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We're currently looking at purchasing a camera doorbell, but we're undecided between Skybell, and Ring video pro. The one thing we don't like about the Ring is the $3 monthly storage fee. Whereas Skybell does not have a monthly storage fee but they only store videos for 7 days. Do any of you have any recommendations? Or experiences with either of these products?
We're currently looking at purchasing a camera doorbell, but we're undecided between Skybell, and Ring video pro. The one thing we don't like about the Ring is the $3 monthly storage fee. Whereas Skybell does not have a monthly storage fee but they only store videos for 7 days. Do any of you have any recommendations? Or experiences with either of these products?
Thanks in advance!
Ring works great. $3.00 a month is 10 cents a day so if you think in those terms it's easier to pay it.
Ring works without the subscription service too. You can still catch things live.
One caveat, Ring/Skybell will suddenly make you realize how many people come to the door on a daily basis. Solicitors, people posting flyers, mulch guys.
Ring has a way to alert the community if you see something suspicious. But OMG, in my suburban neighborhood it has gotten way out of hand! I was getting “urgent” alerts because people suspected every solicitor. So not only was my doorbell ringing, but then my phone was blowing up with alerts.
I finally had to unsubscribe from the neighborhood community when a pair of teens from the high school soccer team was selling coupon books and the poster found that “suspicious”
I’ve also seen people think their UPS driver was suspicious too.
So, just be warned. Ring will make you realize people come to your door more often than you think. And other than being a minor annoyance, it will be ok. They’re not all casing the joint.
We've had the Ring Pro for about a year now and it works well for us after we added a wireless access point close to the front door. Before adding it we got a lot of pauses and skipping because the wifi strength just wasn't good enough. I'd recommend putting a wifi test app on your phone that measures signal strength and checking it at your doorbell before buying.
Does the Skybell let you draw custom motion detection zones? That really helps with the Ring to cut down on the number of motion alerts. You don't want it going off every time someone walks along the sidewalk in front of your house. We had a bush that would move with the wind and it would set off the motion alert, so I was able to place it outside the motion zone.
Also if you pay for the year Ring is only $30. I find a one time payment easier to swallow than monthly recurring.
We have a Ring 2 doorbell and aren't particularly pleased with it.
When it works properly, it's great. But about 50% of the time, there is a severe delay (maybe 20 seconds or more) between accepting a "Ring" on your phone and actually seeing the camera feed. By that time, whomever showed up at your door may have walked off.
Our doorbell is located about 15 feet from our wireless router and, per the Ring app, is getting a strong signal. So that doesn't seem to be the issue.
I have the skybell. Main reason I have it is because it is what my alarm company sells. But, I haven't had any issues with it.
You can create custom zones, get alerts, talk to people, etc. I do get the skips and pauses every now and then, but seems anything wireless will have that.
I personally just didnt want to have an alarm app, a camera app, etc. So I have everything in one.
I have had the Ring doorbell for about 2 years (Not the Ring2 or Ring Pro), I selected it becuase it uses a rechargeable battery option, vice only being hard wired.
I cant comment on Skybell.
Wifi strength is important in the area it is mounted. I also bought two Ring chime expanders, due to the size/shape of my home.
It works really well, and the $30 per year fee for unlimited cloud storage is more than worth it. There is no time limit to the saved video notifications, mine go back to the day I installed it 2 years ago. I can search them if I like. I actually used this feature to clearly identify a fired employee of a neighbor when the former employee rang my doorbell about a year ago. My neighbor was having a legal dispute with the man, and the man denied being in the neighborhood on a certian day. My Ring doorbell video helped my neighbor out. Win!
You can tweak the notifications pretty well if you dont want nuisance notifications, as well as the range/distance that it triggers a notification.
Ther is indeed a slight lag (2-3 seconds) in the notification to my smartphone after the doorbell is pressed (I have it set to only notify me when the doorbell is pressed, but to bookmark all motion activations). I think the lag has more to do with my 4G latency on my cell phone plan rather than the Ring doorbell itself, so that is something to consider.
If is not a doorbell (and it is not weatherproof), but if you have a covered entry area, it is a good way to capture video of visitors. No monthly charge for storage.
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