Unlock the Full Potential: My Ultimate Guide to Maximizing Your Ring Doorbell Experience

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The Ring Video Doorbell series is one of the most popular smart home products on the market. It’s perfect for keeping an eye on what’s happening at your front door 24/7. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your Ring experience.

Check Your Wi-Fi Speed at the Front Door

Your Ring Video Doorbell uses a home Wi-Fi connection to record live video of what’s happening at the front door, send notifications to your smartphone, and more. Ring recommends having at least 2MB of download and upload Wi-Fi speed at your front door.

To ensure your speeds are adequate, you can download a speed test app for your smartphone like Speedtest by Ookla . Stand at your front door, make sure you are connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the doorbell, and then run the test. If your signal is slower than recommended, consider what you can do to bring your Wi-Fi up to speed .

Understand the Ring Subscription Options

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Another part of the Ring Video Doorbell experience is understanding and choosing the best subscription option for you . Having to pay a monthly fee to get the most out of the doorbell is a downside of Ring products, but it’s also a necessity. Without a subscription, you can only view a live video feed from the doorbell, and you’ll miss out on recorded events and notifications.

There are three different subscriptions to choose from. If you just have a single Ring Video Doorbell, the Basic Plan is the best and covers a single doorbell. With that, you can view recorded videos from the last 180 days, download videos, and more. The other two, more expensive subscriptions, are designed for multiple Ring devices and the company’s alarm system.

Customize Motion Zones

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While a Ring Video Doorbell is perfect for informing you when someone is at your front door, there’s often much more going on. Whether it’s a squirrel running by or a car driving past your house, these events can sometimes cause a false motion alert. To reduce the chances of a false alert, you should create a motion zone. As the name suggests, only something moving in those motion zones will trigger a notification.

To do that, launch the Ring app on iOS or Android . Tap on the Menu button (three lines) on the top left. Choose “Devices” and then your Ring Video Doorbell. After choosing “Motion Settings,” you’ll see “Camera Motion Zones”. This will display a live view from the camera over which you can create a motion zone.

Make the Most of Rich Notifications

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Make sure to use rich notifications with your Ring Video Doorbell. The feature on the Ring app helps you know if you need to look at the live video or review what’s happening later. When the doorbell is pressed, or motion is detected, you’ll see a notification with a full-frame image of the event video. Tap and hold the thumbnail on an iPhone to open up the full-frame snapshot. With an Android device, drag down on the thumbnail to see the full frame.

Rich notifications will often also show on an Apple Watch or other Android smartwatch. The feature is enabled by default and is a great way to better interact with what’s happening at home.

Use as Part of a Smart Home

Amazon

Since Ring is owned by Amazon, the video doorbell offers many integrations with the Amazon Echo smart speaker lineup and the Alexa virtual assistant. One of the best ways to use a Ring doorbell is with an Amazon Echo Show. This lets you use a simple voice command to see a live view from the doorbell and even talk to whoever has arrived.

Even on an Amazon Echo device without a touchscreen, you will hear an announcement that someone is at your door and can talk with the person.

And the Ring ecosystem covers more than just the smart doorbell. Add additional Ring devices like cameras and even an alarm system that can interact with the doorbell and an Amazon Echo.

Set Up Quick Replies

Quick Replies is another great feature available on most Ring Video Doorbells. Similar to an old-school answering machine, the feature will deliver a message to any visitors and give them a chance to record a message that you can hear later.

To enable the feature, head to the menu in the Ring app. Select “Devices” and then choose your Ring doorbell. Choose “Smart Responses” below the image of the doorbell. Tap “Quick Replies” and then toggle the feature on. Next, select “Response Time” between 2-20 seconds. That’s the time between someone pressing the doorbell and the quick reply voice. Finally, choose “Quick Reply Message” to select the default message you would like to use.

Maximize Your Ring Doorbell Battery Life

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Many Ring Video Doorbells use your existing doorbell wiring for power. In some situations where power isn’t available, Ring also offers some models that use a removable battery.

To make the most of your battery life, there are a few things you can do. Along with making sure to have a strong Wi-Fi connection, use Live View as sporadically as possible and make sure to set Motion Zones accordingly to minimize alerts. These simple tips can greatly extend the time between battery recharges.

Enjoy Pre-Roll on Available Doorbells

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For most Ring Video Doorbell models, the Pre-Roll or Advanced Pre-Roll feature can help provide you a better idea of what happened before motion was detected. Most battery-powered doorbells use Pre-Roll while any wired doorbell offers Advanced Pre-Roll. Both options provide a few seconds of video before the motion is triggered.

Pre-Roll is enabled by default. If you ever want to turn it off, for example, to preserve battery life, you can head to the Menu in the Ring app and choose “Video Settings” to turn it off.

Understand Two-Factor Verification

For extra security, Ring requires two-step verification whenever you log in with a web browser or the Ring app. This provides an extra layer of security for your account so that when you log in you’ll need to provide an account password and an additional six-digit code.

There are two ways to receive that code, via a text message to a phone number you choose or by generating a code in an authenticator app on a device. Two popular authenticator apps are Microsoft Authenticator and Google Authenticator . Take a look at our comparison of both apps and see which one is best for you. iPhone users can also use the iCloud Keychain built-in authenticator .

If you ever want to change your verification method, you can head to the Control Center in the app. Tap the Menu, choose “Control Center,” and then scroll down to “Account Verification.”

Consider the Amazon Trade-In Incentive Program to Upgrade

Technology moves quickly, and that includes the Ring Video Doorbell. If you’re interested in upgrading your doorbell, make sure to consider the Amazon Trade-In Program . This allows you to exchange an eligible Ring device for an Amazon gift card and a promotional discount that can be put toward a qualifying doorbell. The program can help save you some cash while upgrading to an improved model.

The Ring Video Doorbell lineup is a perfect way to improve your home security and enjoy smart home technology. With these tips, you should be able to make the most out of your doorbell. Looking to improve home security? Check out our favorite smart home security systems .

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Unlock the Full Potential: My Ultimate Guide to Maximizing Your Ring Doorbell Experience