Ring Video Doorbell 2 updates Ring's original smart, wireless doorbell

From Tech Hive: Most smart home products sound great on paper but fail to deliver in real-life, which is what makes the original Ring Video Doorbell such a successful outlier. Ring just announced the Ring Video Doorbell 2—available at Amazon and Best Buy for $199—and while its upgrades are modest, everything about the new model suggest it’s worth a $20 price hike relative to the original doorbell.

The basic Ring Video Doorbell concept remains the same: You hardwire the doorbell to your existing electricity feed, or opt to run the unit on internal battery power. After a relatively easy install, the doorbell serves as a two-way communication device between you and whoever steps up to the door.

If someone rings the doorbell, you can see his or her face via a video feed on Ring’s mobile app. From there, you can initiate a conversation with the visitor. While audio is two-way, video is not, so visitors won’t be able to know your actual location. The upshot is whether you’re at home or 1,000 miles away, you can say, “Sorry, I can’t come to the door right now,” and would-be crooks casing houses will have no idea you’re vacationing in Cancun.

The Ring Video Doorbells also have a heat-activated motion-detection feature that captures video whenever someone even approaches your door. This is useful to see who’s lurking on your doorstep even if that person doesn’t ring the bell.

View: Article @ Source Site