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.
I’ve had my ring doorbell for a couple weeks now and I couldn’t be happier! I moved to a new neighborhood recently and had a lot of creepy solicitors come to my home. I paired this with a no soliciting sign.
It was packaged with all the necessary tools and mounting plates needed for attaching outside my home. I plugged in the rechargeable battery and let it fully haste before going further. That took about 10 hours.I did not have an existing doorbell so I was able to mount it and set upnrahee quickly. This does come with everything you need to wire into an existing doorbell if you choose to do so.
Once I figured out the best placement for my doorbell using the side angles mount I was able to attach it in minutes. I downloaded the app for the Ring doorbell and completed the set up. Once attached I placed the last security screw and was ready to go! I also purchased a chime for indoor use which is just an extra device that plugs into any outlet and rings nice and loud so you are sure to hear the doorbell.
My ring is set so that it senses motion about 15 feet away. Once it senses that Ring alerts my phone and the doorbell and the chime room no to alert me someone is approaching. Video has been very clear and I love being able to talk and see whoever is outside my door without opening the door. Works great with the night vision.As a single woman living alone this is a must in today’s society.
I feel much safer knowing I can look outside at a live view anytime I need to.
Comes with stickers you can place on a window or door letting people know that there is video surveillance.
Worked...for a while. I love this concept. I bought the latest one in order to get the best tech. Unfortunately it appears this may not be a fully baked product. After working for a couple of weeks, the unit has gone into a repeated flashing blue ring loop that can't be changed. Customer service is still attempting to resolve. If they do, I will change this review.
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I never heard back from the email support so I called the support line. It was determined that the unit had to be replaced. I was sent a replacement unit and was told the following:
1)replacement unit would come with return shipping labels,
2)once I set up the new unit, the defective unit will automatically be removed from my app
3) the monthly recording membership would be migrated to the new unit
All of these things eventually did occur. However, I had to make a separate calls for each of these tasks to occur. It appeared at each of the customer service people I spoke to only performed one of the tasks and promised do the rest, but that never happened.
I am sitting now with a working Ring 2 unit and I am satisfied. I would prefer in the future if I have any customer service issues that the help desk perform all the functions that they promised the first time I call.
I was a little apprehensive about a couple of things. Was this really a worthy investment, when I actually don't get many uninvited visitors at my door, and mostly deliveries? I already have an alarm system, and security door. Yet, I am gone most of the day, so being able to see what's going on at my door makes sense. My other concern is that my porch has an enclosure and the doorbell does not face front, there is a walkway from the street to my front door, which is a little secluded, and I face my neighbors home, in a Townhome community. Ok, let me dispell a couple things that may have prevented me from purchasing this. I read that with the Ring Doorbell 2, you will receive mounting wedges that will widen your viewing angle in instances where your porch is enclosed like mine. When I was installing mine, I tested the angle before the actual install, with the wedge and then flush to the wall. The difference was barely noticeable! This has an Incredible wide angle lens that captured the walkway around the enclosure wall just fine. So I did the flush mount. Also, it is suggested that you mount the doorbell no more than 4ft off the ground, and there is a wedge that you can install to point the camera in more of a downward direction. Again, I did not find that to be necessary. My existing doorbell was probably 5 ft off the ground and it didn't make much difference in the viewing angle, but I suppose if you want to see packages on your porch, you may want to consider this. I did not use it.
One bonus for my neighbor, since we share the same walk way, I can see people approaching their door too, so if anything ever happens over there, I can share video that I have.
The install was very easy. The app was a no nonsense install but you must operate it on a 2.4G band WIFI. I have a dual band router with 2.4 and 5G You then must go into your router set-up and disable the 5gh. It is simple to do, and does not effect the quality of your WIFI signal to any of your other devices in any way. Okay, now, if you are getting bad or choppie reception from your Ring Doorbell, the company advises that you spend another 50.00 (49.99) to buy a chime extender.....um, how bout NO! Listen folks, you can buy their version and it will play chime tones if your Ring Doorbell is not hard wired to your exiting doorbell, but if it is, you don't need it. ANY WIFI EXTENDER WILL WORK. I already had a TP-Link WIFI extender that I bought a couple years ago, and it works just fine, my cost then 19.99, the cost today on Amazon, 19.99. Up to you if you want to save 30.00. Another concern was my metal Security Door, interfering with the WIFI signal. It seemed to. I put the WIFI extender in the closest electrical outlet to my doorbell, and PROBLEM SOLVED!
Do you need the Ring Cloud service at 3.00 a month or 30.00 a year? That again is up to you. But you can save and share a video to your email without cloud service.
Let me mention the installation one more time. I hardwired mine to the existing doorbell wires <simple> they tell you to turn the power to the doorbell off at the breaker. I didn't, nothing happened. But again, do what they say, not what I say! I installed on stucco, again, simple, but you are gonna want to use a smaller drill bit. The whole install is easy as pie!
Overall, I am really impressed with this product. The 1080 camera is crisp and lifelike!
Is it worth 199.00?? The Jury is still out on that! Seriously, you can now purchase 1080 survalence camera's for inside your house that are FINE products, for about 79.00, and that includes a free app that does pretty much the same thing as the Ring app. So while I think the Ring Doorbell 2 could be priced more around the 99.00 range and that would be more realistic, I can understand why the creator of this product wants to milk the profits, he came up with a damn good idea! Still, after the novelty wears off, the price should come down.
Feature Product
- This bundle includes Ring Video Doorbell 2 and Ring Alarm 5 Piece Kit-whole-home security at your fingertips. Get alerts on your smart phone when doors or windows open, motion is detected, or when visitors press Doorbell.
- Manage Ring Video Doorbell 2, Ring Alarm, and other Ring products with the Ring app.
- Easily setup Ring Video Doorbell 2 and Ring Alarm in minutes-without professional installation.
- Ring Video Doorbell 2 monitors your home in 1080HD video with infrared night vision and Live View-and lets you see, hear and speak to visitors from your phone, tablet and PC.
- Ring Video Doorbell 2 is powered by a rechargeable battery pack or connects to doorbell wires for a constant charge.
- Optional 24/7 professional monitoring is just $10/month and includes Ring Protect Plus-free video storage for up to 60 days-at no cost. No contracts or cancellation fees.
- Customize Ring Alarm for your needs. Add components at any time for whole home protection. The 5 piece kit includes a base station, contact sensor, motion detector, keypad, and range extender.
Description
I have trouble starting up a computer but the Ring Doorbell 2 was so simple even I was able to install. You can't beat the $30 bucks a YEAR for the cloud. While do not have to have it, it's crazy not to get it. You get quality at a great price. Everything that you need is in the box except for a drill.
Simple easy to follow instructions. Customer service is quick to answer the phone and supply answers to questions and is NOT out-sourced over seas. You will be happy with well thought out unit.
Love the function of the ring Doorbell 2.
The install would have been easier if whoever installed the previous simple button had not broken off one of the wires. Had to dig out the soldering gun. After that, it was easy to install the ring. Very impressed with the thorough kit. Even included a masonry drill bit for stucco.
I paired the doorbell with my iPhone and my wife's iPhone. No issues at all.
Camera/video quality is excellent.
Single best use is knowing when a package is delivered. They never ring the doorbell anymore when dropping off a package, so the alert of movement--even when we're home--is great.
We've only had it a week, but we will never be without one if we move somewhere else.
I waited for awhile before writing this review to be sure that I really understood the pros and cons. Based on some of the other reviews, I was a bit skeptical. As it turns out, I really love this product. Many of the negatives I heard about seemed to me to be caused by not having sufficient Wi-Fi signal. '
When I purchased the product, I thought I had a hard-wired doorbell in place. It turned out to be a battery operated remote. So, I installed the system as a battery operated unit. I discovered that the battery would drain faster than I chose to fool with, so I purchased the solar operated charging sleeve. I had to buy it from the factory ($49), as it was not available from Amazon. That was much cheaper than having an electrician come install the necessary wiring. I'm pleased to say that the charger works very well and the unit stays at 100 percent most of the time. It drops a bit after two or three days of cloudy weather, but has never gone below 94 percent.
It took a bit to adjust the zones to the point that I didn't get excessive false alarms from passing traffic. I occasionally get one now when a large vehicle passes on our side of the street, but they are relatively rare and not significant considering the stability. The unit had only been installed a few days when our doorbell went off at 2:00 a.m. From my bedroom, I was able to determine that the ringer was a mentally ill person who lives in the neighborhood and has been reported by others as ringing the doorbell in the middle of the night. I monitored the situation until the person went away, without having to open the door.
I highly recommend this product if you have a good Wi-Fi signal at your door. If you don't, you might be disappointed. BTW, the $30 per year subscription comes to about 8 cents per day. This is certainly a small price to pay for having all incidents recorded and downloadable if necessary.
I purchased this product due to a coworker showing me a video of a potential intruder into her home...She would have had no idea that person was there if it were not for this product. Once I received the product, everything was fairly straightforward and the instructions are very easy to follow. It took about 8 hours for the battery to fully charge. Once finished, I inserted the battery and began installation of the camera.
I installed it on a wood surface and used the 4 supplied screws. The included level was a very nice touch and helped make the installation process a breeze. I had the camera installed, up, and running in under 15 minutes. With the second gen. version, you can adjust the motion zones as well as the sensitivity. I would suggest playing around with it a bit to find your camera's sweet spot. I also did some testing by walking past it and it worked every time. I have only had it for a few days, but so far so good.
The only negative I can think about this camera is that you must pay $30 a year for their video recording service. The camera will still notify you without it, but no events will record for later viewing (such as when you're sleeping) unless you pay for this service. I really wish there was a free/slim option...But hey, you get what you pay for and I will definitely be paying for this service.
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