Ring Video Doorbell 4 review
Our Verdict
Become the Ring Video Doorbell 4 if the view from your front door is partially obscured, and you need a wireless model. Merely Arlo offers more than features for the price.
For
- Pre-roll much improved
- Works as wired or wireless model
- Big ecosystem of compatible devices
Against
- No stop-to-end encryption
- Small vertical field of view
- No package detection
Tom's Guide Verdict
Get the Ring Video Doorbell iv if the view from your front door is partially obscured, and you need a wireless model. But Arlo offers more than features for the cost.
Pros
- +
Pre-gyre much improved
- +
Works as wired or wireless model
- +
Large ecosystem of compatible devices
Cons
- -
No end-to-terminate encryption
- -
Modest vertical field of view
- -
No package detection
Ring Video Doorbell 4 review: Specs
Size: 5.one x ii.4 x i.1 inches
Camera resolution: 1080p
Field of view: 160° horizontal, 84° vertical
Battery/Hardwired: Yes/Yes
Wireless: 802.11a/b/g/north (ii.4 & 5GHz)
While its name suggests otherwise, the Band Video Doorbell 4 is probably the tenth such device to come from Ring and reflects the continual refinement of the course. The new feature for this mode is color Pre-Roll, which gives you a better glimpse at who's coming to the door.
This Ring Video Doorbell 4 review will look at only how good colour Pre-roll is and if Band's newest midrange video doorbell should get a role of your smart habitation.
- Best video doorbells
- Ring vs. Nest: Which video doorbell should you get?
Band Video Doorbell four review: Cost and availability
The Ring Video Doorbell 4 went on sale in April 2021 for $199. It'due south currently 1 of seven video doorbells offered by Band and sits roughly in the heart of the price range. Above information technology is the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 ($249), while below it is the $99 Ring Video Doorbell (second gen) and Band Video Doorbell Wired ($59).
Ring Video Doorbell 4 review: Design
Ring'due south video-doorbell design is standardized to the point of being dull. The Ring Video Doorbell 4 looks exactly the same equally the Ring Video Doorbell 3, Band Video Doorbell two, Ring Video Doorbell, and Ring Video Doorbell (2nd gen). Merely hey, if it works, correct?
The top 3rd of the doorbell is glossy black, while the bottom department is silver (Ring calls it Satin Nickel). You lot tin change this section to a bronze-colored faceplate if y'all choose.
At about ii.four inches wide, the Ring Doorbell 4 will fit on your standard door frame, simply it'due south non equally svelte as the Band Video Doorbell Pro two. Then again, the Ring Video Doorbell 4 needs to be big enough to house a battery.
Like the Ring Video Doorbell three, the Ring Video Doorbell 4 tin be hardwired into your home's electrical system, or tin can run on battery power.
Like the Band 3, the Ring 4'south bombardment is removable, so you don't have to take the entire unit of measurement off to recharge it, every bit you lot do with the Ring Video Doorbell (2d gen).
Ring Video Doorbell 4 review: Video and sound performance
Different the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2, which has a 1536 x 1536 image with a 150-caste field of view both vertically and horizontally that lets you encounter a lot of your front porch, the Ring Video Doorbell 4 has the more traditional horizontal attribute ratio. I couldn't see things every bit close to my door as I'd have liked — the bottom of the video was a skillful 3 anxiety from the door.
Otherwise, the quality of the 1080p video was very practiced. I could make out details in visitors' faces, though details in objects further away, such equally cars on the street, were less clear. Audio was also crisp, as I was able to hear visitors clearly.
The biggest new feature of the Ring Video Doorbell iv is that information technology has color Pre-Curl. Introduced with the at present-discontinued Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus, Pre-ringlet is a arrangement whereby the camera is continuously recording a 4-second video loop. Equally soon equally there'south an event recording — such as someone coming to your front door — this four-second clip is added to the front of the upshot video, which in theory gives you a better view of who'southward coming to your door.
The Band Video Doorbell 3 Plus was the first bombardment-powered Band doorbell to have this feature. Nevertheless, in lodge to conserve energy, it was in low-resolution black-and-white. This limited its usefulness as it was hard to make out just who was on camera. With the Ring Video Doorbell four, Pre-Coil is now in colour and at a somewhat higher resolution, so the transition between information technology and the rest of the video is smoother.
At my house, part of the path to my front door is blocked past a big evergreen tree. By the time some video doorbells pick up the fact that someone is approaching and outset recording, the person is usually at the front end door.
The Ring Video Doorbell 4'due south Pre-Gyre feature, though, was able to show people the moment they appeared from behind the tree and followed them all the way to the front door. However, the Pre-coil video is a chip fuzzier than the balance, so yous tin can't make out the details of a person'south confront. (Band's wired video doorbells with this feature, such equally the Band Video Doorbell Pro ii, take a full-colour, full-resolution Pre-Scroll.)
Ring Video Doorbell 4 review: App and features
Inside the Ring app, you can view recorded events either via a scrolling timeline or on a vertical list. Both features could utilise work. The timeline can be tedious to curl through, and the list view doesn't show thumbnail images — as you get with other video doorbells — then yous accept to select numerous clips to find the one you want.
Every bit with nigh video doorbells, Band lets you adjust move sensitivity and ready up customizable motion zones, so you lot don't go false alerts if you happen to live on a busy street.
A Smart Alerts feature volition let you filter out movement events and so that you go alerts only when the camera detects people. Nevertheless, Arlo'south and Nest's video doorbells — and in the autumn of 2021, HomeKit-enabled doorbells — can go a footstep further and tell you when packages arrive. Ring is a bit tardy in rolling out this feature.
Lastly, a Quick Replies feature will play ane of four preset responses and take a message from visitors if you can't respond in time. Automated message responses include "Nosotros'll be right there," "Deplorable, we're non interested," and "Delight leave the package outside." The last 1 would exist much more useful if the Band doorbell could identify that someone was really holding a package.
Band Video Doorbell four review: Security and privacy
After a number of negative headlines, both deserved and not, Band has taken a number of steps with regard to security and privacy problems. The Band app now has two-factor authentication and Ring recently introduced end-to-end video encryption for many of its video doorbells and home security cameras. Unfortunately, bombardment-powered video doorbells, such as the Ring Video Doorbell 4, aren't compatible with this latest characteristic.
To combat concerns most its partnership with law enforcement agencies, Ring inverse its policy regarding how video clips are shared with police. Now, agencies must make a public request for video in Ring'due south Neighbors app; it'southward up to individual owners whether or non they choose to respond. All the same, the visitor's standing partnerships with law enforcement agencies — is something that has made many uncomfortable.
Within the Band app, yous can also manage how long you want videos to be stored in the cloud; by default, it's set up at 60 days if you're subscribed to Ring Protect, just you can reduce that storage fourth dimension to as little as one 24-hour interval. Regardless of how long videos are stored, they're always encrypted in the cloud.
Band Video Doorbell four review: Subscription costs
Unless yous subscribe to Ring Protect, you can view only live footage from the video doorbell. If y'all want to record videos, y'all can subscribe to one of 2 plans. Band Protect Basic ($iii/calendar month, $30/year) provides coverage for one photographic camera, while Band Protect Plus ($10/month, $100/year) covers all the Ring devices at one location.
Each plan offers 60 days of rolling cloud storage, while the Plus programme as well provides 10% off Ring devices, extended warranties, and professional monitoring if you accept a Ring Alarm arrangement.
To meet how Ring's storage plans compare to Arlo and others, bank check out the best security camera storage plans.
Band Video Doorbell four review: Smart home connectivity
Considering it'south endemic past Amazon, there'due south a pretty deep integration between Ring and Alexa devices. You can view both live and recorded video on an Amazon Echo Show or other Alexa-enabled smart display. Yet, you can't use Ring's video doorbells with Google Banana, the Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max, or Apple HomeKit.
Band'southward suite of products, such as its smart lights, motility sensors and home security systems, also tin can be linked to its video doorbells. So, for instance, if you have Band Solar Pathlights, you lot can set the Ring Video Doorbell to automatically start recording if the Pathlights observe move.
Ring Video Doorbell 4 review: Verdict
The $199 Ring Video Doorbell 4 sits between the Ring Video Doorbell three and the Ring Video Doorbell Pro. If your front door looks out on a partially obscured view, so it's worth spending the extra $xx over the Ring Video Doorbell 3 for the much-improved Pre-Coil feature. For $50 more, the Ring Video Doorbell Pro ii has a sleeker design and more than importantly, an attribute ratio that shows more of your forepart stoop — only it requires a wired connection.
Amongst the best video doorbells, the Ring Video Doorbell iv is yet another solid entry. Yet, its limited field of view means that y'all tin't see as much of your front door as you can with the Nest Hello or the Arlo Video Doorbell. Moreover, the lack of package detection — something as well found on those two competitors — also makes the Video Doorbell 4 a less useful device.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/ring-video-doorbell-4
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