Ring Video Doorbell Battery 2024 Version Review

Ring Video Doorbell Battery 2024 Version Review

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Takeaway: Decent video and audio quality, but requires a subscription to use all its features.

You’ll receive the doorbell camera, mounting plate, mounting hardware, USB-C charging cable, removal tool, disclosure sticker, and installation and warranty guides. The doorbell unit measures 2-3/8” wide, 5” tall and ¾” thick. The 2024 version has a 1440p HD resolution camera that records in a 1:1 ratio and produces square video footage. The doorbell push button surrounded by an LED ring status light. The black plastic on top houses the motion and light sensors as well as infrared night vision lights while the lower section is made from rust-proof and durable aluminum. At the bottom is the 2-way speaker, so you can interact with the person in front of the camera. To its right, this notch marks where you’ll need to insert the removal tool to dethatch the doorbell from its mount.

At the back of the device, you’ll find the USB-C charging port, QR code for device setup, and behind the orange sticker are the terminal screws for wired power when connected to a doorbell transformer. The orange button above is the setup button. The plastic wall plate has a cutout for the wires and 4 screw holes for mounting; there are two tabs at the top, and an orange release button on the bottom. The doorbell snaps in quickly and easily and can be removed be inserting the removal tool or a small flathead screwdriver into the slot on the bottom. Before setup, be sure to plug in and charge the device fully with the included cable, though note that it doesn’t come with a USB wall adapter. When charging, the blue LED around the push button will flash to indicate the charge level and the ring will be completely lit when the battery is full.

To setup up the doorbell, you’ll need to download and install the Ring mobile app and follow the instructions in the app to install and connect it to your WiFi network for configuration and remote monitoring. There are a number of optional features like device sharing with other household or Ring users, linking other Ring devices like security cameras and motion sensors, connect an existing doorbell chime, optimizing the motion sensor in the doorbell, and setting up armed/disarmed modes as a security or privacy feature.

When you purchase and setup a new Ring camera, it includes a 30-day free trial of a Ring Protect Plus Plan unless you're a current subscriber. With it, you receive 180 days of recording history, event summaries, discounts, multi-cam live view, and smart alerts. Ring products integrate with Alexa enabled speakers to unlock features like voice commands, audio notifications, and Amazon Key In-Garage Delivery. With a Protect Plus Plan every live view session will also automatically be recorded. Videos and snapshots within your history interval will be stored on the cloud where you can download them at any time while you have an active subscription. Without a plan, you’ll only be able to watch live view of the doorbell and respond to motion and doorbell notifications when they happen in real-time, but video is not recorded or saved.

The camera features a head-to-toe, wide field-of-view with color night vision. The visible image in the app is circular with a slight fisheye effect allowing you to view nearly straight down to the area beneath the doorbell. If desired, there are wedges sold separately that you can use to tilt the camera to face a different angle. At night, the night vision infrared lights create a black and white image that is as bright, detailed, and clear as daytime footage. Optionally, you can enable color night vision which adds color to the image, though note that this will not retroactively add color to previously recorded nighttime video with the setting turned off. When someone is standing in front of the doorbell camera, in live view you can use 2-way talk to communicate through the app and the unit’s built-in microphone. Audio quality is good, and you can generally hear and understand conversations in front of and directed at the doorbell. The speaker quality on the doorbell is also pretty loud and clear so your visitor should have no trouble hearing you.

Overall, the 2024 iteration of the Ring Battery Doorbell is a decent smart doorbell camera with good audio and video quality but requires a subscription to get the most out of it. As a doorbell, all of my Alexa speakers become chimes, and I don’t have to run any wires. However, I can always convert it to be permanently powered by wire if I don’t want to periodically take the doorbell down to charge. The amount of time the batteries last will depend on your settings, ambient temperature, and how often video is recorded or the camera is accessed and for how long; on average the battery life of mine decreases by about 2% each day and it needs to be charged once every 2 months.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned
Buy it at Amazon: Ring Video Doorbell Battery 2024 Version [Affiliate Link]