Over a decade ago, Ring took a familiar device that we all knew—the doorbell—and turned it on its head to be more useful and practical. Since then, Ring has refined and built on the original concept of the video doorbell, launching a range of options offering innovative features.
Want to learn more about the Ring Video Doorbell? Here’s everything you need to know.
What is the Ring Video Doorbell?
The Ring Video Doorbell provides an extra layer of security at your home’s front door, offering peace of mind and an enhanced doorbell experience.
Ring Video Doorbells have a built-in camera that allows you to see a live video feed of what’s happening at your front door at any given moment. The doorbell’s sensors can also alert you when motion is detected at your front door, and with the Ring app, you can adjust Motion Zones and its sensitivity to your liking.
Certain models of Ring Video Doorbells are compatible with the existing doorbell chime in your home to alert you when someone rings the doorbell. When someone presses the doorbell button, you’ll also receive a notification on your mobile device from the Ring app. Even if you are not home, as long as the device is connected to the internet, you’ll always know when someone is at the door. Using features in the Ring app like Live View and Two-Way Talk you can easily have a conversation with whoever is at your door, no matter where you are. Ring Video Doorbells also work with Alexa—meaning they can be integrated into your other smart home devices.
One of the best things about Ring Video Doorbells is that they’re easy to install—and you can do it yourself. They’re also compatible with nearly any home, thanks to different types of power options including battery-powered models and wired models that, in many cases, can simply be installed using your current doorbell wiring.
The Ring app
All Ring Video Doorbells work with the Ring app, which offers centralized control for all your Ring devices.
Easily customize things like Motion Zones, to only detect the events in areas that matter to you, like setting the camera to not trigger a recording when it detects motion on the street or sidewalk. And, with a Ring Protect subscription, you can see and review event history timeline of captured footage.
The Ring app also has a feature called Neighbors, which is a way for those in your community to interact with each other. Commonly, the app is used to share information about lost pets, help others in case of emergency, stay in touch with people in your area, and more.
Ring Home (formerly Ring Protect)
You can unlock even more features on your Ring Video Doorbell with Ring’s revamped subscription service, Ring Home (formerly Ring Protect). Ring Home is designed to help you see more, know more, and protect more with new features, including 24/7 Recording, Video Preview Alerts, Extended Live View, Continuous Live View, and Doorbell Calls, with more to come.
Ring Home includes three plan tiers, and they are priced the same as Ring Protect: Home Basic ($4.99/month), Home Standard ($9.99/month), and Home Premium ($19.99/month). As for the new features, 24/7 Recording is included in Home Premium, Video Preview Alerts is included in Home Basic, Standard, and Premium, Extended Live View is included in Home Standard, Continuous Live View is included in Home Premium, and Doorbell Calls is included in Home Standard and Premium. Additionally, you can now individually add services like Virtual Security Guard or Alarm Professional Monitoring (priced separately) to a Ring Home Standard or Ring Home Premium plan to tailor and enhance your home security experience.
Safe to say, there’s a Ring Home plan for everyone.
Smart Video Search
We’re always adding new features to help improve the Ring experience. Smart Video Search is a new AI feature that makes it simple for you to find specific moments in your Ring video history.
Smart Video Search uses Visual Language Modeling (VLM) to match text to images and quickly deliver results. Instead of scrolling through your video footage to figure out why the garbage cans are knocked over or what time your kids arrived home from school, you can type queries directly into your Ring app to quickly pinpoint the right moment.
Smart Video Search helps keep you close to the things that matter, like your family, pets, home, business, or personal interests, like wildlife, and it can help you answer everyday questions, like when the kids got home from school. The feature is first available in public beta for Ring Home Premium subscribers.
Ring Video Doorbell models
Ring offers eight different video doorbells, so you can find the model that’s best for your needs.
Wired Doorbells:
- Video Doorbell Wired
The Ring Video Doorbell Wired includes all the essentials—HD video, Advanced Motion Detection, Two-Way Talk, and more. And, it’s one of Ring’s most affordable products, starting at an impressive $64.99. - Video Doorbell Pro
The Ring Video Doorbell Pro adds more advanced features. With the Video Doorbell Pro, you’ll get 1080p HD video with Color Night Vision, along with built-in Alexa Greetings, with a Ring Protect subscription, and a slim, stylish design that will look great outside any door. - Video Doorbell Pro 2
The Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 lets you see even more of what’s happening at your door with Head-to-Toe Video and 1536p HD+ resolution. Video Doorbell Pro 2 also brings advanced features like radar-powered Bird’s Eye Zones which works with your camera's motion zones to deliver more precise alerts and Audio+ to help you hear what’s happening more distinctly, with crisp, clear sound and noise cancellation. - Video Doorbell Elite
The Ring Video Doorbell Elite is a professional-grade, flush-mount video doorbell hardwired with Power over Ethernet. This doorbell requires advanced DIY skills or professional installation. Power over Ethernet gives you the most reliable connection, allowing you to stay online and maintain power.
Battery Doorbells:
- Battery Doorbell The Battery Doorbell is the latest version of Ring's best-selling Video Doorbell (2nd Gen), and offers Head-to-Toe Video and the essential features you would expect, like Motion Detection, Night Vision, and Quick Replies.
- Video Doorbell 4
The Video Doorbell 4 builds upon the features of Video Doorbell (2nd Gen) to support enhanced dual-band Wifi and Color Pre-Roll which captures motion four seconds before a motion event is triggered giving you a more complete view of what’s happening outside your door. - Battery Doorbell Plus
Ring’s newest doorbell, Battery Doorbell Plus, brings some of Rings most advanced features like Head-to-Toe Video and 1536p HD resolution to the battery doorbell lineup. With this expanded view, Ring Protect features like Package Detection, with a Ring Protect subscription, become even more useful, so you can see when a delivery has been left on your doorstep. - Peephole Cam
Ring Peephole Cam brings the power of Ring to apartments, condos, townhomes, and more. With easy installation in place of an existing compatible peephole, you’ll know what’s happening at your front door no matter where you are. The device features an 1080p HD camera, night vision, Two-Way Talk, and knock and motion detection.
Of course, Ring offers a ton of other great smart security products too, including indoor and outdoor security cameras, a Car Cam, Ring Alarm, smart lighting, and more. You can find all of Ring’s security products on the Ring website.
