Ring Door View Cam Review: The Newest Ring Smart Doorbell CES 2019
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Ring Door View Cam Review: The Newest Ring Smart Doorbell CES 2019
We were lucky enough to get a hands on tour with the New Ring Doorview Cam at CES 2019. The Ring Door View Cam is the Ring’s smart doorbell solution that can be installed in existing peep holes. The Door View Cam provides another great option for people to install a smart video doorbell without any wiring required.
Ring Door View Cam Review: What Can It Do?
The Ring Door View Cam has all of the same great features that the Ring lineup of doorbells are known for. It has live 1080 HD streaming video, motion detection and a doorbell button. The Ring Door View Cam can also be connected to Alexa or a Ring Wireless Chime to “Ring” like a doorbell or to an Echo Show and you can view the live video stream directly on your Echo Show. The Ring Door View Cam will also allow for 2 way communication from your phone through the Door View Cam and allows you to adjust motion detection zones just like Ring's other smart doorbells. With the Ring Door View Cam you will be able to have a live video feed of your front door on your cell phone even when your not home. You can also be alerted when someone presses the Ring Door View Cam doorbell and can use it like an intercom through your cell phone with whomever is at your front door. It’s great for knowing when you have an Amazon package delivered and checking up on your home while your at work or on vacation. Smart Doorbells like the Ring Door View Cam have been proven to be a great deterrent against package theft which makes the Ring Door View Cam a worthwhile investment.
If you choose the optional $3 per month Ring subscription plan you will get 60 days of cloud video storage for your doorbell cam. If you combine it with a Monitored Ring Security System which includes full live professional monitoring for $10 per month you get the 60 days cloud video storage included for free and don’t need to pay the $3 per month subscription for the Door View Cam on it’s own, it’s a great monthly value for monitored security and recorded cloud footage.
Related Post: How To Connect Your Ring Door View Cam to Alexa
Ring Door View Cam Review: CES 2019 Release of Ring Doorbell Features
Ring Door View Cam Review: Who is it best for?
If you don’t have an existing wired doorbell or you have a peep hole on your door the Ring Doorview Cam is a great smart doorbell option because it doesn’t require any wiring. You just take out your old peephole and slide the in the new Ring Door View Cam.
The Ring Door View Cam is fully battery powered so if your home or apartment isn’t equipped with an existing wired doorbell you don’t need to worry about the cost of hiring an electrician to run new wiring. Another nice feature of the Ring Door View Cam is that it is 100% removeable with no screw holes required. This means if you move it’s easy to take the Ring Door View Cam with you, just remove it and replace the it with the old peephole.
Related Post: Ring Security System Review
No only is the Ring Door View Cam a great option if your a homeowner and want to protect your front door but because it can easily be installed in any existing peephole the Ring Door View Cam is a great option for people who live in high rises or condos that didn’t have an option to wire a new doorbell or were restricted from doing so by the apartment or condo association, they can’t restrict you from upgrading your peep hole because it’s completely wireless you can do what you wish with the door to your unit.
Ring Door View Cam Review: Why We Like It?
We like the Ring Door View Cam because it’s obvious that Ring is focused on it’s customers and knows that providing just one type of smart home doorbell isn’t for everyone. Ring is taking customer feedback and designing new products based on customers needs and developing very specific solutions to fit different customers needs.
There are a few things that we think help the Ring Door View Cam stand out:
Battery Pack Located Inside The Door
The battery pack is located inside the door on the other side of the peephole. We like this because it provides easy access to recharge the battery when needed without even needing to open your front door. It makes it much more convenient to recharge the battery pack without the need to or outside or disassemble your doorbell. Also having the battery pack located inside should presumably make the battery last longer in cold weather climates because it will be exposed to the warm interior air of your home vs cold temperatures outside. Cold temperatures typically shorten battery life so keeping the battery indoors should help extend battery life.
If you don’t have any existing doorbell wiring, the Ring Door View Cam is a great option to get all the features of a smart doorbell without the hassle of wiring a new smart doorbell.
Back Side of Ring Door View Cam, Battery Pack and Interior View With Peep Hole
Ring Door View Cam Review: Front Door Location vs Mounted On Wall
We like that the door view cam is located on the front door rather than the wall for a few reasons. If you have a Brick wall it’s not that easy to drill into brick or grout to mount a smart doorbell. Because the Door View Cam Mount’s in the peephole location you don’t need to drill any new holes if you have an existing peephole. Just remove the old peephole and insert the Door View Cam.
Being able to install it without any new screw holes makes it a great option for renters who can install the doorbell in the peephole and take it with them to their next home when they leave all without needing to worry about charges from the landlord. Just install the old peephole and they’ll never know it was there.
Being located on the door also means that it’s going to have a great view of what’s right in front of your door, yes I know that sounds obvious but not everyone’s existing doorbell is mounted near their front door, a lot of people have their doorbells located on an adjacent wall which doesn’t provide a direct view of the front door but is off the side or has an angled view. Being Located at peephole height also means that it’s going to get a good view of peoples faces as they approach your front door.
The door mounted location of the Ring Door View Cam also offers another theoretical advantage that we haven’t tested yet but could be true. Having the doorbell located on the door rather than the wall could provide better wifi reception for the Ring Door View Cam because it doesn’t need to pass the wifi signal through a Brick, Concrete or Metal wall which typically reduce the wifi signal strength. Better wifi signal strength means better response times and overall performance for any smart doorbell device, so we hope this holds true for the Ring Door View Cam.
You Can Still Use The Peephole
If you don’t have your phone with you or are expecting a guest the Ring Door View Cam allows you to still use it’s built in Peephole so even if your network is down you can see through the peephole.
A View Down the Ring Door View Peephole. We couldn’t get a focused shot out of the camera but the view from the built in peephole was clearer than traditional peep holes.
Ring Door View Cam Review: Summary
The new Ring Door View Cam is a great option for people people with Peepholes that don’t want the hassle of wiring a new smart doorbell or don’t have the wiring for a hardwired doorbell. It’s clean lines and small format look great on any door. The Ring Door View Cam has all of the great features we’ve come to love with other Ring Smart Doorbells. We really like that the rechargeable battery pack is located inside the door to make battery changes quick and and effortless when needed. If you live in a home or condo without a doorbell or or you can’t attach anything to a wall this is one of the best options for securing your home and getting a great view of your front door. It’s also nice that if you don’t want to go all the way up to your door to see who is on the other side of the peephole you can view who’s at your front door from the safety of another room.
Ring Door View Cam Review: FAQ
Does the Ring Door View Cam Work With Alexa?
Yes, it works with Alexa which can be used as a chime or you can remotely view the live video feed on the Echo Show or Echo Spot. We teach you how to connect the Door View Cam to Alexa an another post here.
Does the Ring Door View Cam Need To Be Wired?
No, the Ring Door View Cam is powered by a rechargeable battery.
Can I install the Ring Door View Cam If I Don’t Have An Existing Peephole?
Yes, you will just need to drill a new hole to insert the camera through. We recommend drilling a 1/2” Hole. If your door is metal you should drill a small pilot hole first to help guide your drill through and prevent drill bit slippage. If the 1/2” hole is too tight, you can wiggle the drill bit in the hole to enlarge it enough to fit the Door view Cam through. This set of drill bits has everything you need to drill a hole through your door.
