we decided the Ring Video Doorbell 2 would be the best choice.
When it works, the Ring delivers decent video and audio and picks up motion without a problem. Emphasis on "when it works."
Despite our internet running at 300mpbs or faster, our Ring struggles to pick up a solid signal from our router, which is no more than 15 feet from the RING. The several times I've contacted the Ring support team they've been very friendly. They even sent us a signal boosting Chime Pro for free to help with the signal problem. Unfortunately this only made the signal worse according to the support team.
Because our Ring receives a poor signal from our router, it often struggles to connect - failing completely in many cases. It even fails to capture motion because of this. Even when it manages to detect motion, it often doesn't record any kind of motion event footage, as the signal was too poor.
Fortunately we live in a fairly safe neighborhood, in a fairly safe town. This made it all the more upsetting when we came home to find someone's tools ON TOP of our Ring device. The person failed to detach the Ring, luckily. The real irony is that the Ring didn't even capture footage of the event due to its poor signal.
Despite this, we now pay the $3 a month required to save our online footage - when it captures. We're out of the return window due to our many attempts to fix the device through Ring support. If I could do it over, I'd be tempted to send it back and try another brand. Everything else in our house gets a killer signal, so why this device can't get a signal from our router that's only 15 feet away is beyond me.
A review Michael J. McKenzie tell us Good device for beginner security.
I wanted to start my security with a live view camera doorbell. The Ring video doorbell 2 had great reviews, so I decided to give it a whirl. Here are the pros and cons of the Ring doorbell.
My system is not a wired one so I had to use the battery pack. Ring says the batteries come between 50% and 75% charged, but I had to charge the battery overnight before I got the indicator that the battery was fully charged. The package comes with a USB to micro USB charger.
Installation was pretty straightforward. Everything you should need is in the package. You may need to use a drill if you have concrete, stone, or wood backings. It comes with a handy level that you can install temporarily to ensure you get a level doorbell. It also comes with wedges if you need to angle your doorbell in a different direction. This comes in handy if you have stairs, a hill, or are close to a road.
Installation probably took about 30 minutes, but hats because I had a few obstacles to overcome with my doorframe. Application installation only took a few minutes and after the software was updated (which took about 1 minute) the Ring was ready to use. If you do need to use the battery be sure to install the safety screw in the bottom. Again, the screwdriver and specialty driver come with the package. And if anyone tries to steal your Ring doorbell, Ring says they will replace it for free within the first year. Hopefully you’ll get the video of someone stealing it.
For the iPhone, the app is really user friendly. It takes about 5 or so seconds to pull up the live view but every other feature is instantaneous. Adding other Ring devices is also painless and easy through the app. Another great feature is that it is Alexa capable. So depending on your preferences, you can have Alexa let you know when someone’s at the door or you can do it through the phone notification or you can do it through both.
The ring doorbell 2 touts a 1080p video, but this is only if the WiFi it connects to is strong. Ring has a level system to indicate WiFi strength. -99 is the worst WiFi strength and I suppose -0 is the best.
My living room is essentially in the backside of the house whereas the front door is obviously in front. When I was first installing the doorbell my wife tried the intercom system. She came through broken and choppy and it was hard to hear her. As well, the video doesn’t seem to be 1080p. The first two pics I attached are pre- Chime WiFi extender and the second set is after the WiFi extender. This increased my WiFi level from -62 to -53. I’ve tried the WiFi extender in various outlets and the results are pretty much the same. I’ll provide a review for the Chime and WiFi extender in its own area.
It has made it easier to hear and speak through the two way speaker system, but the video quality is still nominal at best. A cool feature is if you use the live view system you can zoom in and out. However, if the video quality isn’t that great, you’re not getting much detail to the zoom.
The Ring doorbell does have a lot of neat features like a variety of different rings. The one feature you’ll have to play with most to your preferences is the motion settings. You can increase or decrease the motion ranges as well as turning on or off 1 of 3 preset areas (left, middle, right). See pictures.
I also have my live view available which Ring says depletes the battery faster. After about a week of toying around with it, the battery level dropped from 97% to 85%. So we’ll see how long this thing lasts. I’ll provide an update to the full length of battery life.
After you register your device you’ll have 30 days of free subscription service. This means all the videos your Ring captures will be available to you. I’m still within the first 30 days myself, so I’m not sure if what is captured will be saved on my device or not, but I’ll post an update when that happens. On the bright side though, for only $30 a year you can pay for the subscription, which is ridiculously cheaper than other products.
All in all, for the price point, features, and quality, I am giving the Ring doorbell 2 four stars. This means if I ever need to replace it, I might look somewhere else if something new comes on the market, otherwise I’ll be getting the Ring again.
Update: with average usage, the battery lasted 10 weeks before needing a recharge.
I wanted to start my security with a live view camera doorbell. The Ring video doorbell 2 had great reviews, so I decided to give it a whirl. Here are the pros and cons of the Ring doorbell.
My system is not a wired one so I had to use the battery pack. Ring says the batteries come between 50% and 75% charged, but I had to charge the battery overnight before I got the indicator that the battery was fully charged. The package comes with a USB to micro USB charger.
Installation was pretty straightforward. Everything you should need is in the package. You may need to use a drill if you have concrete, stone, or wood backings. It comes with a handy level that you can install temporarily to ensure you get a level doorbell. It also comes with wedges if you need to angle your doorbell in a different direction. This comes in handy if you have stairs, a hill, or are close to a road.
Installation probably took about 30 minutes, but hats because I had a few obstacles to overcome with my doorframe. Application installation only took a few minutes and after the software was updated (which took about 1 minute) the Ring was ready to use. If you do need to use the battery be sure to install the safety screw in the bottom. Again, the screwdriver and specialty driver come with the package. And if anyone tries to steal your Ring doorbell, Ring says they will replace it for free within the first year. Hopefully you’ll get the video of someone stealing it.
For the iPhone, the app is really user friendly. It takes about 5 or so seconds to pull up the live view but every other feature is instantaneous. Adding other Ring devices is also painless and easy through the app. Another great feature is that it is Alexa capable. So depending on your preferences, you can have Alexa let you know when someone’s at the door or you can do it through the phone notification or you can do it through both.
The ring doorbell 2 touts a 1080p video, but this is only if the WiFi it connects to is strong. Ring has a level system to indicate WiFi strength. -99 is the worst WiFi strength and I suppose -0 is the best.
My living room is essentially in the backside of the house whereas the front door is obviously in front. When I was first installing the doorbell my wife tried the intercom system. She came through broken and choppy and it was hard to hear her. As well, the video doesn’t seem to be 1080p. The first two pics I attached are pre- Chime WiFi extender and the second set is after the WiFi extender. This increased my WiFi level from -62 to -53. I’ve tried the WiFi extender in various outlets and the results are pretty much the same. I’ll provide a review for the Chime and WiFi extender in its own area.
It has made it easier to hear and speak through the two way speaker system, but the video quality is still nominal at best. A cool feature is if you use the live view system you can zoom in and out. However, if the video quality isn’t that great, you’re not getting much detail to the zoom.
The Ring doorbell does have a lot of neat features like a variety of different rings. The one feature you’ll have to play with most to your preferences is the motion settings. You can increase or decrease the motion ranges as well as turning on or off 1 of 3 preset areas (left, middle, right). See pictures.
I also have my live view available which Ring says depletes the battery faster. After about a week of toying around with it, the battery level dropped from 97% to 85%. So we’ll see how long this thing lasts. I’ll provide an update to the full length of battery life.
After you register your device you’ll have 30 days of free subscription service. This means all the videos your Ring captures will be available to you. I’m still within the first 30 days myself, so I’m not sure if what is captured will be saved on my device or not, but I’ll post an update when that happens. On the bright side though, for only $30 a year you can pay for the subscription, which is ridiculously cheaper than other products.
All in all, for the price point, features, and quality, I am giving the Ring doorbell 2 four stars. This means if I ever need to replace it, I might look somewhere else if something new comes on the market, otherwise I’ll be getting the Ring again.
Update: with average usage, the battery lasted 10 weeks before needing a recharge.
Review VicB say Save your money. This product doesn't work..
I wanted this product to work. I really did. Installing it to the wall was the easy part. Getting it to work? Ridiculous. I've had nothing but problems with it for months, and when I called customer service, I was on the phone for a good 35 minutes with a young man who had NO idea what he was doing, and he couldn't assist me. The final straw for me is that I had a package stolen from my front porch today, in broad daylight, and my Ring was just asleep at the wheel. Nothing. No doorbell alert, no front door activity alert recorded even though it was technically 'online.'
The Ring Video Doorbell 2 has been worthless for me, and I've had it for 3 months:
1) It falls off the wifi regularly - like others, I had to purchase an extender.
2) My battery drains every 2 weeks - I finally set the perimeter so that it only records the most limited area possible.
3) Even when it's connected to the wifi, when people ring the doorbell, nothing happens on my phone, and the action recordings/alerts are even worse. It just doesn't work.
It's too late for me to return this product, and I'm really annoyed about that. Especially now that I have to deal with this stolen package issue. So the least I can do is warn you to save your money and find a product that actually works.
I wanted this product to work. I really did. Installing it to the wall was the easy part. Getting it to work? Ridiculous. I've had nothing but problems with it for months, and when I called customer service, I was on the phone for a good 35 minutes with a young man who had NO idea what he was doing, and he couldn't assist me. The final straw for me is that I had a package stolen from my front porch today, in broad daylight, and my Ring was just asleep at the wheel. Nothing. No doorbell alert, no front door activity alert recorded even though it was technically 'online.'
The Ring Video Doorbell 2 has been worthless for me, and I've had it for 3 months:
1) It falls off the wifi regularly - like others, I had to purchase an extender.
2) My battery drains every 2 weeks - I finally set the perimeter so that it only records the most limited area possible.
3) Even when it's connected to the wifi, when people ring the doorbell, nothing happens on my phone, and the action recordings/alerts are even worse. It just doesn't work.
It's too late for me to return this product, and I'm really annoyed about that. Especially now that I have to deal with this stolen package issue. So the least I can do is warn you to save your money and find a product that actually works.
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