Review: Ring Video Doorbell
I was recently given a Ring Video Doorbell (NZ $349) to review, and I was absolutely blown away. Just a bit of history with us – we live in Auckland, New Zealand and have been burgled three times. Once the house was ransacked, and twice our garage was broken into with things stolen. I have also had my car stolen and written off, and have had my current car broken into five times. Twice, I’ve caught people breaking into my car WHILE I WAS AT HOME.
My trust levels around property are LOW. So when I got offered the opportunity to review this, I jumped at it. I know it’s more expensive than my usual products that I review, but I truly believe something like this is important to have.
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THE PRODUCT:
Ring is a video doorbell that acts as a doorbell. It connects to your WIFI, and uses your mobile phone to notify you of visitors either by movement, or by them pressing the doorbell.
“Get instant alerts when visitors press your Doorbell or trigger the built-in motion sensors. Then use the free Ring app to see, hear and speak to guests from your smartphone, tablet or PC” – taken from the Ring website.
Jamie Siminoff essentially invented this Ring Video Doorbell for his wife – she needed the convenience and security of being able to safely answer the door from anywhere. She said “It’s like caller ID for the front door”.
The doorbell has it’s own battery (which is rechargeable), or you can also choose to hardwire it. You can either replace an existing doorbell (watch this video) or if you don’t have any existing wiring, you’d need to get a electrician to install wiring.
There is a Cloud Video Recording service that you can pay to store all the “events” that occur; so you can review, save and share your videos any time you choose.
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MY EXPERIENCE:
Obviously I was keen to try this out, as we haven’t had much luck with our property. The setup was very easy – Phil did it with no troubles at all; although our door didn’t have much of an edge to it, so we ended up installing it slightly forward (see photo).
You can adjust the motion detection area to be closer or further from the doorbell, depending on your surroundings. I think ours is set to about 20 feet, but it goes as far as 30 feet.
Any time any movement is detected, it alerts me on my phone (sometimes my cats set it off, but not often). I can then choose to look out the window, or access the camera direct from my phone.
When the doorbell is pressed, it rings on my phone, and I can either answer it and chat to the person outside, or just simply answer the door.
I was at Kmart (LOL) and a courier came and I was able to talk to him using the Ring app. It was bloody fantastic.
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MY RECOMMENDATION
If you have the money, and a need for a system like this, then I do highly recommend it. It is worth noting though that there is an additional expense to get the recording server service (minimum $45 per year). You do not have to get this service, it is optional; however for us it is something we have gotten for peace of mind.
There are other accessories you can also buy, like an indoor chime (which is separate from your phone).
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WHERE TO BUY:
You can buy direct from Ring.com, or from in-store at Noel Leeming, Harvey Norman or Mitre 10. The Ring Video Doorbell retails at $349.
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MY NOTES:
I was not paid to write this post, but I was given a Ring Doorbell to review. All opinions and words are my own – I do love this doorbell!!!
Follow me on Snapchat (happymumnz) to see it in action.
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