Today, the best of the best gets better with the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro hitting shelves. How do I know? I’ve been testing one for the last three weeks. Amazon continues to build its literal arsenal of quality products by delivering another device to make our homes smarter and more secure. Ring is already a household name, and there are a host of models out there for consumers to choose from. Here’s why the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro is worth a solid look.
Setting it up
Let’s start off with the obvious. How hard is it to set this up? I can honestly say – it’s easy. I’ve been reluctant to invest in any options outside of a Blink cam simply because I’ve never wanted to deal with wiring. The Ring Doorbell Pro makes it ridiculously simple to charge the battery, install the doorbell, and have it up and running within about 30 minutes. No drills – just a screwdriver. It even comes with a small angle panel for those of us who need to set it up at an angle for a better view of the porch.
I had a strong feeling Amazon/Ring would make installation clear. I wasn’t wrong. The instructions are simple and straightforward, and the Ring app quickly guides you through the process without skipping steps. I can’t say enough good things about the simplicity here. I do recall feeling like I had to sign in to the Ring app like 4 times when I created my account. Additionally, when I first fire up the doorbell, all images have a pink hue over them. The app doesn’t tell me what to do, but Google does. A little tap on the top of the doorbell and everything is cleared up. Apparently, sometimes the bells get stuck in night-vision mode.
Pure quality
This doorbell is the best of the best. Ring hasn’t put out another doorbell that delivers the quality and specs the Doorbell Pro offers. For me, this means seeing video in crystal clear Retinal 4K resolution with an incredible zoom option. It isn’t difficult to tell who is standing at my door – regardless of whether or not it’s recorded or a live view. The 140ºx140º field of view means I get an incredibly detailed view from head to foot.
Motion detection is standard with these bells nowadays, but the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro offers so much more than simple motion detection. Even in low light, I can get alerts sent, and it has a phenomenal black and white image in total darkness. The alerts aren’t just video alerts though. Ring offers video descriptions for each activity as well. It’s kind of comical to see “a child is carrying a bag” pop across my screen when one of my kids takes out the trash.
I didn’t test it thoroughly, but of course my kids tried to “moon” the camera to see what would happen. Ring kept it classy and simply “detected” a child at my door. This feature and a host of others require a subscription to keep. I won’t lie, it’s a little alarming to see some alerts, but I still like the idea of being able to read what happens without having to watch the vid or see it live.
Like and subscribe
One cool thing is – you can have it memorize faces and be a bit more descriptive about who is at the door (again this requires the subscription).
For many, having a live option for viewing video may just be enough. Without a subscription, I love pairing the device with my Echo devices and Echo Show. I can live view my door right from the Show, and when people ring it, each echo I set it up with alerts me of someone at my door. Of course, I can live chat with visitors whether I am at home or not.
Possibilities
The Ring offers a lot, but it can offer so much more if you are willing to shell out extra money each month. Here’s a quick list of features available with the subscription:
- Video Descriptions – mentioned above
- Video Search – to find specific vids based on keywords you search for
- Familiar Faces – tag faces so you know who’s there – mentioned above
- Alexa+ Greetings – Yep, Alexa can respond to folks, share instructions, and capture messages when you can’t
- Virtual Security Guard – allows video monitoring from Security Pros who can alert emergency services when needed
- Active Warnings – automated audio that may deter potential intruders when sus activity is happening
- Up to 180 days of video history – this one seems self-explanatory
- Single event alerts – intelligently groups related content together for one view in order to help reduce alerts
Summing it up
After three weeks of testing, it is clear the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro succeeds because it combines premium hardware with a setup process that almost anyone can handle. Installation took about 30 minutes with only a screwdriver, no wiring headaches, and an app that walks users through the process step by step. Once installed, the standout feature is the sharp Retina 4K image quality, strong zoom, and wide head-to-toe field of view that makes it easy to see exactly who is at the door day or night.
Smart alerts add real convenience by describing activity in words, letting users quickly know what happened without always needing to open video footage. Pairing it with Echo devices adds even more value through live viewing, two-way talk, and announcements throughout the home when someone rings the bell. The biggest caveat is that many of Ring’s smartest and most appealing features require a subscription, but even with that added cost, the overall package still feels polished, practical, and easy to love.