Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

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.