A video doorbell is a great investment if you want to add surveillance to your front door, back door, or another entrance. These plug-and-play components are designed for quick and easy installation and are made by many reputable brands, although there’s one doorbell name that tends to collect the lion’s share of the glory: Ring.
Owned by Amazon, the Ring Video Doorbell lineup offers some of the best smart security products in the business. Features like advanced motion detection, long-lasting battery power (on select models), and two-way audio are just some of the staples you can expect from a Ring doorbell, and there are several models to choose from. Whether you’re wiring your new doorbell, or plan on using battery power, this list of the best Ring Video Doorbell products will help you get started.
Find the best Ring video doorbell
Ring Battery Doorbell Plus
Perfect balance of price and features
Ring’s premier midrange offering won’t break the bank but provides a high-res 1536 x 1536 feed, and you’ll be able to see packages at a glance due to its 1:1 ratio video. It also has improved connectivity with dual-band Wi-Fi and full-color night vision video, so you can pretend you’re Bruce Wayne in the Batcave.
- Not as pricey as premium options
- High resolution
- 1:1 video to easily see packages
- Lacks features of more expensive models
Ring’s Battery Doorbell Plus takes the top spot not because it’s the fanciest or most fully-featured option in Ring’s lineup, but because it strikes a balance between the two. The Plus costs less than half of Ring’s most expensive doorbells (and it’s often on sale) while still providing all the essential features you want from a video doorbell.
It even outperforms in some areas, like its 1536×1536 resolution, so crisp you can see every feature on the Google Fiber salesperson’s face. In addition, its 1:1 video ratio gives you a broader view of your porch, which makes it easy to spot packages. It also records in full color even when night vision is enabled, a feature shared only by the most expensive Ring doorbells. Plus, it works across both 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands.
Ring Battery Doorbell Plus review: A porch pirate’s nightmare
A good doorbell that’s most useful if you get lots of deliveries
For the fashion-conscious or anyone concerned with curb appeal, the Plus offers customizable faceplates, so you can match them to your home’s aesthetic. It’s also compatible with faceplates from previous models, so if you’re upgrading and prefer the look of an older doorbell, you can swap them out (or get festive and pick a doorbell faceplate for each season, as Ring offers holiday faceplates alongside its more traditional replacements). While the Plus is battery-operated by default, it also comes with cables if you want to hardwire it. There’s also a security screw to prevent people from tampering with or stealing it.
Ring Video Doorbell Elite
Perfect if looks are everything
The Elite is Ring’s most expensive and fully featured doorbell. It’s designed to sit flush with whatever surface it’s mounted on, so it is relatively inconspicuous and will blend in with the front of your home. It’s got an extremely reliable Ethernet connection, HD video with infrared night vision, and is highly customizable via the Ring app.
- HD video with infrared night camera
- Sits flush
- Ethernet connection
- Expensive
- Complicated installation
If you’ve spent a fortune on a gorgeous new home, townhouse, or condo, the last thing you want to do is spoil the aesthetic with a clunky, boxy doorbell. Enter the Ring Video Doorbell Elite, an expensive option for when looks are more important than cost-effectiveness. The main selling point of the Elite is its ability to sit flush with whatever surface it’s mounted on, making it appear like an intentional, integrated design rather than an add-on. However, keep in mind that the flush installation requires standard doorbell wiring, which means installation is more complicated. But on the upside, this also means you’ll never have to deal with batteries or charging a battery pack/built-in battery.
Of course, the premium features don’t stop with appearance. There’s also 1080p video with full-color infrared night vision, a host of options for connectivity with other Ring devices through the Ring app (and customizable motion settings/schedules), and, most importantly, an Ethernet connection to ensure peak reliability and the fastest possible speeds for transferring video or connecting to your phone.
Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Gen)
Basic doesn’t mean bad
The second generation of Ring’s Video Doorbell is an improvement over the original. It has sharp 1080p video, motion detection, night vision, a rechargeable battery built into the chassis, customizable privacy zones, and other features. These all make it a worthy (and inexpensive) successor for anyone who doesn’t want to spend a pile of cash on their video doorbell.
- HD video
- Motion detection
- Night vision
- Spotty Wi-Fi
Not everyone wants to spend a bucket of cash getting the prettiest-looking, best-integrated doorbell in Ring’s catalog, and that’s where the second-gen of their standard Video Doorbell comes in. For a fraction of the price of the Elite, the basic Doorbell offers HD video and many other features of the more expensive choices, including night vision and motion detection. It also has a rechargeable battery built directly into the unit, so you don’t need to worry about complicated installation or constantly swapping out third-party batteries.
However, to some extent, you get what you pay for with Ring’s simplest model. For example, some customers have reported spotty Wi-Fi, likely because the Ring relies on an antiquated 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz connection, which can suffer if the unit is installed too far from the network source. While later generations have dual-band support, the second-gen model still offers the same important features and can be found at bargain-basement prices.
Ring Wired Doorbell Plus
The artist once known as the Video Doorbell Pro
The Ring Wired Doorbell Plus is one of the brand’s less-frills doorbell options, but that’s only because this awesome surveillance product doesn’t support Bird’s Eye View and Head-to-Toe Video. As long as you don’t need a battery, the Wired Doorbell Plus is an easy choice.
- Terrific video quality
- Dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity
- Pre-roll video previews
- Missing some advanced features
- No battery option
Formerly known as the Ring Video Doorbell Pro, the Ring Wired Doorbell Plus is a terrific option for those looking to hardwire their Ring doorbell. One of the greatest benefits is the device’s dual-band connectivity, which lets you pair the doorbell to 2.4GHz or 5GHz Wi-Fi networks. This is particularly beneficial for households that are constantly feeding large amounts of bandwidth to one network band over the other.
Color Night Vision and HDR are some noteworthy picture features, along with the ability to record in sharp, colorful 1080p HD. This improves live view footage and event recordings, and good HDR clarity may be the difference between identifying an intruder’s face and blurry, close-up details.
You’ll have everything you need to install the Wired Doorbell Plus in the box, including wire extensions. Once in place, download and launch the Ring App to set up your Wired Doorbell Plus.
Ring Battery Doorbell Pro
The best battery or no-battery option
The Ring Battery Doorbell Pro may be the new kid in town, but it brings some awesome Ring doorbell features to the table, including Bird’s Eye View and Head-to-Toe video.
- Excellent features and customizations
- Quick and simple setup
- Solid battery life
- No USB-C charge port
- Not compatible with Google Assistant
The Ring Battery Doorbell Pro is one of the most impressive battery-powered doorbells the company has ever produced, and it’s far less expensive than the flagship Video Doorbell Elite. Featuring a 150-degree field of view, the camera provides a wide vantage at whatever location it’s placed.
You’ll be able to choose between battery power or a hardwired installation, and in our own hands-on review, we found you can get up to two months on a single charge. Not too shabby! Unfortunately, your recharge method is microUSB, which isn’t the end of the world, but USB-C is far faster.
Ring Battery Doorbell Pro review: Fancy features, dated design
It boasts radar to track people’s footsteps, and can keep an eye on packages for you, too
This Ring doorbell also includes the amazing Bird’s Eye View feature, which uses radar tracking to compile an aerial map of where front door visitors come from and the path he/she took to walk up to your doorbell. We also found in our review that the installation was quick and easy and that the Wired Doorbell Plus’ video quality was rock solid.
Ring Video Doorbell Wired
Batteries are for losers
Ring’s Video Doorbell offers HD video, night vision, motion detection, and real-time notifications, and it’s wired, so there’s no recharging required. This option is ideal for those who have existing doorbell wiring. But with all the desirable features, adding a hook-up might not be a bad idea if you don’t have one.
- 1080p video
- Night vision
- No battery required
- Requires doorbell wiring
- More involved installation
If you don’t mind a little DIY installation or paying someone to do it for you — and if you have doorbell wiring in place — the Ring Video Doorbell Wired is a good choice. It features almost all the appealing goodies that come with the wireless version without the irritation of charging and replacing batteries. It has the same 1080p, HD video, night vision, motion detection, app support, live notifications, and Wi-Fi connectivity that come with the Ring Video Doorbell, but it draws power directly from your home or the grid, so it’s much more of a “set it and forget it” model than Ring’s battery-powered options.
Bear in mind that the wiring is only for power. Unlike the Elite, there’s no Ethernet connection in the Ring Video Doorbell Wired, so the same caveat about spotty Wi-Fi connection over larger distances applies to the wireless Doorbell. The Wi-Fi is also only across the 2.4GHz band, so there’s the possibility of interference or spotty connectivity, particularly if the doorbell is some distance from your router/hot spot.
Ring Peephole Cam
The one your landlord won’t complain about
The Peephole Cam is designed with apartment and condo dwellers in mind, a great fit for anyone without a lot of outdoor wall space to install a video doorbell. It comes with nearly all the features of Ring’s other mid-range video doorbells, including 1080p HDR video, motion sensing, and two-way audio, but it can also be used as a traditional peephole.
- Easy to install
- Designed to fit on doors
- Works as traditional peephole
- Slight barrel distortion
If you don’t want to commit to one of the wall-mounted options, don’t want to fuss with wires, and especially if you live in an apartment or condo with limited access, the Peephole Cam is the model for you. It supports nearly all the features that the wall-mounted options do — the expected 1080p HDR video, motion sensing, two-way audio, and smart alerts — but the Peephole Cam can also be used as a traditional peephole. Installation is relatively simple as there’s no wiring involved, but note that the Peephole Cam is only compatible with standard-size peepholes ranging from 1/2 inches to 9/16 inches (12 mm to 14 mm) and door thicknesses ranging from 1.3 to 2.2 inches (34 mm to 55 mm).
The only other caveat here is that, like the view through an actual peephole, the Peephole Cam suffers from the sort of fish-eye effect you get from a rounded lens. Other than that, it’s a no-brainer upgrade from your old-school peeking option if you’re looking to enter the smart home era of video doorbells and don’t want to annoy your landlord.
Ring Wired Doorbell Pro
Many of Ring’s best features, minus battery power
For advanced features like Head-to-Toe HD+ video, 3D motion detection, and Bird’s Eye View mapping, the Ring Wired Doorbell Pro should be an immediate go-to for most home and business owners.
- Excellent HD footage
- 3D motion detection and Bird’s Eye View
- Built-in Alexa Greetings
- No optional battery
- Pricier than most Ring doorbells
The rebranded Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 is now the Ring Wired Doorbell Pro. Is there anything different, performance-wise, between these two names? Nope! You just need to know that if you were once shopping for the Video Doorbell Pro 2, you’ll now need to look for the Wired Doorbell Pro. All specs, features, and cosmetics are exactly the same. So now that we’ve made that clear, exactly how good is the Wired Doorbell Pro anyway?
Well in our opinion, it’s Ring’s best wired doorbell product. For $250, it’s also one of the company’s most expensive peripherals, but with the premium cost comes advanced features, including 3D motion detection and Bird’s Eye View mapping, Head-to-Toe HD+ video, built-in Alexa Greetings, and that’s only scratching the surface.
The initial installation may take you a bit longer than a Ring doorbell with an optional battery, but if you’ve got the doorbell wiring to use, it’s totally worth it. Not only will you be able to integrate the Wired Doorbell Pro with your existing chime, but you also won’t have to worry about recharging it.
Put a Ring on it (your house, that is)
Not all Ring video doorbells are created equal (as you can see), but several common features are shared across these devices. Sharp, colorful HD picture is one accolade, as is the ability to initiate a two-way conversation between yourself (using the Ring App) and the person at the door.
Generally speaking, most households will enjoy the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus’ performance and numerous capabilities. For less than $200, you get full-color nighttime footage, dual-band connectivity, and the ability to swap faceplates as you see fit.
If you’ve been saving for a while, consider the Ring Video Doorbell Elite. As the premium pick, this flagship device is designed to sit flush with the exterior of your home or business, which also means the Elite requires a hardwired installation. And unlike other Ring products, the Elite can even be connected via Ethernet to your router, for the absolute-best internet performance.
But if you’re trying to scrape by, and don’t need a doorbell with a ton of bells and whistles, check out the Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Gen). While it may not support dual-band connectivity (you’re limited to 2.4GHz with this model), you’ll still get features like impressive HD video, infrared night vision, motion detection, and more.
Ring Battery Doorbell Plus
Perfect balance of price and features
Ring’s premier midrange offering won’t break the bank but provides a high-res 1536×1536 feed, and you’ll be able to see packages at a glance due to its 1:1 ratio video. It also has improved connectivity with dual-band Wi-Fi and full-color night vision video, so you can pretend you’re Bruce Wayne in the Batcave.
