Ring
 

Anyone else use a Ring Wi-Fi doorbell? This is the first piece of tech I've purchased that works perfectly. It is a doorbell with built in camera, Wi-Fi, motion sensor and an iOS and Android app. Someone rings the bell, and my device alerts me. It also records the motion. The unit is well made, and can run off batteries for up to 6 months, or off hardwired. It also has an optional plugin "chime".

At $199, it is one heck of a pricey doorbell, but I love mine, and it helps me stay connected when I'm on the road.

looked at it. I have serious doubts about the battery life in a northern climate. Temps under 40F would probably kill the thing quickly.

It is rated up to -5F. Thankfully, not many people come to my door when it gets much colder than that :D

I don't know if it is the same one, but one of my neighbor has a camera in his doorbell. There was one night in back in June or May, his door bell would ring in the middle of night for a few nights in a row. He got pictures of all the kids from the local high school and got all of them.

ScottC: What are the power options for Ring? I see on Amazon that it can hook into existing wiring, but I'm wondering what voltage is required?

Essentially any existing bell power will work 8-24V.

In Michigan we have days below -5F, but I'm wondering whether the exterior of my house wall would ever get that cold.

What's the use case again?

Notifications when packages have arrived
Video of people stealing said packages
2 way intercom remotely when you are not home
Video when the kids arrive home safely

etc...

If you can't think of a use case, then it isn't for you.

I looked at this with my co-worker--he ended up purchasing one. The major drawback I had with it is there's no way to call back/intercom TO the door bell.

So if someone presses the doorbell and you don't have your phone within arms reach, but maybe in the same room, its possible for the alert to time out and there's no way to talk to the person at the door. Similarly, if you hear something outside and wanted to use the doorbell's camera to get a quick view, it's not possible to initiate a connection from your phone.

Disappointed that I can't supply my own storage for the captured video, nor download it from their cloud service (for which there is an added yearly cost).

It's a neat idea, but there will be additional options flooding the market before long. I'm sure one or more of them will address these shortcomings.

I can wait until then.

There are multiple other options, like Skybell, but this is the first one I tested that actually works reliably.

I agree that having to pay for the cloud storage is a bit disappointing, but the $3/month isn't too rough.

I'm more concerned with the inaccessibility of the video through anything other than streaming it to the phone app in the event the device records something legally significant.

Reliability is certainly important, but there's nothing novel or inherently unreliable (or even particularly expensive) about the individual components that go into this thing. Ring has, for the moment, the advantage of binding them together with software support that provides a great UX. It's an advantage that, for the cult of "good enough," won't last forever.

Like wi-fi security cameras, you'll see similar devices at 1/2 the price within the year. Those will likely support 3rd party storage solutions as well as the notification and 2-way communication options of Ring. Ring may remain a superior product, but I doubt they'll be able to maintain the premium price point.

My 4 year old Foscam cameras support 2-way audio and motion sensing notification, but in a manner that isn't particularly useful for highly interactive use. It's great to see that functionality evolving.

Ah, I see where my disconnect is. I live in a multi-unit dwelling so no one actually rings the doorbell of my actual unit. And I'm not going to upgrade the building intercom system for the building's front door. :)

That said, my building would love to have the ability to let the UPS delivery person leave packages inside the foyer.

Thanks, Scott!

Yes. Yes it would.