You people that are giving bad reviews because after 30 days have to buy a subscription are morons. Don't complain about the fine print, READ IT. You people act like fine print is some new scam to trick people. If you don't educate yourself on the item you're buying then you definitely shouldn't be able to cry and complain like a little kid about it. It clearly says you'll need a subscription to use all the features but I guess you can't fix stupid
Though I bought this exact device locally, (Sorry Amazon. You do get a ton of my biz, I just wanted to see this one before I bought it) I was a little shocked at the negative feed back. I recognized the problems some were having right away, which really has no bearing on this Ring device what so ever, hence this review. I installed this myself and set it up the way I wanted and it works just like it says it does. Being a WIFI device and since its mounted outside, through walls, with bricks or siding and insulation with foil backing, you may want to consider having a WIFI router with a little juice. A network extender or repeater will only extend the same lack of power and bandwidth of the slower WIFI network, it will not increase the power or bandwidth. Its meant to increase the distance of your WIFI signal if your doorbell device is a long ways away from where you setup your router. Since it sends live video which is HUGE data amounts, and sound which is LARGE data amounts compared the data of a general web page, you will need a higher end router to reduce the lag some other customers mention. Though its only a guess on my part as to what the bad latency review people are using but you should consider a 5G WIFI router to transfer live video and sound efficiently. A 2G WIFI is just not enough umph in the "lots of data transfer department" especially if something else is streaming off of the router like the Smart TV at the same time. Its just old fashion technology and many still have it. If you are not sure what that technology is exactly, get a "gaming WIFI router" as games are also HUGE data. Can't blame the doorbell unit for a low powered WIFI router. I am guessing most people don't know about this. This is not a bad thing, ya just don't know what you were never taught. You will need some storage available (couple gigabytes should do) on your smart phone to store the video events unless you choose to pay someone else to monitor and store this data. I believe this is available in the setup for a small monthly fee but I did not go that route, nor am I exactly sure what the service offers. I had room on my smart phones. As per other reviews, don't mount it facing the siding or straight ahead next to the siding. Use the angle mounting plate to point it away from the siding towards where the person would be standing who rang your doorbell. The video does have a wide angle view so you wont be missing anything, but if you mount it in a doorway that is recessed in a little, not angling it will give you a great view of the siding and if your siding is white like mine, it will ruin the night vision. (It would ruin most any night vision devices available to consumers at a reasonable price) Mounting it with the angle bracket fixes that. I had the doorbell mounted outside and configured to all of my families smart phones in approx 20 minutes. Yes I know a little about WIFI and computers but I knew nothing about this device until I got it. You can adjust the sensing of movement so moving trees, moving birds that are close by, and/or cars driving by doesn't set it off. The directions are short and to the point. Use four screws to mount it, download the Ring app to your smart phone and watch the how to set it up video within the Ring App which takes a minute or two. I do recommend buying a second battery so when one runs out of charge, the 2nd freshly charged battery can be popped right in with no down time to the device. Your smart phone app will tell you when the battery is low and its time to charge or change it. The battery is really easy to change. It does take a few hours to over night to charge a lithium battery. I have had mine approx a month as of this writing and its still on the first battery with the first full charge. That's it. Its not a high quality four or five figure intrusion alarm system nor does it say it is. Its just a general "who is at your door" system with live video and two way communication, and a doorbell notification sent to your smart phone if someone pushes the doorbell button and it (your smart phone) will ring with whatever sound you choose. As long as your phone has internet access, the app will work. You could be a 1000 miles away and you will know when someone is at your front door, along with video and two way communication, no different than when you are home (but your smart phone MUST HAVE internet access with a strong signal) So with that in mind, it works very well, especially for the price. I hope this helps some.
I am a little surprised at the number of reviewers who seem to know so little about the product. The Ring does *not* require a subscription for normal use unless you would like to store the audio/video recordings on their cloud servers. Otherwise, it is fully functional with or without a subscription. For $30/yr to store 60 days of video for multiple devices, it seems like a no-brainer to me. Installation took a total of about 15 minutes, and every tool needed came with it (including a small level). Setup of the smartphone app is ridiculously simple, and the device is registered and configured by simply scanning its bar code with your phone. I can't comment on the support as I have not yet needed any.
The device itself has worked flawlessly. Notifications on our smartphones have arrived consistently within a few seconds of motion or the doorbell ringing, and the video is crisp and clear. Shortly after installation, my wife and I went on a 2-week overseas trip. When we had Internet access for our phones, we received motion and doorbell notifications as our son and daughter's friends came to the door, packages were delivered, etc. With that said, we are using a 50Mbit Internet connection, so we have reasonably good bandwidth. The only small negative I have encountered is that the motion detection sometimes picks up cars driving past our home. I have experimented with changing the motion detection zones but have not yet found the optimal setting. Since this is an infrequent and minor annoyance (and since it may be a user issue), it does not really affect my rating.
This doorbell is ok, just ok. In the winter it won't charge even when hardwired. Also, sometimes it doesn't even catch any motion so no video. I've had it over 2 years now and it only continues to get worse. I have a bad feeling about next winter, probably quit all together. Customer service is ok but never resolved any of my issues. I'd purchase the NEST doorbell. I have friends that love theirs and no problems.
UPDATED REVIEW
Since this review, Ring/Amazon have been working with me to correct all of the above mentioned issues! My doorbell is working as it should and better than ever! It pays to be persistent!
I purchased my Ring 2 at Costco (!) but am compelled to praise both it and the instruction manual. Every step was clear, every necessary tool was included, and phone support was available. Unlike similar products, this included a diode for use with a digital chime. Have 12 mbps internet upload and strong router signal so picture and response is fine even away from home. The $3 / month is minor but Amazon could/should sweeten the deal by including the fee in Prime Membership.
One tip: download SpeedCheck and hold phone at doorbell location to verify signal strength.
Feature Product
- This bundle contains the Ring Video Doorbell 2 and the Echo Dot (3rd Generation).
- Works with Alexa to illuminate and send announcements to Echo devices when your doorbell is pressed or motion is detected. You can also see, hear, and talk to visitors through Echo Show or Echo Spot.
- Get next-level security and convenience with the all-new Video Doorbell 2. Armed with motion-activated alerts, 1080HD video and two-way talk, Ring lets you watch over your home and answer the door from anywhere. Day or night, rain or shine - you're always home.
- Monitor your property in HD video, and check-in on your home at anytime with Live View on-demand video and audio.
- Echo Dot is a hands-free, voice-controlled device with a small built-in speaker. Dot connects to the Alexa Voice Service to play music, make calls, send and receive messages, provide information, news, sports scores, weather, and more-instantly.
Description
Love this Ring Doorbell 2! Previously had no way to know who was at the door works beautifully very clear video. Love that I can talk to the visitor through my phone was easy to install and hard wire! Perfect gift for any adult!
I love my ring doorbell I have it set so when anyone drives up in my driveway it starts recording so I have a video of their vehicle also. You can adjust the range to which sensitivity works can I catch anyone walking around the front of my house
We bought one and get notifications of any movement outside. Even if it in the early hours. We live in an apartment complex which has had auto break ins. Can see my car and if anyone has tried breaking in. It is pricey but worth it.
I can monitor my front door whenever I want. I think the $30 a year is a steal for this service. Getting the doorbell and the dot was a great value. No problems with the WiFi or anything. I know 3 other people that are as satisfied with this product as I am so I don’t know what’s up with all of the negative reviews.
all I can say is I love my ring doorbell!!!!!!!!!!!
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