Jump up frantically from the sofa when the doorbell rings? Not with a smart doorbell! This forwards the ringing to the smartphone. Thanks to the built-in video camera, residents can immediately see who is waiting to be admitted and, if necessary, can use the intercom function to talk to visitors. So there is no risk that the postman will take the long-awaited package back with him. Thanks to motion detection, the doorbells also ring when someone sneaks around the house. Ring devices are popular. The Amazon subsidiary’s latest prank: the Ring Video Doorbell 4. COMPUTER BILD tests how it performs as a bouncer and butler in everyday life.
The best surveillance cameras
Arlo
Details about the test
Per
Good shots
Cloud and SD card storage
against
Connections only on the hub
Dull and tinny sound
Yale
Details about the test
Per
Rotatable lens
Backs up to SD card
against
A little dark during the day
Few recording modes
icuserver
Details about the test
Per
Evenly lit night shots
Very good shots at dusk
against
No live image
No video delivery
Arlo
Details about the test
Per
Easy setup
Good video quality
against
high price
Follow-up costs for cloud & extras
Arlo
Details about the test
Per
Good shots
With floodlights and alarm siren
against
Sound recordings hiss
Cloud storage only
Maginon
Details about the test
Per
Remote access via WiFi
Good daytime shots
against
App occasionally with connection problems
Bosch
360° indoor camera (F01U316304)
Details about the test
Per
Angle of view changeable
Hides lens mechanically
against
High time offset with live image
Netgear
Details about the test
Per
WLAN and LAN
saves to SD card and cloud
net atmosphere
Details about the test
Per
Pretty good video quality
Floodlight and alarm siren
against
high price
Awkward assembly
Arlo
Details about the test
Per
Easy setup
Good pictures, LED lamp for night use
against
high price
base station required
Complete List: The Best Security Cameras
Ring Video Doorbell 4 review: All wireless
The Ring Doorbell 4 catches the eye of the postman or visitor as a robust plastic latch on the outside of the front door. It looks a bit bulky and edgy. If desired, the Doorbell 4 replaces the existing doorbell button and uses its cabling, including the doorbell. If you don’t want to do the time-consuming wiring and don’t want to pay for an electrician, you’ll be happy about the smart bell’s built-in rechargeable battery. This means that operation works without any cable clutter – and the doorbell can be placed anywhere. In this case, a compatible bell (Ring Chime, from 20 euros extra) or an Alexa loudspeaker or an Echo Show display is required in the apartment so that the smartphone notification also rings.
If you press the big doorbell, the doorbell rings and a notification is sent to the resident’s smartphone.
In battery operation, users must keep an eye on the battery charge. According to the manufacturer, the rechargeable power storage lasts at least half a year. If the juice runs out, the doorbell remains silent. In addition to electricity, Doorbell 4 needs connection to the home WLAN. Although it rings even without an Internet connection, there is only a message on the user’s smartphone “online”. Good: The ring bell works either in the widespread 2.4 GHz network, but also knows the faster, less busy 5 GHz frequency.
Thanks to the motion sensor, the postman does not even have to ring the bell for the resident to notice the arrival of his parcel.
Ring makes the phone ring
If a visitor rings at the door, the bell diligently sends notifications to the smartphone. If available, the ring chime on the socket or the connected Alexa device will also ring. Where other video doorbells provide a preview image right away in the notification, Ring lacks the first glimpse. Here, “line of sight” requires a switch to the Ring app to the live image of the camera – this takes a few seconds longer. Clever: Thanks to “Pre-Roll”, Ring starts recording six seconds before an action. So nothing remains undiscovered.
Video recordings of the Doorbell 4 appear colorful and crisp in the manufacturer’s press photos.
A ring of light that lights up on the doorbell button informs the guest that the area in front of the front door is being filmed. Important: The doorbell should not photograph the entire hallway, the street in front of the house or the neighboring property. Tip: If in doubt, ask your neighbor and adjust in the Ring app. Here you can select image sections that the camera should ignore. The doorbell also reacts to movements – without ringing. Although Ring can distinguish detected people from other movements, they cannot be assigned faces. Friend or foe? The bell has to fit. A package recognition that notices that the postman leaves the expected shipment in front of the door is missing in Ring.
In the test, there were rather spongy and jerky recordings. Good: The “Pre-Roll” function (top left in the picture) records in advance. So nothing remains undiscovered.
Ring doorbell in the test: with picture and sound
Full HD recordings, night vision and sound transmission for listening and speaking – the equipment of the Doorbell 4 is impressive. At least on paper. The resolution is consistently 1080p (1920×1080 pixels), but all video images appeared washed out, soft-focused and swallowed up many details in the test in daylight. At night, the doorbell delivers usable black and white images thanks to infrared LEDs. They also seemed spongy, but it was enough for a quick look outside the door. The lens covered a large image area when filming, but showed clearly curved edges (“fish-eye effect”). If the lens caught fast movements, they didn’t always appear smooth – there were slight stutters. After all, it’s easy to ask who’s at the door: Thanks to the intercom function, homeowners can communicate with the other person via smartphone. Voices came across a bit dull and tinny, but were understandable.
At night, the device delivers reasonably usable black and white images. However, details are difficult to see on it.
Doorbell 4: Video storage only in the cloud
The doorbell is only moderately secured against theft. A simple screwdriver is enough to remove them. An alarm tone that shrills as a deterrent if someone shakes the housing? none. Good: If the ring bell is gone, the manufacturer promises a free replacement. The only evidence: recorded videos, which all Ring products store in the manufacturer’s own cloud for up to 30 days. The small films also help if you just missed a welcome visitor. For cloud convenience, the provider requires a subscription (Ring Protect Plan). This is the only way to subsequently locate, view, download and send video recordings to your cell phone. The subscription costs EUR 3 per month or EUR 30 per year for one device, EUR 10 per month or EUR 100 per year for an entire home with two or more Ring products.
Test conclusion: The Ring Video Doorbell 4 can do this
With the Ring Video Doorbell 4, smart home fans have a fairly good view of what’s going on in front of the front door. If desired, the camera bell replaces the existing doorbell, but thanks to the battery it also works completely wirelessly. It shines with great functions such as pre-recording – six seconds before the action (“pre-roll”). Notifications land reliably on the cell phone or smart display. However, the camera’s video images appear slightly blurred, spongy and washed out. And: For the full ringing experience with video history, you need a monthly subscription.
ring
Video Doorbell 4 (8VR1S1-0EU0)
Easy setup
Pre-roll recording
Pictures a little blurry and jerky
Hardly any anti-theft device
The competition offers more for the money: The Eufy Video Doorbell Dual, for example, delivers good video images and an additional package camera. In addition, all functions are included – including local video storage via Smart Hub, which saves running costs for the cloud. You can find an overview of current doorbells in the article Smart video doorbells in the test. The Ring Video Doorbell costs 189 euros and is available from Amazon, among others.
