Analysis of the Ring Video Doorbell 2, a video intercom to keep an eye on who's coming home

The arrival of surveillance cameras connected to our smartphone has changed the concept of video surveillance offering us a huge variety of devices that adapt to almost any need you may have. With battery, connected to the electrical network, indoors, outdoors ... and now they also act as a video intercom.

Ring, a brand with years of experience in the US market, offers us its new model Ring Video Doorbell 2, a doorbell for your home that also acts as a video intercom and surveillance camera that alerts you to any movement detected in its field of action. We have tested it together with the Chime Pro accessory and we tell you our impressions with video included.

Ring Video Doorbell 2 and Chime Pro

Ring Video Doorbell 2 acts as a doorbell and surveillance camera. With the possibility of capturing 1080p images and night vision, you can use it as a doorbell for your home. By pressing its front button you will receive a notification on your smartphone and you will be able to see who is calling and talk to him, as if it were a video conference, thanks to its built-in microphone and speakers. You will also receive notifications about any movement that occurs in your field of action, which is customizable, storing the recorded video in the cloud so that you can watch or download it on your device whenever you want.

Chime Pro is a Optional accessory that you can purchase together with your video door entry unit and that acts as a WiFi extender and doorbell. If the WiFi signal of your router is not strong enough to reach where your Ring camera is, this accessory will act as a WiFi repeater, solving this problem. In addition, when someone presses the button on the video door phone, it will act as a bell, so in addition to the notification on your iPhone and iPad you will hear a bell that is customizable and adjustable in volume. By the way, if you want to continue using your usual ringtone, you can do so if it is compatible (of tones)

Box contents

Everything that the Ring video intercom contains is surprising, since it includes absolutely everything you need for its use and installation. From a double-ended screwdriver to dowels and even the drill bit for holes in the wall. A level so that it is perfectly placed, the battery recharging cable (microUSB), screws for fixing, a security screw to prevent theft and two fronts, one in gray aluminum and the other in black, so that you can choose the one that best fits your facade.

Installation and configuration

Installation is very simple, being able to replace your conventional doorbell or place it independently. As it is a battery-operated device, you do not depend on any electrical outlet, so you have total freedom to place it where it works best for you. The box also includes two accessories to give it a certain vertical or horizontal inclination., in order to achieve the best possible visual field. in about 10 minutes you will have your device mounted and ready to go. There is the possibility of connecting it to the electrical network, for which it is necessary that you have a transformer and electronic bell.

One of the doubts that this video intercom raises is the possibility of it being stolen. It has an 'anti-theft' screw to make it difficult, but it is not too difficult to find a screwdriver bit that can remove it. If your Ring Video Doorbell is very accessible and you think it is highly likely to be stolen, better find another location or contract a Ring protection plan that covers this possibility (we will explain it later).

Its configuration is done through the Ring application, which you have available in the App Store, compatible with iPhone and iPad and completely free. It is the typical procedure of connecting it to the WiFi network (2,4GHz) from home and voila. You should then simply spend a couple of minutes setting the ring volume, motion detection area, and ringtone for calls and motion notifications. It is really intuitive and simple thanks to the application.

Special mention requires the configuration of the motion detection area. Ring Video Doorbell 2 will send you notifications when it detects a movement that is within its visual field, which will cause a recording of a few seconds and a notification on your device. But this will negatively affect your battery life.So you have to find the perfect balance to avoid running out of battery after a few days or receiving notifications every five minutes.

According to Ring the load of battery lasts about 6 months (even one year) with normal use. In my case it still hasn't run out after a month of use, but I doubt that it will reach that figure, although it is true that at first I received many notifications until I managed to adjust the appropriate detection area. To recharge the battery you must remove the front (a screw) and remove it to charge it with the microUSB cable that is in the box, taking about 4-5 hours to fully recharge.

Operation

There is not much to say about how this video intercom works: someone rings the bell, Chime Pro rings and you are notified on the iPhone and iPad, you open the app, see who it is and talk to him or directly open the door. This is the essential functionality of the Ring Video Doorbell 2, just like any video door intercom. but from your iPhone instead of a door phone placed on the wall in the main hall. It is very convenient to be able to see who is calling from anywhere, even from your home garden. Even when you are away from home, as long as you have an internet connection, you can talk to the caller and tell them that you are not here, ideal for carriers.

But it not only acts as a video intercom, but also acts as a surveillance camera, so it will notify you of any movement detected. The notification is accompanied by a short video that is stored in the cloud and that you can watch whenever you want, depending on the Ring plan you hire, something we will talk about below. The videos that are stored in the cloud can be downloaded to your device or sent by messaging, something very useful sometimes. The quality of the videos is very good, even at night, and they allow you to zoom and pan the screen to see the details.

These motion alerts can be customized by setting "Do Not Disturb" periods or even fixed times when detection stops notifying you to avoid being annoying. It is perhaps the section that is most worth trying, since in addition to affecting battery lifeAs we indicated before, that any car that passes in front of your house is notified ends up being a real nuisance.

Non-mandatory but recommended fees

It is not mandatory to have a Ring Protection plan. Without paying any monthly fee, you can continue to receive calls to your video intercom, talk to the caller and you will even receive notifications for movement and you will be able to see the live video. However, you will lose the cloud storage of the videos, so if you miss a notification you will not be able to see what exactly happened.

Starting by € 3 per month (€ 30 per year) You can have up to 60 days of video storage in the cloud and you can download and share them. This fee is per camera you have installed. If you have more than two cameras, the superior plan of € 10 per month (€ 100 per year) which includes, in addition to all the above, all the cameras you want discounts on the purchase of products and protection against damage and theft that replaces your device completely free of charge if something happens to it.

Editor's opinion

The Ring Video Doorbel video intercom perfectly fulfills the functions of a door entry for your home and a surveillance camera for the entrance. With its notification system and Full HD image recording You will have no problem being able to identify not only who is knocking on your door but also possible unwanted intruders. It also has good night vision, and the response times to view the videos are not high.

It is almost mandatory to purchase a monthly or annual plan, but it is not a serious problem since the price of the basic is very affordable (€ 30 per year) with what you get up to 60 days of recording in the cloud. If you want a surveillance system and a video intercom without complications and easy to install, this one will not disappoint you.. Available for € 199 on the Ring website and Amazon (with occasional offers) this is one of the most exciting video surveillance cameras on the market right now.

One of the advantages of Ring is also the enormous catalog of accessories that exist, from solar panels for recharging to additional batteries or WiFi extenders that act as an additional doorbell, such as Chime Pro. It is quite a detail that these ringtones can also be customized from the application itself.