TOYBOX: A DIY solution for peace of mind

Ring Floodlight Cam
Hot: LED floodlights, high-def video, motion detection
Not: Expensive

Tech specs:

• 1080HD video
• 140 degree wide angle lens
• Two-way talk
• Siren
• Wifi
• Motion detection; night vision

Price: $429

Ring Video Doorbell 2
Hot: Much improved video quality, easily removed battery pack
Not: Needs rock solid wifi connection

Tech specs:

• 1080HD video
• Two-way talk
•Weather resistant
• Wifi
• Motion detection; night vision

Price: $329

Last year, the Ring Video Doorbell finally made its way to the southern hemisphere, letting security-loving New Zealanders keep an eye on home through an app on their phone.

In case you missed it, here’s a recap: the Video Doorbell is a wifi-connected, battery-operated doorbell that integrates a wide-angle video camera, microphone and speaker. Not only does it let people see things happening outside their front door but they can also answer the door using the Ring app no matter where they happen to be – if someone presses the doorbell, it rings on the door, but also on your phone. Motion detection and night vision let you keep an eye out even when the button isn’t pressed.

This brings us to the two new additions to the lineup – the Ring Video Doorbell 2 and the Ring Floodlight Cam.

The Video Doorbell 2 offers a few refinements to the successful recipe of the previous Video Doorbell. Video quality has been upped to full 1080 resolution and a re-jigging of the battery pack means it’s now significantly easier to charge – simply pop the faceplate off and remove the battery pack. Last time around we had to remove the entire doorbell from the wall when charging time comes around. Fortunately, that’s not too often – we found a single charge would last three months or more depending on usage. Ring also throws in a couple of different mounting brackets, screwdriver, screws, level and a choice of black or silver faceplates. So a worthy upgrade on the whole.

The Floodlight Cam is a much more significant device and requires professional installation. Essentially the same device as the Video Doorbell, the floodlight is designed to be mounted somewhere high and out of reach. Of course, Ring has dropped the doorbell part but otherwise retains all same functions. You can see and hear anyone who comes near and speak to them if you want. Even better, if they look a bit dodgy, you can trigger a 110-dB siren to scare them off. Or just yell at them.

The wide-angle HD (1080 resolution) camera provides great images for both day and night and the 140-degree field of view provides excellent coverage.

Unlike the Video Doorbells which are battery-powered (although they can be hardwired if desired) and easily installed using a screwdriver, the Floodlight Cam needs to be hardwired into your home’s electrical supply.

For our review, the people at Ring arranged for an electrician and one of the ‘techsperts’ from the Tauranga branch of Now Phone and Broadband to come and do the install. While the sparky was installing the floodlight unit, the Techspert ably set up and connected the Ring app, the Video Doorbell 2 and the Floodlight Cam when it was all fired up. While installing these Ring devices is simple enough in theory, sometimes it’s nice to have someone else doing the troubleshooting when needed.

Even though the electrician did this part for us, if you’re replacing an existing floodlight, this part should be easy since the wiring will already be there. If it’s new, the installation can quickly become more complicated.

As for the doorbell (and connecting the fully installed floodlight when the time comes) it’s a straightforward process of firing up the mobile app, signing up for an account and following the instructions. However, because both the floodlight and the doorbell need a rock-solid wifi signal, things can get messy if you don’t have a good connection – as our techspert discovered, my home’s wifi coverage had a few dead spots. So be prepared to move your wifi router to accommodate the Ring units.

With the physical installation done, attention turns to the mobile app. This has improved since Toybox reviewed the first Video Doorbell. If you have more than one Ring, all your Ring devices will be quickly and easily accessible within the app so anytime motion is detected or the doorbell pressed, your phone will let you know. The addition of ‘Live View’ (something we yearned for in an earlier version of the Ring app) means you can now tune in at any time for reassurance your home is still standing.

The connection makes a difference to your Ring experience. As long as your internet connection is good (both at home and wherever you happen to be), the app is usually pretty responsive. Sometimes there’s a short delay between a doorbell press and the alert coming through to your phone, which can be confusing, but your mileage may vary. We’re not sure if such delays are the fault of our internet connection or something at Ring’s end, but either way, it was mostly rock solid.

‘Smart motion alerts’ are designed to know the difference between recurring motion (so you don’t get multiple alerts for the same event) and pets coming and going. However, be prepared to spend some time tweaking the range and sensitivity yourself during the early days, lest the number of motion alerts drives you to the brink of insanity. After a few days, everything seems to settle down into normality and works sweetly – although there is, apparently, no stopping the occasional (and somewhat terrifying) spider from crawling across the lens and setting off an alert.

If you stump up for a monthly or yearly subscription, you get cloud-based recording allowing you to see all events from the previous 60 days. This costs $4.50 per camera per month or $15 per month for unlimited cameras. This is discounted if you pay for the whole year in advance. While the thought of yet another subscription service may make some of us wince, there’s no doubt the online recording is a great feature – it brings real utility to the whole Ring ecosystem and means that even if you don’t happen to catch the motion alert or doorbell ring as it’s happening, you can go back and see what was setting it off, potentially catching any intruders in the act. The sub is not a requirement, however, and can be ditched if you’d prefer to save a few dollars.

When it comes to the peace of mind an internet connected home security system brings, both the Video Doorbell 2 and the Floodlight Cam make for a truly useful DIY solution. The hardware is of a high quality and the app works well. Recommended.

All content copyright NBR. Do not reproduce in any form without permission, even if you have a paid subscription.