Ring has been responsible for a range of doorbell iterations and cameras alike over the past few years, best known for their reliable quality and ease of use. While there are many ways to work around a security setup for your home, the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro takes many previously exclusive premium features and packs them into a more classic form factor at a reasonable price.
While nothing blew us away here in terms of innovation, this latest doorbell is a relatively safe bet, providing solid quality video and audio, even if some lingering, yet minor issues remain.
Design
The Battery Doorbell Pro sticks with the rather standard design that many of the doorbells have gone with over the years, and I’m fine with it. It’s slim and discrete enough that it’s not clashing with any awkward entryways and doorsteps. That being said, the silver plastic casing that houses the battery is a little flimsy, but this is only noticeable when popping it on and off to remove and charge the battery.
It also comes with a small 15-degree wedge, which allows the camera to tilt to one side, should this be put further out than you would like. While we’ll get to the overall lens and quality in just a second, it’s worth noting this small accessory saved the day for my particular setup.
The only real gripe I had with the experience in terms of its design was the overall setup itself. The Battery Doorbell Pro suggests it can be set up in around 5-10 minutes, but that’s predicated on having a drill at the very least and a masonry drill bit, should you need to drill into brick and mortar like I did. A non-screw-in mount can be purchased with the doorbell via the Ring website, but this does not come included as standard. Overall, the Battery Doorbell Pro is a safe bet in terms of its, even if it pretty much retains the exact look of its older doorbells.
Performance
As far as quality goes, there’s not much to complain about. That 1536p HD+ head-to-toe video provides solid image quality during the day and decent night footage that will spot anyone and their facial features near your door without the lights on.
The included radar 3D Motion Detection is simply fantastic and can even be used to create a Bird’s Eye Zone of your doorstep and surrounding features that can be used to track exactly where visitors walk within that designated area. While activity zones can be adjusted and customised via the Ring app, it adds a layer of versatility many would appreciate, if they didn’t have access to security cameras nearby.
In terms of battery life, the Battery Doorbell Pro offers up to 6-12 months of battery life, although that can vary based on activity. While you can’t necessarily control how busy your doorstep is on any given day, there are ways to preserve battery life, which can make a huge difference.
Users can access the Ring app to assign activity zones, which will only detect motion within a designated area. While I’ve only had this set up for a few days, my view of the doorstep can also see the footpath and street behind it. While this admittedly wasn’t detecting everyone that passed by, tailoring this zone to catch just the doorstep made a difference, and toned down those notifications in the process.
When someone is at the door, users can take advantage of two-way talk with Audio+, which essentially helps to minimise any background noise like wind for example, bringing out the clarity of the voices outside. It works well, and I got clear audio from guests standing almost a meter away from the unit itself.
It also allows you to take advantage of dedicated Person and Package Alerts via the paid Ring Protect plan, in which the doorbell can detect when a particular person or package is in front of it. Unfortunately, as couriers were leaving packages right under the doorbell itself, it was pretty hit-and-miss for me.
Like most of the Ring Doorbell options, it doesn’t come included with a Chime, unless you choose to buckle one in via the website. The lack of a Chime means you’ll have to rely on your phones around the house or take advantage of existing Amazon Alexa devices like the Echo speaker range for example. It’s not really a gripe, so much as Ring choosing to stick to the course.
Software
The dedicated Ring companion app is as easy to access and view the doorbell as it is, to access a live feed of your front door with a free account. That being said, most of those essential and popular features lie behind the paid Ring Protect plans, which essentially allow you to skim through up to 180 days of events triggered by motion detection and save them via cloud storage.
It’s a great way to utilise the doorbell as a dedicated security camera of sorts and can be integrated with all your Ring devices at any given time. While you do get 30 days of Ring Protect for free, you’ll be made aware of just how important these features are once they’re no longer available.
But beyond this, you can still use the Ring app to tailor notifications and the way they are delivered, assigning the doorbell to negate notification detections and only respond to interactions when the bell is pressed for example. You can also access and customise linked Chimes and devices and monitor device health and battery life, in addition to tailoring activity zones as previously mentioned.
It’s easy enough to navigate, although the settings button is tucked away at the corner of each camera’s feed, which took me longer than I would admit to find. But after that, it’s relatively easy, and as handy as you would expect when looking to get the most out of the Battery Doorbell Pro.
Verdict & Value
If you can get past the older design and standard screw-in-plate, there’s a solid doorbell on offer here in the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro. From the easy-to-use software and customisation options on offer down the track, it’s easy enough to recommend as a strong follow-up in the long-running lineup of Ring products.
While the lack of a dedicated Chime and reliance on the Ring Protect plans can hold it back from its true potential right out of the box, its solid video and audio quality make this a safe bet for new and existing users alike.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Easy to use and access, Great video and audio quality; Solid battery life
Lowlights: Needs drill for standard setup, Ring Protect plan required for full benefits
Manufacturer: Ring
Price: A$349
Available: Now
Review based on unit supplied by Ring.
