# Ring doorbells



## guitarpete247 (7 Sep 2021)

I've seen these advertised with different prices from £67 to over £200. Can anyone explain what you get for your money at these different prices. We have 3 echo dot's and 1 show so don't think we'll need a chime unit.
Can you view them all from your phone?
Do any other makes work with Alexa and Android phones.


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## BoldonLad (7 Sep 2021)

I don't actually have a Ring bell (I bought a cheap, solar powered security camera instead), but, when looking at the Ring, the increasing price seemed to me to be to do with the power source, ie battery, Solar, Mains powered, with battery being the cheapest.

To explain my decision re:camera, I wanted something to alert me to someone at front door (mainly deliveries), when I was in garden at back of house, and, out of earshot of bell. I opted for a security camera, with wifi, which sends an alert to my phone. I bought an iGeek off Amazon, but, there are numerous brands.


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## 400ixl (7 Sep 2021)

Power sources and image quality are the main differences as you go up the range. Saying that if you are happy to charge the battery on the unit (two security screws to remove from the wall) every 2-3 months then even the cheapest has good enough quality day and night for most people. Even the cheapest have features such as setting the zone which will set it off.

You can set it up to alert on any movement within the zone or just when the doorbell is pressed. You can see and 2 way communicate on Android or iPhone. The app allows you to initiate a live view as well whenever you want.

You do need the subscription to be able to store the videos which will record every zone activation, even if alert is only set to when pressed, so works as a security camera as well.

I have tried some of the cheaper solutions in the past and none have been as reliable or quality of even the cheapest ring.


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## cougie uk (7 Sep 2021)

We got the £49 wired one off Amazon. Love it. Connects to the Echo View and your app on your phone so you can see the front door. 
All my Dots announce movement at the front door and I get an alert on the phone. 
I might get the wireless one for movement in the back garden. I'm really happy with it.


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## Drago (7 Sep 2021)

Despite promises of reducing crime, theyre actually a favourite target of kids to steal for a laugh.


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## Daninplymouth (7 Sep 2021)

Iv got the ring spot cam and it’s really good. Has a light too which is better for night time as you get a really clear picture still. I get 4-5weeks off a battery have bought an extra and it just changes over as one goes flat.
get a bigger picture just cropped it for here, this was at 1 in the morning


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## Ming the Merciless (7 Sep 2021)

And run away


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## dan_bo (7 Sep 2021)

With The more expensive ones you get to see your house being burgled in 3D surround sound.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (7 Sep 2021)

guitarpete247 said:


> I've seen these advertised with different prices from £67 to over £200. Can anyone explain what you get for your money at these different prices. We have 3 echo dot's and 1 show so don't think we'll need a chime unit.
> Can you view them all from your phone?
> Do any other makes work with Alexa and Android phones.


Blink


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## Milkfloat (8 Sep 2021)

If you want to avoid the expensive subscription that comes with Ring, then look at eufy gear, great reviews and no subscription needed as it records locally.


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## marzjennings (8 Sep 2021)

We have a Ring doorbell, but I'm thinking of switching to a standalone unit like Eufy as I'm not keen on the data sharing agreement Ring has with the Police. Could be just a US thing and Ring doesn't share feeds in the UK. It's not so much allowing the Police to watch the street from my camera, it's more that my doorbell camera feed is available to the highest bidder or best hacker.


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## 400ixl (8 Sep 2021)

I had a Eufy before the Ring. Unreliable and not good quality in comparison unfortunately. Wouldn't go back to one unless they imprved considerably. Most of the home automation sites also don't rate them very highly either.


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## MrGrumpy (9 Sep 2021)

I’ve got a couple of cheapy wireless cameras in the house. Not great IMO . Ring doorbell is miles better. It’s hardwired and we subscribe but I like it, image quality is superb and it’s great for deliveries.


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## Juhre (16 Sep 2021)

Must check for the Arlo camera and doorbell, such a different choice and varieties there


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## icowden (16 Sep 2021)

Its about bells and whistles and whether you have power to your front door.

The £49 Ring 2 model is wired - so no need for a battery.
The £89 Ring 2 model is the same as the £49 model but comes with a lithium rechargable battery. This is not removable so you have to take the whole thing down to recharge.

The £159 Ring 3 model is the same as Ring 2 but uses 5Gz wifi instead of 2.5Gz - this gives it a longer range to the router. It also has "advanced motion detection" - this is useful if you have a short distance to the pavement as you can set where it will be triggered. The battery is also removable.

The £179 RIng 4 has pre-roll meaning that video is captured from several seconds before you receive the alert, so you see the whole of an event rather than from the point that you pick up the alert onwards.

All of the models can be wired. The Ring 3 is probably the best model unless pre-roll is important to you. You don't *have* to take out a subscription but for £2.50 a month you get 30 day video history or for £8 a month you can use a lot of extras (real time video, two way talking, motion activated notifications) and your videos get archived for longer.

I have the Ring 3, and it is fairly good. The adverts are misleading in that by the time someone has pressed the bell, the notification has gone to your phone and the you have started up the app, the person pressing the bell has usually gone. The corollary to that is that I have seen a lot of Ring footage from Hampton recently where thieves have been scoping out cars to steal.


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## Drago (16 Sep 2021)

MrGrumpy said:


> I’ve got a couple of cheapy wireless cameras in the house. Not great IMO . Ring doorbell is miles better. It’s hardwired and we subscribe but I like it, image quality is superb and it’s great for deliveries.


Ive got wired Sannce cameras. Very good value, and with movement sensing so we know when someones at the door. All connects to Mrs D's smartphone so she receives remote alerts and can remote monitor the cameras. No subscription charges, and if thatnsort of thing bothers you there is no chance of Amazon stealing your footage or sharing it with law enforcement...although get arsey over that and in the UK theyll just seize your whole system under S19 PACE if theyre investigating a serious enough crime to warrant it.


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## stephec (16 Sep 2021)

Drago said:


> Ive got wired Sannce cameras. Very good value, and with movement sensing so we know when someones at the door. All connects to Mrs D's smartphone so she receives remote alerts and can remote monitor the cameras. No subscription charges, and if thatnsort of thing bothers you there is no chance of Amazon stealing your footage or sharing it with law enforcement...although get arsey over that and in the UK theyll just seize your whole system under S19 PACE if theyre investigating a serious enough crime to warrant it.


We had our cctv viewed by the CID a few months ago after a serious crime down the road. 

At first Mrs Stephec told them to call back as she didn't know how to access the hard drive, them they called back to see me, and in the end I just gave it to them as I couldn't remember the password. 

There was no suggestion that they would sieze it if I said no, although as the nice DS said to me, 'don't worry about the password, we'll get into it without it.' 😅


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## Drago (16 Sep 2021)

I think I only seized one once. It was a shop, they were being difficult, only the managers cat can access it and they're only there every leap year on the elevety eighth of february, and we were investigating a 'one punch' manslaughter. 

The SIO got a bit 'frustrated' at the lack of any seeming intention or willingness assist, so he ordered me to go and seize it. I quite enjoyed it.

"You can't do that!" Er, I just did, and anyone trying to stop me walking out the door with it will be coming with me as well. I won't name the business, but suffice to say it was a national chain and their lack of cooperation when investigating a death would do them no credit.


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## vickster (20 Nov 2022)

icowden said:


> Its about bells and whistles and whether you have power to your front door.
> 
> The £49 Ring 2 model is wired - so no need for a battery.
> The £89 Ring 2 model is the same as the £49 model but comes with a lithium rechargable battery. This is not removable so you have to take the whole thing down to recharge.
> ...



I’m looking at a Ring doorbell, have a John Lewis voucher to use, Black Friday deals are good. Don’t really want to spend much more than £100 but what’s the real world/useful difference between the £110 Ring 3 and the Pro 2 based on the specs?
https://en-uk.ring.com/pages/doorbells?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=UK_English_Search_Brand_Doorbell_BMM_Google_CPC&utm_content=Doorbell_BMM+/+compare+ring+doorbell&utm_term=+compare +ring +doorbell&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=UK_English_Search_Brand_Doorbell_BMM_Google_CPC&utm_content=Doorbell_BMM+/+compare+ring+doorbell&utm_term=+compare +ring +doorbell&gclid=Cj0KCQiAveebBhD_ARIsAFaAvrHr4AHVs8u0rFJRcocDrGS2P7W1N9bNEq7sEA9Dje_5vcSsjjWvE-8aAs4uEALw_wcB#compare-chart
I want something plugged in, don’t want to be faffing around changing batteries, the router and socket are right by the front door (there’s a small enclosed double glazed UPVC porch).
I don’t (yet) have Alexa and don’t really want one

cheers


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## icowden (20 Nov 2022)

vickster said:


> I’m looking at a Ring doorbell, have a John Lewis voucher to use, Black Friday deals are good. Don’t really want to spend much more than £100 but what’s the real world/useful difference between the £110 Ring 3 and the Pro 2 based on the specs?


On the one hand not a huge amount. On the other, it depends on the future a bit. At the moment most Routers broadcast on 2.5Ghz and 5Ghz networks. 2.5 is now getting very old and there is therefore a good chance that it will disappear in the relatively near future. The Ring 3 is therefore likely to be more future proof. The other bonus to the 3 over the 2 is you can have motion detection on, set where the pickup zones are and therefore pickup if people come down your drive but don't ring the bell.


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## vickster (20 Nov 2022)

icowden said:


> On the one hand not a huge amount. On the other, it depends on the future a bit. At the moment most Routers broadcast on 2.5Ghz and 5Ghz networks. 2.5 is now getting very old and there is therefore a good chance that it will disappear in the relatively near future. The Ring 3 is therefore likely to be more future proof. The other bonus to the 3 over the 2 is you can have motion detection on, set where the pickup zones are and therefore pickup if people come down your drive but don't ring the bell.



Thanks my drive is not wide or long but there is an alley to the side. I think I was looking at the 3 vs the Pro 2. Let me check again, too many!

Ok, these. Both do 2.5 and 5Ghz I think!

Cheaper 1080p
https://www.johnlewis.com/ring-smart-video-doorbell-3-with-built-in-wi-fi-camera/p5001147
Dearer 1536p
https://www.sjohnlewis.com/ring-sma...hardwired-with-built-in-wi-fi-camera/p5546115

I’m sure the cheaper will be fine as long as neither need batteries changing?


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## icowden (21 Nov 2022)

vickster said:


> Thanks my drive is not wide or long but there is an alley to the side. I think I was looking at the 3 vs the Pro 2. Let me check again, too many!
> Ok, these. Both do 2.5 and 5Ghz I think!
> 
> Cheaper 1080p
> ...


Yes - sorry it was late last night and brain not working. The Pro 2 is more expensive than the Ring 3 as it has some "pro" bells and whistles.
Personally I have a 3 and use the battery. If you do get a 3, you still "use" the battery but there are connection points to hard wire to the power supply.

There is a good comparison here:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/...-video-doorbell-2-which-one-is-right-for-you/
and here:
https://www.tomsguide.com/face-off/ring-video-doorbell-3-vs-doorbell-pro

Although that last link is comparing with the slightly older version of the Ring 3 so ignore what it says about networks.

It essentially boils down to that the Pro 2 is slightly higher resolution and an improved vertical axis that will include your doormat and a "birds eye" view to track motion from a higher vantage point - on the flip side the Ring 3 has a wider view. The Pro 2 is more compact. The Pro 2 and the 4 have "pre-roll" (they are always recording 4 seconds of video and when an event is recorded you get that 4 seconds added to the video - on full subscription only) and 3D motion detection . The Pro 2 has no battery and has to be hardwired. The Pro 2 has colour night vision instead of just monochrome.

That's it really. Personally I like my Ring 3. If you have a larger house or aren't always near your mobile phone, it's worth getting the Ring "Chime". This is a plug in extension to the Ring Bell. The Ring doorbell does not sound inside the house - it sounds on your mobile and at the front door only. You can also link in Ring security cameras if you want to monitor your side alley.


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## vickster (21 Nov 2022)

Thanks, I don't think I need any of those extras...the doormat is inside the porch not least . 
I've not ordered yet as I first need to find someone who can install for a sensible price (Amazon offer the service so may well be them)


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## icowden (21 Nov 2022)

Just FYI - this is the Ring 3 backplate:






Fixes with 4 screws but you will need to run the mains wire through the gap at the back and connect to those little screws in the middle. If your door surround is wood you can just screw it straight on where the existing wiring comes out. For UPVC you will need a small drill bit to make pilot holes. It also comes with some different shaped wedges to get the "angle" right, depending on your driveway and door position. If it's a dull one like mine, no angling is needed :-)


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## icowden (21 Nov 2022)

vickster said:


> Thanks, I don't think I need any of those extras...the doormat is inside the porch not least .
> I've not ordered yet as I first need to find someone who can install for a sensible price (Amazon offer the service so may well be them)



You might find you want the chime if you ever want to actually hear the doorbell - unless you have your phone near with the sound on :-)


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## vickster (21 Nov 2022)

icowden said:


> You might find you want the chime if you ever want to actually hear the doorbell - unless you have your phone near with the sound on :-)



I’d have one in my study. JL have for £15 when bought with a doorbell


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## cyberknight (21 Nov 2022)

If you have an Alexa show you can also link it to the ring to view,be alerted and answer the doorbell,I also have the ring camera at the back linked to the Alexa


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