Ring’s latest smart doorbell, the $99.99 Video Doorbell 2020, is a refresh of the original that we reviewed back in 2015. This time around it offers 1080p video (the original was 720p), improved audio, and a few new features including People Only motion detection, making it a significant upgrade over its predecessor. It also responds to Alexa voice commands and interacts with other smart devices using IFTTT applets, but it doesn't have dual-band Wi-Fi or support video pre-buffering (to capture what was happening before the motion sensor was triggered) like some of Ring's costlier models. And if you have existing wiring, our Editors’ Choice, the RemoBell S, offers a higher-resolution camera and free cloud storage for the same price.Design and FeaturesWith its Satin Nickel and glossy black finish (it’s also available in Venetian Bronze), the Ring Video Doorbell maintains the same design used by the original, the Video Doorbell 2, and the Video Doorbell 3 Plus. Measuring 4.9 by 2.4 by 1.1 inches (HWD), it’s bulkier than the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro (4.6 by 1.5 by 1.3 inches), but still a hair smaller than its more expensive sibling, the Video Doorbell 3 Plus (5.1 by 2.4 by 1.1 inches). The black top section of the device contains a camera and a microphone, while the silver bottom section holds the doorbell button, which is surrounded by an LED ring that flashes blue when the button is pressed. The bottom edge holds a speaker used for two-way communication and to sound the doorbell chime. There’s a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio under the hood. Whereas other Ring doorbells have removable battery packs, this one uses a non-removable rechargeable battery that is rated to last 6 to 12 months between charges (depending on usage). To charge it, you have to physically remove the entire device, bring it inside, and power it up using the included USB cable. However, you can also hard-wire it to your existing doorbell wire for continuous charging. The USB charging port, two wiring terminals, and a Setup button are all located on the back panel. The doorbell’s camera captures video at 1080p, has a 155-degree field of view, and uses infrared LEDs to capture black-and-white night video. It will begin recording video and send push alerts when the button is pressed or when it senses motion. If you have an Amazon Alexa device, it will tell you when the doorbell button has been pressed. As with all Ring cameras, you’ll have to subscribe to a Ring Protect Plan to access recorded video. At $3 per month/$30 per year, the Basic plan is reasonably priced and gives you 60 days of rolling storage, video sharing, and snapshot capture for a single device. If you own more than one Ring device, the $10 per month/$100 per year Plus plan gives you 60 days of storage for all of your devices, as well as professional monitoring if you own a Ring Alarm system. As with other Ring doorbells, the 2020 model works with Alexa voice commands and supports IFTTT applets that allow it to interact with third-party smart home devices. It also works with select Keikset, Schlage, and Yale smart locks, allowing you to lock and unlock your door from within the Ring app. That said, it lacks support for Google Assistant voice commands and doesn't work with Apple’s HomeKit platform.The 2020 Doorbell uses the same mobile app (for Android and iOS) as all other Ring devices. It opens to a Dashboard screen with Disarmed, Home, and Away buttons along the top. You can have the Doorbell’s Motion Detection and Live View enabled or disabled depending on the armed mode. Below these buttons are Neighbors and History panels. Tap the Neighbors panel to access Ring’s Neighbors feature, which lets you know of any criminal activities in your neighborhood, and use the History button to view a timeline of motion events from all your Ring devices. To view, delete, or download an event video, tap the event listing. At the bottom of the screen are panels for each individual Ring camera with a still image of the last recorded activity. Tap the Doorbell panel to launch a screen where you can view live video or scroll through the timeline to view video clips of motion and doorbell press events. There are buttons here for video forward, reverse, and pause, and there’s a share button for sharing the clip via Facebook, text message, or email. Or, you can tap the Notify Neighbors button to post clips to the Neighbors community portal.Tap the gear icon in the upper right corner to access the Doorbell’s settings. Here you can enable and disable alerts, notifications, and motion recording; view live video; and adjust mode, device, and motion settings. Motion settings include a wizard to help you select motion zones, a Motion Verification option that helps reduce unwanted notifications, and a scheduling option that lets you decide when you want to receive notifications. The new Smart Alerts setting lets you put the doorbell in People Only mode so you will only receive alerts when a human is detected. Other settings allow you to link the doorbell to different Ring devices to trigger recordings, check device health (battery level, signal strength, network connection), snooze motion alerts, and link the doorbell to an external chime.Installation and PerformanceInstalling the Video Doorbell couldn’t be easier. I already had a Ring account, but if this is your first Ring device, you’ll have to download the mobile app and create an account. I opened the app, tapped the three-bar icon in the upper left corner, and selected Set Up a Device. Following the on-screen instructions, I used my phone’s camera to scan the barcode included on the setup sheet and selected my home location for the installation. The next couple of screens provided instructions for mounting the doorbell and which screws to use, and then I was asked to name the device and press and release the orange button on the back of the doorbell. The LED ring began flashing white and a voice prompt told me to follow the instructions, so I pressed continue and connected the doorbell to my home Wi-Fi network. After a few seconds the device was added to my network, it was automatically discovered by Alexa, and it began a firmware update that took around five minutes to complete. I used the included screws to attach the mounting plate to my house siding, attached the doorbell onto the plate, configured motion settings, and the installation was finished. The doorbell performed well in testing. It never failed to respond to a button press and always recorded video and sent push alerts when the button was pressed or when motion was detected. The People Only mode did a good job of filtering out motion alerts from passing cards and windblown objects.The camera delivered sharp 1080p video with vibrant colors in our daytime tests, and black-and-white night video showed good contrast and sharp imagery out to around 20 feet. Two-way audio transmissions were clean and adequately loud, unlike the original model, which delivered garbled audio from time to time. I had no trouble viewing live video on an Amazon Echo Show device using Alexa voice commands, and my Alexa devices always informed my when the doorbell button was pressed. ConclusionsThe 2020 version of the Ring Video Doorbell is a solid choice for anyone seeking a smart doorbell camera that doesn't require wiring. It’s a snap to install, delivers sharp 1080p video, supports Alexa voice commands, and works with other smart devices via IFTTT applets. It doesn't have dual-band Wi-Fi or video pre-buffering like some of Ring's more advanced models, and you have to pay to view recorded video and remove the entire device to charge the battery, but at $99, this is still a good value. That said, if you don’t mind dealing with wiring, the RemoBell S offers a higher-resolution camera and free video storage for the same price, and it works with Google Assistant voice commands, so it remains our Editors’ Choice for affordable video doorbells. Ring Video Doorbell (2020) Specs Connectivity Wi-Fi Integration Amazon Alexa, IFTTT Notifications Push Field of View 155 degrees Resolution 1080p Storage Cloud Two-Way Audio Yes Mechanical Pan/Tilt No Night Vision Yes Alarm No Best Home Security Camera Picks Further Reading Ring Video Doorbell (2020)
- Details
- pcmag.com RSS
- Hauptkategorie: IT News aus aller Welt
- Kategorie: Computer & Internet
Ring’s latest smart doorbell, the $99.99 Video Doorbell 2020, is a refresh of the original that we reviewed back in 2015. This time around it offers 1080p video (the original was 720p), improved audio, and a few new features including People Only motion detection, making it a significant upgrade over its predecessor. It also responds to Alexa voice commands and interacts with other smart devices using IFTTT applets, but it doesn't have dual-band Wi-Fi or support video pre-buffering (to capture what was happening before the motion sensor was triggered) like some of Ring's costlier models. And if you have existing wiring, our Editors’ Choice, the RemoBell S, offers a higher-resolution camera and free cloud storage for the same price.Design and FeaturesWith its Satin Nickel and glossy black finish (it’s also available in Venetian Bronze), the Ring Video Doorbell maintains the same design used by the original, the Video Doorbell 2, and the Video Doorbell 3 Plus. Measuring 4.9 by 2.4 by 1.1 inches (HWD), it’s bulkier than the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro (4.6 by 1.5 by 1.3 inches), but still a hair smaller than its more expensive sibling, the Video Doorbell 3 Plus (5.1 by 2.4 by 1.1 inches). The black top section of the device contains a camera and a microphone, while the silver bottom section holds the doorbell button, which is surrounded by an LED ring that flashes blue when the button is pressed. The bottom edge holds a speaker used for two-way communication and to sound the doorbell chime. There’s a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio under the hood. Whereas other Ring doorbells have removable battery packs, this one uses a non-removable rechargeable battery that is rated to last 6 to 12 months between charges (depending on usage). To charge it, you have to physically remove the entire device, bring it inside, and power it up using the included USB cable. However, you can also hard-wire it to your existing doorbell wire for continuous charging. The USB charging port, two wiring terminals, and a Setup button are all located on the back panel. The doorbell’s camera captures video at 1080p, has a 155-degree field of view, and uses infrared LEDs to capture black-and-white night video. It will begin recording video and send push alerts when the button is pressed or when it senses motion. If you have an Amazon Alexa device, it will tell you when the doorbell button has been pressed. As with all Ring cameras, you’ll have to subscribe to a Ring Protect Plan to access recorded video. At $3 per month/$30 per year, the Basic plan is reasonably priced and gives you 60 days of rolling storage, video sharing, and snapshot capture for a single device. If you own more than one Ring device, the $10 per month/$100 per year Plus plan gives you 60 days of storage for all of your devices, as well as professional monitoring if you own a Ring Alarm system. As with other Ring doorbells, the 2020 model works with Alexa voice commands and supports IFTTT applets that allow it to interact with third-party smart home devices. It also works with select Keikset, Schlage, and Yale smart locks, allowing you to lock and unlock your door from within the Ring app. That said, it lacks support for Google Assistant voice commands and doesn't work with Apple’s HomeKit platform.The 2020 Doorbell uses the same mobile app (for Android and iOS) as all other Ring devices. It opens to a Dashboard screen with Disarmed, Home, and Away buttons along the top. You can have the Doorbell’s Motion Detection and Live View enabled or disabled depending on the armed mode. Below these buttons are Neighbors and History panels. Tap the Neighbors panel to access Ring’s Neighbors feature, which lets you know of any criminal activities in your neighborhood, and use the History button to view a timeline of motion events from all your Ring devices. To view, delete, or download an event video, tap the event listing. At the bottom of the screen are panels for each individual Ring camera with a still image of the last recorded activity. Tap the Doorbell panel to launch a screen where you can view live video or scroll through the timeline to view video clips of motion and doorbell press events. There are buttons here for video forward, reverse, and pause, and there’s a share button for sharing the clip via Facebook, text message, or email. Or, you can tap the Notify Neighbors button to post clips to the Neighbors community portal.Tap the gear icon in the upper right corner to access the Doorbell’s settings. Here you can enable and disable alerts, notifications, and motion recording; view live video; and adjust mode, device, and motion settings. Motion settings include a wizard to help you select motion zones, a Motion Verification option that helps reduce unwanted notifications, and a scheduling option that lets you decide when you want to receive notifications. The new Smart Alerts setting lets you put the doorbell in People Only mode so you will only receive alerts when a human is detected. Other settings allow you to link the doorbell to different Ring devices to trigger recordings, check device health (battery level, signal strength, network connection), snooze motion alerts, and link the doorbell to an external chime.Installation and PerformanceInstalling the Video Doorbell couldn’t be easier. I already had a Ring account, but if this is your first Ring device, you’ll have to download the mobile app and create an account. I opened the app, tapped the three-bar icon in the upper left corner, and selected Set Up a Device. Following the on-screen instructions, I used my phone’s camera to scan the barcode included on the setup sheet and selected my home location for the installation. The next couple of screens provided instructions for mounting the doorbell and which screws to use, and then I was asked to name the device and press and release the orange button on the back of the doorbell. The LED ring began flashing white and a voice prompt told me to follow the instructions, so I pressed continue and connected the doorbell to my home Wi-Fi network. After a few seconds the device was added to my network, it was automatically discovered by Alexa, and it began a firmware update that took around five minutes to complete. I used the included screws to attach the mounting plate to my house siding, attached the doorbell onto the plate, configured motion settings, and the installation was finished. The doorbell performed well in testing. It never failed to respond to a button press and always recorded video and sent push alerts when the button was pressed or when motion was detected. The People Only mode did a good job of filtering out motion alerts from passing cards and windblown objects.The camera delivered sharp 1080p video with vibrant colors in our daytime tests, and black-and-white night video showed good contrast and sharp imagery out to around 20 feet. Two-way audio transmissions were clean and adequately loud, unlike the original model, which delivered garbled audio from time to time. I had no trouble viewing live video on an Amazon Echo Show device using Alexa voice commands, and my Alexa devices always informed my when the doorbell button was pressed. ConclusionsThe 2020 version of the Ring Video Doorbell is a solid choice for anyone seeking a smart doorbell camera that doesn't require wiring. It’s a snap to install, delivers sharp 1080p video, supports Alexa voice commands, and works with other smart devices via IFTTT applets. It doesn't have dual-band Wi-Fi or video pre-buffering like some of Ring's more advanced models, and you have to pay to view recorded video and remove the entire device to charge the battery, but at $99, this is still a good value. That said, if you don’t mind dealing with wiring, the RemoBell S offers a higher-resolution camera and free video storage for the same price, and it works with Google Assistant voice commands, so it remains our Editors’ Choice for affordable video doorbells. Ring Video Doorbell (2020) Specs Connectivity Wi-Fi Integration Amazon Alexa, IFTTT Notifications Push Field of View 155 degrees Resolution 1080p Storage Cloud Two-Way Audio Yes Mechanical Pan/Tilt No Night Vision Yes Alarm No Best Home Security Camera Picks Further Reading - Zugriffe: 115