I was lucky enough to get my hands on the Ring Video Doorbell 3 (RVD3) and Ring Chime for the last little while and test out the latest and greatest in video doorbell technology. Heading into the trial, I was a bit apprehensive. I thought: why would I need a video doorbell? Especially since the tried and true knock worked so damn well.
Well the verdict is in and the doorbell is a great inclusion. I’ve heard many people complain about some technology being a ‘smart’ or ‘connected’ product just for the sake of saying it is.
The bare bones of it is a doorbell that lets you see who’s at your front door. Simple enough, opening the front door can also let you see who’s outside.
However, the RVD3 comes with a two-way call feature which lets me see who’s waiting at the front and then have the option to talk to them from anywhere I have access to my phone. This is brilliant when asking the people to leave a package at the front door or even telling them I’m not home if I’m out.
This call is triggered after someone rings the bell but it also comes with motion detection, sending a push notification whenever someone passes by.
I was worried it might accidentally catch movement of a tree that’s out the front of my door, meaning I’d be notified every time a gust of wind blew the leaves. This must have been a worry for more than just myself as the RVD3 boasts that it only picks up on important movements (read: human movement) and I haven’t been alerted to anything I wouldn’t want to be.
From the Ring App, I can also see that they countered this issue with cars passing by the street if on a busy road.
I’m using the doorbell and Ring Chime. The Chime is a smaller plug-in speaker that echoes the doorbell throughout your home when someone rings. In an apartment, this is a bit of an overkill but I can see the potential use in a larger building if you’re away from your phone or the front door.
The latest feature in this system is the pre-roll feature which gives users a four-second preview of each motion event. So if there’s something suspicious happening at your door and you need a quick catch-up on what’s happened, it’s right there for you to see.
In a less malicious sense, if a postie has thrown your package at the front door and hit the legs (it must be a sport for them, I swear), you can check your pre-roll and see them drop and run.
An issue with the device is it’s not very rental-friendly. It comes with two screw options: one designed for wood and one for harder materials. This isn’t ideal if you can’t make any permanent changes, but there also comes issues with a temporary install.
This is a minor issue and I can understand why there wasn’t an adhesive option included in the install kit. It also comes with standard doorbell wires if installing it that way, something I didn’t have to do but a neat inclusion.
All-in-all, I’m very happy with the RVD3. In my short time with it, I have found it very useful and I haven’t even connected it to Alexa-enabled Amazon devices or more than just the Chime add on.
