I Tried the Ring Pro 2 Video Doorbell—Here’s My Honest Review

Home security is not something to take lightly. And yet, whenever someone rings the doorbell, we saunter up to the peephole and look out (if we can see anything) and open the door into our home with very little information as to who’s on the other side.

A video doorbell takes the guesswork out of who could be coming to your door. The Ring Pro 2 Video Doorbell can help assuage fears about potential visitors while delivering a convenient added layer of security to your home and keeping your family safe.

Reader’s Digest’s SEO Director Cassy Richardson took the Ring Pro 2 video doorbell for a spin for six months, testing out its suite of features. The Ring Pro 2 may well be one of the safest smart doorbells for you, but how did it improve Cassy’s home security? Here’s her Ring doorbell review.

What is the Ring Pro 2 Video Doorbell?

The Ring Pro 2 Video Doorbell is a video doorbell that’s meant to replace the current doorbell setup at your home. It offers the regular functionality you’d expect of a traditional doorbell with the added option of viewing a live stream of who’s at your door through the Ring app.

The doorbell features a square aspect ratio and a 160-degree field of view, which shows not only your porch, but also more of the world outside. See delivery people, animals, porch pirates, and anyone who may walk up to your door to request entry or an audience with you.

Installing a Ring video doorbell is a simple and easy way to improve home security with the help of technology.  It also allows you to remotely view who’s visiting your home when you aren’t there, and look back over a day or a week ago if you need to. The Ring Pro 2 offers crystal clear streaming quality day and night, and a host of other features to help you feel safe in your home, Plus, if you already have a suite of home smart devices, the Ring Pro 2 can interface directly with them.

How we tested it

Cassy’s Ring doorbell review covers a six month period during which she used it nearly every day, with an overall goal of bolstering her home security system. She  also used it to keep tabs on her home while she was away and communicate with delivery people and workers who came to complete home projects.

Cassy found that setting up the Ring App was effortless. It took about 20 minutes from start to finish for Cassy and her husband to set up the Ring Pro 2, including mounting the doorbell on the house and downloading the app. The device comes with everything needed to get set up including a screwdriver, mounting screws, and detailed instructions. There was no need for separate wiring, as Cassy and her husband simply removed the old doorbell and were able to connect the Ring Pro 2 to the existing wires in the wall.

The Ring’s full-featured app is constantly being updated. It also allows users to easily share the device’s access with another user, so Cassy and her husband both had the app on their phones to access all of its pertinent settings and information.

They were able to see anyone who came to the door with crisp clarity and HD+ video, which was always smooth, never choppy. The camera even features color night vision and the ability to zoom in and out. And while there is no option to move or swivel for pan and tilt options, the camera can be adjusted to view visitors from head-to-toe.

Ring Pro 2’s onboard video customization suite is chock-full of useful options, too. Cassy was able to fine-tune settings to her liking, including creating a perimeter around her house and adjusting motion settings and motion zones from there. If you don’t want to receive notifications for when your neighbors are walking their dog, for example, you can tweak the sensitivity settings. To that end, you can also set up package detection so that the device can identify when packages are delivered.

The doorbell also offers a “neighbors” mode, which aggregates information from Ring users near you. When users share things like animal sightings, loud noises, car intrusions, and other important safety information, the Ring team will issue alerts to nearby Ring users. There’s also two-way audio for safe communication between you (inside your home) and whoever is at the door, so you don’t have to open the door to see what the visitor needs or wants.

Additional features are available by way of a Ring Protect subscription plan, which opens up even more ways to help integrate the Ring Pro 2 into your home security ecosystem.

Ring Pro 2 Video Doorbell product features

The Ring Pro 2 unit is low-profile and modern-looking, with a chrome border and glossy black center, featuring a camera and the actual doorbell. It’s about the size of an Apple TV remote, but stockier—about three inches tall by one and a half inches wide. It mounts unobtrusively on door trim and still remains flush with most homes’ construction.

 The device comes with an optional corner connector piece that juts out from the doorbell at a 45-degree angle to capture a wider area if needed. Cassy needed to use this piece in order to see her entire front porch—otherwise, she would have only been able to see about a third of it.

Pros:

What we liked about the Ring Pro 2 Video Doorbell

• Incredible video quality

• Installation guide makes wiring—typically a complicated task—easy to follow

• The Ring app is user-friendly and keeps users up-to-date on new features

• Color night vision view illustrates what’s going on outside even in the dark

• 3D motion detection to accurately determine the motion’s distance from your home

• Bird’s Eye View feature allows a larger aerial view to track where someone goes after leaving your door

• Sleek design and look keeps the Ring Pro out of sight and out of mind

Cons:

What to consider about the Ring Pro 2 Video Doorbell

• Fairly expensive, though it packs in a robust amount of features

• No integration with Apple HomeKit or Google Assistant

• No swivel or tilt option for pan and zoom controls

Product comparison

It’s important to note that our Ring doorbell review doesn’t come from the brain of a video doorbell specialist. Cassy, as Reader’s Digest’s SEO Director, isn’t a video doorbell enthusiast, as most users probably aren’t. In fact, the Ring Pro 2 is her first experience with video doorbells in general. After six months of regular use, she’s become well-versed in everything this particular model is capable of.

As a tech editor, I can confirm that the Ring Pro 2 stands apart from most of the other options in the realm of video doorbells. It offers a larger suite of features—though with a bigger price tag—and it’s an improvement over the original Ring Pro, at that.

Most importantly, the Pro 2 offers a wider field of view that allows you to get a closer look at who (or what) is at or near your door—so there’s less guesswork about whether a package has been delivered or small animals are scampering about outside. The Bird’s Eye View feature makes for a quick and easy way to surveil immediate surroundings as well. Those two improvements over the first Ring Pro are a notable upgrade when it comes to keeping your home safe and helping protect it from unwanted visitors.

The Pro 2’s new slew of tweaks and features makes it well worth the bump in cost—especially when considering its improved motion detection. That means fewer false alarms and unnecessary alerts.

It also features the tech junkie’s dream: better specs. The Pro 2 includes a better dual-band WiFi radio with an 802.11ac connection, offering an easier way to mesh with the rest of the security or smart home accessories on your home network. Though you’re paying more for these changes, they’re well worth the money.

Final verdict

The Ring Pro 2 is an exceedingly useful addition to any home security suite, whether pre-established or as part of the initial video doorbell installation. It offers stunningly clear and smooth video quality, an easy-to-use and full-featured app, and a small, sleek design that doesn’t take up much room on the front of your home.

What’s more, it allows for simple customization of smart alerts so you’re only notified of alerts that you find relevant or necessary. You can even keep on top of what’s going on around your home area by way of anonymous feedback throughout your neighborhood.

In short, it’s a boon for anyone who wants to feel safer in their home, or anyone looking to take control of whether they allow individuals into their space.

Via Amazon.com

Where to buy the Ring Pro 2 Doorbell

You can find the Ring Pro 2 at most online retailers. Shop for it on Amazon or Best Buy, where you’ll find other Ring models if the Ring Pro 2 doesn’t fit your needs.

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