A doorbell isn’t just a doorbell, at least not since Ring launched its ever-growing line of video doorbells products.
If you want to speak to the Chinese delivery man from your couch or check on a strange noise without getting out of bed, all you need is a Ring video doorbell at your front door.
Installing your video doorbell is the first step, but what about taking full advantage of its many (many!) features? Even if you’re not a tech wizard, you can still use these tips below to make sure your video doorbell pays for itself many times over.
Adjust Motion Sensitivity
The purpose of any video doorbell is to provide an easy yet high-tech way to monitor the entryway to your home. And what better way to monitor action than with motion sensitivity alerts?
With the help of motion sensitivity alerts, you can choose to be notified as soon as your doorbell detects motion within a certain range. Ring Doorbells use infrared technology to determine motion via heat signatures. This does lead to false alarms, so while the default settings might work for you, they also might not.
If you don’t want a motion alert triggered every time the neighbor’s cat trots across your porch, or each time a car passes down your street, you can customize motion alert settings to only receive the alerts that matter.
To adjust the sensitivity of the motion detection, select your Ring Doorbell from the app and navigate to Motion Settings > Zones and Ranges. From there, you can set the sensitivity for different zones, like left, center, and right.
Pair Your Doorbell With an Echo Show
Thanks to the Ring App, it only takes one tap on your phone screen to check the view from your video doorbell, but you’re not limited to only your phone.
Get more use out of your Ring Video Doorbell by pairing it with an Echo Show, like the streamlined Echo Show 5 or the cutting-edge Echo Show 15. Once these two devices are connected via the Amazon Alexa App, you can receive an audible and visual notification on your Amazon Echo Show device every time somebody rings your doorbell or motion is detected.
You can even set a name for each Video Doorbell if you have multiple, so all you have to say is, “Alexa, show front door,” and your Video Doorbell view will display on your Echo Show, with options to turn on two-way audio and other fun features.
Enable Rich Notifications
The Ring App makes it easy to receive something called “rich notifications”. Instead of just receiving a written alert of information, you actually receive a snapshot preview image. This allows you to see what’s happening without opening the Ring app separately.
Once the rich notification pings your phone, you can expand the notifications to zoom in if needed. Each notification is available until you opt to dismiss it.
So if your teenager tries to sneak into the front door after curfew, you’ll instantly get a snapshot notification as he tries to quietly unlock the door and tip-toe inside.
Activate or deactivate rich notifications by tapping the three-lines at the upper-left of our Ring App screen. Select your device, then “Device Settings”, and then tap “Rich Notifications” to enable or disable.
Customize Your Alerts
Make sure your Ring Video Doorbell gives you all of the information you want, and nothing you don’t need, by customizing your alerts. Tap the three lines in the top left of your Ring App and select your RVD device.
On the top of the screen, you can toggle on (blue):
- Ring Alerts
- Motion Detection
- Motion Alerts
- Motion Warning (if your device has the feature)
Tap the tile on the bottom of the screen for the Motion Settings, such as:
- Advanced Motion Detection
- Motion Schedules
- Motion Frequency
Find the Best Model For Your Needs
With so many Ring Video Doorbell models available, it’s important to select the product that best fits your own needs and purposes.
Do you need hard-wired or battery-powered? Extended field of view? Advanced video resolution? Budget-friendly option? There’s a Ring Video Doorbell for everybody, so the trick is to find the model with as many of your “must have” features as possible.
On the simple side of the spectrum are the Video Doorbell Wired and the Video Doorbell 2020 release. These relatively low-cost options include the essentials such as HD video with night vision, two-way talk, motion detection and alerts, Alexa-enabled control, and quick replies.
On the more elaborate side of the spectrum are models such as the Video Doorbell Elite, Video Doorbell 4, and the Video Doorbell Pro 2. These options boast features such as +3D motion, enhanced Dual-Band Wi-Fi, and more.
The winner of the “best-in-class technology” award goes to the Video Doorbell Pro 2, which also includes head-to-toe video, package alerts, and bird’s eye view. If you don’t mind paying the price tag for ultimate performance, this is your best choice.