Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 review: an ideal solution
Yes, the doorbell is not cheap to purchase. In this Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 review, however, we explain why it is definitely worth your purchase.
More and more smart doorbells are coming onto the market. Ring is one of the best-known providers in this field. The American company regularly introduces new products. We got to work on the brand new Video Doorbell Pro 2 for a review. Because is this a gimmick or does it really add something?
The name Video Doorbell Pro 2 contains the word professional. In our case, we also applied the doorbell professionally. The device was installed on one of our business premises. With a suggested retail price of 249 euros for the wired version, it is not a cheap purchase. However, also see this Ring as a security camera and you kill two birds with one stone.
For our review of the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2, we received a wired copy. The wireless variant will follow in May this year. The advantage of the wired version is that it has a continuous power supply. So you don’t have to worry about a battery or something like that. It is a more permanent solution and it takes a little more work to connect it properly.
The reason why this product is more than just a smart doorbell has to do with the quality of the camera. This is 1536p HD video. The lens has a wide angle, so you can observe a lot of the environment. Via the app you can set the area when the Ring should give you a notification. Any arbitrary movement on the entire image will therefore not come in as a notification, unless you set this yourself of course. Not only do you see what is happening in front of the doorbell, but it is also immediately a security camera.
You can always watch the situation live via the Ring app. The quality is very good. Even in conditions when it is dark outside. Our tip, make sure you have an outdoor lamp in the area. If there is movement in the dark and the outdoor lamp comes on, you immediately have a much sharper image. The Ring app has an administrator and can link other users to the doorbell. In our case, these are other users of the business premises. In the case of a house, you can link roommates.
The smart aspect of the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 is not only the fact that you can see who is at your door, but that you can pair the doorbell with other devices. For example, the door is compatible with Alexa. Amazon’s voice assistant notifies you when the doorbell rings. Handy if your smartphone is not nearby.
Motion recordings are automatically saved in the cloud. You do not need to take out an extra subscription for this. These are short recordings of 30 seconds. If another movement is detected, a new recording will follow. You can view and download these recordings via the Ring app for offline use. If you want more features, you need to purchase the Ring Protect Plan. For 3 euros per month you can store unlimited Ring images in the cloud for 30 days and there are no restrictions.
Other well-known functions of a Ring product also work with the Video Doorbell Pro 2. For example, respond via your smartphone if someone is at your door and you are not present. You can simply communicate with the person standing at the door using your smartphone’s microphone.
Contents
Ring in the car
Autoblog.nl Editor-in-chief Michael Ras also noticed something. When he checks the Ring app in his car, Ring automatically starts a conversation. This also applies to the car’s speakers, because the smartphone is connected to the car. In this case a MINI Cooper from 2020. The conversation cannot be ended, which makes it impossible to operate the Ring app from the car.
I have an Audi S3 myself and have not had any problems with this. The Ring app works fine when the smartphone is connected to the car. This can therefore differ per car.
Ring Chime
All right, you have a Ring video doorbell and suddenly the neighbors have one too. And the other neighbors too. Everyone has the same iconic Ring tone when the doorbell rings. Ooh, that’s frustrating. You can’t just set a different ringtone. For that you need to purchase the Ring Chime. This accessory costs 35 euros. It is immediately an amplifier of your doorbell. Not a lot of money, but annoying that this is necessary to change the ringtone of your doorbell.
Setting up a Chime is just as simple, if not simpler, as setting up the video doorbell itself. You add this device within the Ring app and the doorbell and Chime find each other within the network. Then choose a ringtone and you’re done.
Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 Review – Conclusion
We have been using the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 in our business premises for several weeks now. I think I can rightly speak, also on behalf of the other users in the company building, that we no longer want to do without it. The quality of the camera is really great and it is very useful to know what activities are happening in front of your door when you are not present yourself. Especially from a safety point of view. The doorbell isn’t as flashy as a security camera, but it functions on a comparable level. Two birds with one stone, as we already described. A smart doorbell and security camera in one for 249 euros. And then the purchase of the Video Doorbell Pro 2 is not so exorbitant. The disadvantage is that you have to purchase a separate Chime to, for example, change the ringtone.
Pros
- Clear picture
- Easy to install
- App easy to use
Negatives
- Buy chime separately to change ringtone
- Automatically start a conversation when opening Ring in the car
- Sometimes a slow connection
