Tag Archives: Proper

"I wanted to be excited about the third generation Ring Video doorbell, but it wasn't as impressive as it should be."

• Great two-way audio

• Fantastic app

• Easy to install

• Alexa compatible

• Fisheye distortion

• Doesn't work with Google Assistant

The Ring Video Doorbell 2 was such a success that it reached our list of top video doorbells from 2020. So you can bet if the Bell video doorbell 3 came out, there were high expectations. Has the third generation model introduced some exciting new features? Here's what I found out when I tried it.

installation

As with most wireless video doorbells, installing the ring video doorbell is a breeze. All you have to do is screw the mounting bracket onto your door frame, insert the battery and attach the doorbell to the mounting bracket. The instructions in the app show you step by step how to set everything up, including connecting the new doorbell to your home's Wi-Fi network (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz).

After installation, you can use the doorbell to connect the doorbell to other ring products in your home, e.g. B. with other indoor / outdoor cameras from Ring, intelligent light bulbs, path and step lights and the Ring Solar Floodlight. After everything is connected, you can create tasks for the devices to work together. For example, if someone rings the doorbell, you can have your porch or other lights turn on automatically.

Alina Bradford / Digital Trends

If you want to hardwire the Ring Video doorbell 3, it's pretty easy too, as the app guides you through the app. Just make sure that you have a connection with a maximum of 8-24 VAC and 40VA and a doorbell transformer with 50/60 Hz. If you do not know this or do not know what it means, you may need to consult a professional installer.

design

When it comes to design, you will immediately find that the third generation device is a small piece in terms of video doorbells. The Ring Video Doorbell 3 is 5.1 inches tall and 2.4 inches wide and really sticks out of your door frame (or wherever you install it) and sticks out like an aching thumb. Choosing a slimmer doorbell such as the Nest Hello, the Arlo video doorbell or maybe even the older Ring Pro is sure to have a less visual impact. The front panel is available in two colors: silver and black. So you have a choice of how this affects the atheism of your front door.

Alina Bradford / Digital Trends

A major design improvement over the last Ring Video doorbell is that the company made it easier to remove the front panel so you can access the battery. This may seem small, but nobody wants to struggle with their doorbell just so they can charge the battery. It simply clicks in and out with a small push. Once the cover is removed, pull out the battery and charge it with a USB cable that comes with the doorbell.

The carillon in the ring video doorbell 3 is not very loud. It sends notifications to your phone. However, if you don't carry your phone with you, you may not hear it. Couple the ring 3 with the RingAt just $ 30, this is a great way to fix the problem. The doorbell is a separate device that you plug into an outlet in your home. From there, pair it with the doorbell. When the button on the doorbell is pressed, the doorbell also sounds. It's loud and has a variety of chimes to choose from in the app, including special Christmas chimes.

Video and audio quality

In terms of video quality, nothing has improved since the second generation. This third generation model still has a 160 degree field of view at 1080p HD, which you would expect with video doorbells, so no complaints. The video is really clear when there are objects just a few meters away from the camera. further away it gets a little blurry. The colors are a bit subdued, but taking pictures is good. There are a few pixels when the object the camera is focusing on is moving quickly, but it tends to clear up quickly.

However, there is still a curvature around the edges of the video. I'm not sure why Ring didn't think it was important to fix this since other video doorbells like the Arlo have no problem with the fishbowl. The field of vision is also somewhat narrow vertically, so you cannot see the floor of the porch at the door where parcels can be placed by a delivery person.

The night vision is in black and white, which is not unusual for a wireless video doorbell. However, if you hard-wire the Ring Video doorbell 3, the video is colored. So you should take this into account.

Like its predecessor, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 does not have a local video memory. You must subscribe to Ring Protect. It starts at $ 3 a month or $ 30 a year for storing videos and photos. So it's not too expensive. Other video doorbell brands offer storage plans similar to Ring Protect for about the same cost, but August, for example, offers its users free video storage.

Clear audio is always a good thing, especially when there are strangers at the door.

The two-way audio of the Ring Video Doorbell 3 is really nice and clear. This is probably due to the noise cancellation technology. It is said to raise voices from outside noise and does a good job. Clear audio is always a good thing, especially when there are strangers at the door.

properties

There is a new function which is an upgrade of the Ring Video doorbell 2. With the near zone function you can adjust how close or far the motion sensor detects motion. This prevents your notifications from being triggered all the time, for example if you have a sidewalk or a street near your front door. You can adjust the range from 5 to 15 feet to your needs.

It doesn't have box detection like some other video doorbells, including the Nest Hello.

The snooze and sensitivity functions also help reduce the number of warnings. The app lets you set notifications to sleep for 30 minutes to four hours. You can also reduce the sensitivity of the motion detector so that a notification is only sent when something big like a human is hanging around. Or you can simply set it to people-only mode so that only people are recognized. It doesn't have box detection like some other video doorbells, including the Nest Hello.

If you have no more notifications, you can activate Home mode even better. This function prevents the doorbell from detecting any movement at all. Note, however, that this mode also disables the live view feature.

Like the second generation device, this new one can be connected to Alexa. This way, you can see visitors on Alexa video devices like the Echo Show 8. You can also use any Alexa Echo device to speak to visitors who come to your door. An upgrade that would have made sense is adding Google Assistant features. However, this is unlikely.

In my opinion, the app is the best function of all ring video doorbells. It has so many features and so few glitches that it's a pleasure to use compared to other smart device apps. My favorite feature is the real-time crime and security alerts. You can also view current crime activity on a map of your neighborhood, weekly security reports, and more in the app. With these tools, you can always know what's going on in your neighborhood, which makes me feel safer.

Battery life

ring

Ring does not state exactly what the battery life is. However, I've found that you are more likely to charge it about every 3 months, depending on how often you use it. It seems to consume just over 1% of the battery life per day. If you don't like this idea, you can purchase a solar charger that is installed just behind the doorbell for $ 50. The solar connection is a new option that the second generation ring did not have.

privacy

The Ring Video doorbell 3 contains three remarkable data protection functions. After Ring was asked to hack several of his video cameras, he made two-factor authentication mandatory for his app and website. This is a great way to make sure your footage stays safe, and a feature that many smart devices overlook. Another smart privacy feature is the ability to turn off the camera's microphone if you don't want it to be recorded.

You can also prevent the camera from "seeing" certain parts of your garden by setting up data protection zones in the app. Wherever you set up a data protection zone, this area of ​​your garden is shown as a black box in the video.

Our opinion

While we love Ring Video Doorbells for its ease of use and great app, the third generation seems to be missing something – especially when you look at what else there is. While it's a great doorbell, it doesn't have any significant advantages over the Ring Video doorbell 2. If you already have a doorbell 2 and are thinking about upgrading, you might as well stick to what you have. Otherwise, the Arlo video doorbell is a better upgrade.

Is there a better option?

Yes. At $ 200, it's slightly more expensive than most other high-quality video doorbells on the market, such as Arlos' video doorbell ($ 149) with better video. Perhaps the only thing worth the extra cost would be that the ring app is the best, but if you go that route, you can also buy the ring bell 3 Plus for $ 230. The Plus has an additional feature called Pre-Roll that allows you to view an additional four seconds of video before a motion event is recognized by the doorbell.

How long it will take?

The ring video doorbell is made of thin plastic that doesn't last longer than a year or two. However, it is rainproof and the battery lasts at temperatures between -20 and 50 degrees Celsius. It also comes with a one-year limited warranty, and Ring will replace it for free if it is stolen.

Should you buy it

No. If you want a better ring experience, I would say spring for the 3 Plus ring doorbell. If you are on a budget, you can get the new bell (2020) for $ 100 less. If the ring app and ecosystem don't affect you, choose the Arlo video doorbell.

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