The Ring Video Doorbell 2 is a relatively modest, incremental update to the original Ring Video Doorbell (Ring video doorbell 2 vs pro). And, wow, some of its set-up procedure was seriously frustrating. But as a more-or-less satisfied owner of Ring’s first doorbell, I have to give Ring credit: Motion detection is better than ever, and once I got through some initial set-up hassles, Ring Video Doorbell 2 was actually easier to install than the first-generation product.
What are the upgraded features in Ring Video Doorbell 2
Nothing about the Ring Video Doorbell 2 screams, “This is an entirely new experience!” As such, current Video Doorbell owners probably shouldn’t ditch their original models for the upgrade. Nonetheless, Ring’s incremental changes are mostly welcome. Here’s what you get:
- Improved video quality. Video resolution has been upgraded from 720p to 1080p. Sure, the video quality does look better, but the extra clarity will probably only be necessary when trying to positively I.D. a bad guy—say, a package thief who’s making the rounds in your neighborhood. Ring also upgraded the camera’s night-vision mode, using an RGBIR sensor for the first time. Night-time video now looks better, as the camera can capture higher-quality images from greater distances (Ring video doorbell 2 vs pro).
- New physical design. As with the original Video Doorbell, the new model can either be hardwired to your existing electrical leads, or run on internal Lithium-ion battery power (Ring video doorbell 2 vs pro). The first-generation doorbell had its battery fully integrated inside the doorbell case, so when you needed to recharge, you had to remove the entire device from your wall, and then plug the doorbell into a USB adapter inside the house. The Ring Video Doorbell 2, however, has a removable battery—so you can grab that alone, without having to unscrew the entire doorbell from its moorings.
- Video Doorbell 2 also comes with two faceplates, one bright and silvery, and the other darker and reminiscent of bronze or pewter. So, now you no longer have to order a specific color and cross your fingers that it will look good. Instead, every box comes with two color options.
- Better motion detection. Ring doesn’t reference improved motion-detection on its product page, but the company confirmed that its heat-sensitive infrared motion sensors do have improved accuracy.
- My original Video Doorbell would pick up the heat signatures of passing buses and delivery trucks, and send alert notifications to my phone—despite no one being at my door. This happened even when my detection zones were set to only capture activity within five feet of the device. But the updated doorbell’s motion detection works much, much better, and has only reacted to people at my doorstep, save three false positives during a month of use. For this we can thank repositioned sensors in the doorbell chassis. It’s a subtle design change, but has all but eliminated a major problem.
How long is Ring video doorbell 2 battery life?
I’ve been living with Video Doorbell 2 for about a month, and it’s been reliable and blissfully drama-free. But, wow, the first few hours of use were a challenge.
One of the very first set-up steps is to fully charge the battery—standard fare for pretty much every modern gadget. Just one problem: The battery comes pre-installed in the doorbell chassis, and my product packaging didn’t include any instructions on how to open the battery door to remove it.
Sure, you laugh. It’s just a simple battery door—does one really need instructions? Yes. Absolutely, yes. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how to open the battery door, and started prying it off with a screwdriver before deciding that approach would probably damage the plastic case. So, after looking for detailed product information online and coming up with nothing, I called customer service. Lo and behold, Ring’s technician confirmed he experienced the exact same problem the first time he used the new doorbell.
Apparently, Ring discovered battery removal during initial set-up was becoming a user friction point, and has since added battery removal instructions directly in the product packaging. Frankly, the new instructions are still pretty vague, and don’t emphasize that the battery is vastly easier to remove when the doorbell is pressed tight against a perfectly vertical surface (like, you know, the exterior of your house).
How easy is Ring VIdeo Doorbell 2 Installation?
Once I fully charged the battery and inserted it back into the doorbell, it was time to pair the device with my Wi-Fi network—which led to more problems, and a second call to tech support.
My doorbell review unit came with Chime Pro, a $49 optional accessory that serves as both a Wi-Fi extender dedicated to serving Ring devices (but is inaccessible to all other gadgets) as well as an indoor chime that lets you know when someone has rung your doorbell (which is helpful if your phone is in another room and you can’t hear its alert sound). The Video Doorbell 2 set-up routine encourages the user to first connect Chime Pro to local Wi-Fi, and then connect the doorbell to the Chime Pro accessory.
So that’s what I did. Or at least I tried to.
I plugged in Chime Pro, and waited for its blue LED to turn on, indicating it was ready for Wi-Fi pairing. It never turned on. So I hunted around for the hard reset button, and attempted a hard reset. Still, no blue LED. Did I do the reset properly? Who knows! The included user documentation doesn’t get into hard resets. And this is a problem throughout the Ring experience: Printed documentation is almost non-existent, and online documentation is extremely difficult to find.
So I called customer support again. The technician explained that Ring recently reduced the strength of Chime’s blue LED because people complained it was too bright and was affecting their sleep. So I took the Chime Pro into the darkest room of my house, and, yes, as it turns out, the device had been powered up all along—the LED just happened to be invisible with daylight beaming through open windows.
Frankly, if it weren’t for that tech support call, I may have returned the Chime Pro for being defective. And I wasn’t done yet.
Once I verified that Chime Pro was in fact working, it still wouldn’t connect to my Wi-Fi network. Further discussion with Ring tech support informed me that the hardware often has trouble connecting if the network’s 2.4GHz band shares the same name as the 5GHz band, as mine does. So I had to enter my router settings to change the name—a pretty simple operation for a tech journalist, but a potentially hardcore operation for newbies.
On the plus side, once Chime Pro is connected, it makes the final stages of setting up the doorbell a breeze. Indeed, I’ve spent literally hours on Ring tech support over the years, working to fix issues relating to both Wi-Fi and the vagaries of splintered Android support. But because Ring Video Doorbell 2 connects directly to Chime Pro (and not my Wi-Fi network), set up is now vastly streamlined. And, of course, as a Wi-Fi extender that’s 100-percent dedicated to the doorbell, Chime Pro also helps ensure the doorbell gets a sufficiently strong signal—addressing yet another pain point intrinsic to Ring.
One final warning to potential Video Doorbell 2 buyers: Ring’s user manual explains that the doorbell needs to be screwed into your home’s exterior, but fails to describe installation options for people with concrete walls. I found that double-sided Gorilla Mounting Tape does the trick, and Ring told me updated installation instructions are imminent.
Ring video doorbell 2 vs pro – which one is better
The days of getting up to see who’s at your door are over. With a video doorbell, you can greet your guests and keep an eye out for intruders — all without getting up from your couch.
Ring appears several times on our list of the best video doorbells for a variety of reasons. The Ring Doorbell 2 is our favorite wireless model, the Ring Video Doorbell is our favorite under $100, the Ring Doorbell Pro is the best at motion detection. And, the Ring Peephole Cam is great for those who want to replace their peepholes with a camera.
But which should you buy? We’ve compared all four devices to help you decide which one is best for you.
Ring video doorbell 2 vs pro
| Ring Video Doorbell | Ring Video Doorbell 2 | Ring Video Doorbell Pro | Ring Peephole Cam | |
| Price | $99.99 | $199 | $249 | $199 |
| Dimensions | 4.98 x 2.43 x 0.87 inches | 5.05 x 2.50 x 1.08 inches | 4.5 x 1.85 x 0.80 inches | 4.4 x 2.3 x 1.2 inches |
| Resolution | 720p | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p |
| Wiring | Wireless or hardwired | Wireless or hardwired | Hardwired | Wireless |
| Field of View | 180 degrees | 160 degrees | 160 degrees | 155 degrees horizontal, 90 degrees vertical |
Design
The Ring Video Doorbell, Ring Video Doorbell 2 and Ring Video Doorbell Pro are relatively similar in design; they’re all black and gray, with a camera at the top and an illuminated button beneath. The Doorbell 2 is slightly larger than the Doorbell, but otherwise identical. The Doorbell Pro is much smaller and thinner (not needing to accommodate a battery).
The Doorbell 2 and the Doorbell Pro both offer interchangeable face plates, making it easier to match your home’s decor (Ring video doorbell 2 vs pro).
Installation and setup
Of all of Ring’s video doorbells, the Ring Peephole Cam sports the simplest design and simplest setup. The device consists of two pieces: one that sits on the outside of the door, and one that you look through from the inside, connected through the peephole. It doesn’t require any tools or permanent modifications, and should take only a few minutes.
The other three devices are a bit more complicated to install, but you can (in theory) set them all up yourself. In our testing, we had some trouble with the Doorbell 2’s security screw, but found the process easy overall.
The Ring Video Doorbell and Ring Video Doorbell 2 can both be battery-powered, meaning they’ll still work when the electricity’s out — provided your internet connection is still up. This also means that you can mount them anywhere, and don’t have to worry about connecting them to an existing doorbell’s wires. (Ring video doorbell 2 vs pro)
The Ring Pro is more complicated. It’s the only Ring video doorbell that requires hardwiring. You’ll need to upgrade your transformer if your old doorbell isn’t getting 16 volts of power. You’ll also need to install a Pro Power kit (included with the device) in your home’s chime box (Ring video doorbell 2 vs pro).
Ring video doorbell audio and video
At 720p, the original Ring Video Doorbell sports a lower resolution than the Doorbell 2, Doorbell Pro and View Cam, all of which offer 1080p. (However, the original Doorbell is the only device with a 180-degree field of view).
In our testing, we found the Doorbell 2’s footage to be choppy and pixelated, but reasonable compared with other video doorbells we’ve tested. The Pro’s video was better, but not perfect: It would start out pixelated and then clear up as the subject left the frame.
The Doorbell, Doorbell 2 and Doorbell Pro all have comparable audio. In our testing of the Doorbell 2 and Doorbell Pro, we found decent sound with a brief but manageable delay.
The Peephole Cam’s video and audio quality was also excellent, but for one thing. If you have a storm door, it will cause the Peephole Cam’s motion detection to stop working.
Ring Video Doorbell features
All of Ring’s video doorbells have motion detection; when the device detects movement, it sends an alert to your smartphone. You can customize how far the sensors stretch. If you have a Doorbell or Doorbell 2, you’ll select from pre-drawn zones. If you have the Pro, you can draw the zones yourself.
The Pro is also the only doorbell that supports 5.0GHz connections, which allow for faster and more reliable connectivity.
In addition to improved video quality, the Doorbell 2’s main advantage is its quick-release rechargeable battery. All you need to do is remove the battery to charge it. (To charge the Doorbell, you need to pull the entire thing off the wall and bring it inside).
The Peephole Cam has a few new features, including “motion stop,” which pauses the camera’s recording to conserve battery life if it deems motion unimportant. Like the Doorbell 2, it also has a removable battery pack.
In most other features, the three doorbells are on a par with each other. They all offer two-way communication, which you can use to greet your guests, or scare off burglars, and infrared night vision. They all work with Alexa, Smartthings and IFTTT, and you can watch the doorbells’ footage and communicate with guests using the Echo Show and Echo Spot, as well as all generations of the Fire TV. Unfortunately, Ring does not work with Google Assistant/Home devices.
As a bonus, you can connect them with a number of smart locks from Kevo, LockState, Kisi or Lockitron. This will allow you to unlock your door — and let your guest in — directly from the Ring app.
Ring Video Doorbell Price
The Doorbell Pro is the most expensive of Ring’s devices, at $249. The Doorbell 2 and Peephole Cam are both $199. The original Video Doorbell is the most affordable at $99.
Keep in mind that you’ll also have to pay for cloud storage if you want to save footage to the cloud. Cloud storage is $3 per month (or $30 per year) for 60 days. If you have multiple Ring cameras, you’ll pay $10 per month, or $100 per year, to save money.
Which Ring Video Doorbell is best for you?
We recommend the Ring Video Doorbell 2 for most customers — especially those who aren’t comfortable messing around with their house’s wiring. It’s $50 less expensive than the Pro, but you’ll get comparable video and audio quality, and most of the same features. You’ll also have an easier installation process, and the added benefit of a rechargeable battery.
If aesthetic appeal is paramount for you, the Ring Video Doorbell Pro is sleeker and, owing to its smaller size, will better fit on narrower door jambs. Additionally, if you’re particular about where your motion sensors should be looking, you’ll probably appreciate the ability to draw your own motion zones with the Doorbell Pro. However, make sure you’re comfortable with the Doorbell Pro’s involved setup process, or with hiring a professional.
For those on a budget, the original Ring Video Doorbell offers a lower resolution than its peers, and lacks a quick-release battery, but otherwise has all the same features.
Finally, we recommend that renters, or those who want a very quick setup, the Ring Peephole Cam is the best option. Just make sure your door has a peephole.