Ring doorbell

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Julius

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Jun 18, 2012
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QVC sell many products I would not buy, however I really like the idea of the Ring doorbell, and would be interested to hear of people's experience with this item. Is is as good as it seems? What is the tech support like? Does it use heaps of mobile data? Is QVC a good place to buy it from?
 
We have just purchased the Ring camera system and unfortunately had to send it back.

It drained the battery on all of our mobiles within a very very short time. On the face of it was a good idea but this aspect would have to be greatly improved.

(We tried it on an iPad, Motorola phone and Samsung phone)
 
You can get the doorbell for £89 in a few places (when I last looked) but the spare battery would be a good extra, and is not cheap.

Unless you pay a subscription, it can't record events that take place while you are out.

I don't have a smartphone so I don't know whether this can record events.

So if I bought one, I could only see who was at the door if I am actually at home (on my ipad) and I could equally well just look out of the window.
 
I bought one a while back and find it brilliant.

It is a little slow sometimes (lowest settings), but it's saved me so much hassle with getting to our (not very) local sorting office to pick up failed deliveries after I've not been able to get to the door in time.

It's also saved me the hassle of having to get to the door to answer it to people I don't want to answer it to (charity collectors etc.).

It comes into it's own when there are dodgy characters around that ring the bell just to see if there's someone in - we've had an explosion of tarmac layers/roofers/gutter cleaners/tree surgeons looking for work lately. None are local. I suspect most not legitimate as pre-Ring days I'd be sitting in my living room at the back of the house and be surprised to see young men in my garden scouting around. When challenged they'd say they'd knocked the door but I know they hadn't.

We have it on the lowest settings and it hasn't drained our batteries (iPhones) yet. I've not had to use tech support either.

If I'd had a wired doorbell I'd have preferred the Nest version. A lot more expensive but better quality when comparing Ring to my friend's Nest.
 
You can get the doorbell for £89 in a few places (when I last looked) but the spare battery would be a good extra, and is not cheap.

Unless you pay a subscription, it can't record events that take place while you are out.

I don't have a smartphone so I don't know whether this can record events.

So if I bought one, I could only see who was at the door if I am actually at home (on my ipad) and I could equally well just look out of the window.



So if I bought one, I could only see who was at the door if I am actually at home (on my ipad) and I could equally well just look out of the window.>>

<< Or the spy hole?

So really all we need is a dog, or pretend beware of dog sign, plus a spyhole/window/nosey neighbour!

Aren't we a great team? Dragons Den here we come!

I bought one a while back and find it brilliant.

It is a little slow sometimes (lowest settings), but it's saved me so much hassle with getting to our (not very) local sorting office to pick up failed deliveries after I've not been able to get to the door in time.

It's also saved me the hassle of having to get to the door to answer it to people I don't want to answer it to (charity collectors etc.).

It comes into it's own when there are dodgy characters around that ring the bell just to see if there's someone in - we've had an explosion of tarmac layers/roofers/gutter cleaners/tree surgeons looking for work lately. None are local. I suspect most not legitimate as pre-Ring days I'd be sitting in my living room at the back of the house and be surprised to see young men in my garden scouting around. When challenged they'd say they'd knocked the door but I know they hadn't.

We have it on the lowest settings and it hasn't drained our batteries (iPhones) yet. I've not had to use tech support either.

If I'd had a wired doorbell I'd have preferred the Nest version. A lot more expensive but better quality when comparing Ring to my friend's Nest.



I guess it depends on the users requirements, & the activity in the area where one lives....
 
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So if I bought one, I could only see who was at the door if I am actually at home (on my ipad) and I could equally well just look out of the window.>>

<< Or the spy hole?

So really all we need is a dog, or pretend beware of dog sign, plus a spyhole/window/nosey neighbour!

Aren't we a great team? Dragons Den here we come!

I bought a set of CD's from Q that made household noises to play when you went out.

It seemed a good idea at the time I ordered them, but I've never used them, because, with a bit of thought, it means leaving your CD player running continuously. By the time you got back from a 2 week holiday, it would be completely worn out.

And not only that, if a burglar heard household noises, chatter, children playing, etc etc at 3 in the morning, it would probably tell him that there was nobody in.
 
I have difficulty walking. By the time I'd get to the door, whoever knocked would be gone. A 30 mile round trip to my Sorting Office is annoying and expensive, especially if I ask a neighbour to take me if OH is away. I feel I have to give them extra money for their time. Our posties never have time to wait for me to get to the door and won't parcels on the doorstep. Even re-arranging for the next day doesn't guarantee me being able to get to the door in time unless I fancy sitting there from 10-11:30 as that's their delivery window.

It's paid for itself over by my wasted Sorting Office trips, so yes, for me it works.

It's also a reassurance for me as I spend a lot of time on my own at night when OH is away working. We have a rough estate not too far away and Halloween is a nightmare for me. Or at least it was. Last year I got to tell them to bugger off from my bedroom, watching them on my phone as they jumped to hear a voice come from nowhere :mysmilie_19:

It probably won't work this year, but the video of them jumping and running was priceless!

It's great if you're away from home a lot or can't get to the door. It also has a proximity alarm which tells me if there's anyone coming close to the house. This is another great feature as when it goes off I can have a look. I had plant pots stolen from outside my front door last summer and although it hasn't happened this year, at least I have a better chance of seeing anyone having a go again.

I was assaulted years ago and suffered PTSD. I'm still very jumpy and not being very mobile leaves me feeling nervous when I'm on my own. Ring just makes me feel a bit safer.

ETA: I also use a remote control socket (not wifi) that can switch a light on in the front of the house if Ring alerts me that someone is passing close by. We get quite a few drunks passing by in the early hours of the morning (on their way back home to the rough estate I assume). My house looks empty, but a light switching on that looks like they've disturbed someone has deterred them so far from peeing over my front door as they have a neighbour's house recently.

Yes, I am aware I sound like a nosy, nervous old biddy. Probably because I am (apart from the old bit!) :mysmilie_13:
 
I have difficulty walking. By the time I'd get to the door, whoever knocked would be gone. A 30 mile round trip to my Sorting Office is annoying and expensive, especially if I ask a neighbour to take me if OH is away. I feel I have to give them extra money for their time. Our posties never have time to wait for me to get to the door and won't parcels on the doorstep. Even re-arranging for the next day doesn't guarantee me being able to get to the door in time unless I fancy sitting there from 10-11:30 as that's their delivery window.

It's paid for itself over by my wasted Sorting Office trips, so yes, for me it works.

It's also a reassurance for me as I spend a lot of time on my own at night when OH is away working. We have a rough estate not too far away and Halloween is a nightmare for me. Or at least it was. Last year I got to tell them to bugger off from my bedroom, watching them on my phone as they jumped to hear a voice come from nowhere :mysmilie_19:

It probably won't work this year, but the video of them jumping and running was priceless!

It's great if you're away from home a lot or can't get to the door. It also has a proximity alarm which tells me if there's anyone coming close to the house. This is another great feature as when it goes off I can have a look. I had plant pots stolen from outside my front door last summer and although it hasn't happened this year, at least I have a better chance of seeing anyone having a go again.

I was assaulted years ago and suffered PTSD. I'm still very jumpy and not being very mobile leaves me feeling nervous when I'm on my own. Ring just makes me feel a bit safer.

ETA: I also use a remote control socket (not wifi) that can switch a light on in the front of the house if Ring alerts me that someone is passing close by. We get quite a few drunks passing by in the early hours of the morning (on their way back home to the rough estate I assume). My house looks empty, but a light switching on that looks like they've disturbed someone has deterred them so far from peeing over my front door as they have a neighbour's house recently.

Yes, I am aware I sound like a nosy, nervous old biddy. Probably because I am (apart from the old bit!) :mysmilie_13:

I'm glad the Ring doorbell works well for you, Alter. I am still undecided as to whether to give it a try. I should probably get my health sorted out first before I invest in this product. I might end up not needing it at all.
 
As somebody who is slow getting to the door myself, I have been tempted by one of these for a while now. BUT, I live in a house converted into 3 flats with the front door basically being at the pavement, save for a small doorstep-ish area about 2 feet deep to the door itself.

That leaves me wondering, even on the lowest sensor setting, just how often it would alert me to people walking by. But I'd like it to be able to pick up when people step up to the door.

The other issue, is one of it's size and placement. At the minute there are 3 doorbells (one for each flat obviously) one above the other. All are those regular rectangular shaped old fashioned doorbell switches. So, would I attach something like this to the door itself, and maybe make it too prominent so that kids passing by get curious and keep walking up to it. Or try and shoehorn one on where the existing bell is and use the wiring.

I get the feeling it might end up being more trouble than it is worth, despite the usefulness when it came to asking callers to wait a minute or so while I got to the door.
 
You probably can't use the existing wiring. In fact it doesn't need any wiring unless you power it from the mains, which would be a professional job involving the correct type of transformer.

Is your flat near enough to the front door and your router for it to work reliably?

BTW as I understand it, the wifi extender provided by QVC is also the audible chime for the bell. Unless you have this within earshot, you will totally be dependent on your phone or tablet, which therefore must always be switched on and charged. And will it be loud enough to hear?
 
I also worry that someone could call your bluff with it. Say your house is obviously unoccupied (cars not there/no signs of life from within etc) and someone is wandering around checking out your property and hears a disbodied voice coming out of the Ring doorbell asking what do you want? Isn't that then proof positive that the householder isn't actually there, and an invitation to return and break in?
 
alter ego - What an awful situation, if someone did that on my doorstep I'd have to retaliate in similar fashion. On Halloween I'd sit at the bedroom window with a large jug/several smaller jugs full of the same & douse them from above:Laugh:
 
@stratobuddy

I've done a little map!! :)
flat map.jpg
 
alter ego - What an awful situation, if someone did that on my doorstep I'd have to retaliate in similar fashion. On Halloween I'd sit at the bedroom window with a large jug/several smaller jugs full of the same & douse them from above:Laugh:


In all seriousness, I'd call the police if someone peed on my doorstep.....
 
@stratobuddy

I've done a little map!! :)
View attachment 16177

I can't really advise, depends on wall thickness and how well the bell and extender work.

Apparently the extender is not very effective, but the chime is ok (from reviews).

The q package includes the chime and a spare battery, also 6 months subscription, but then you have to start paying.

The chime would have to be permanently plugged in and switched on where you could actually hear it.

My worry is that as soon as the doorbells become common and well known, they could just be ripped off the door, or spray painted over, or just covered up to stop the camera working, as they are so accessible.

At least you can get a refund from q if no good, but like most things, their price with pp will not be the cheapest,
 
In all seriousness, I'd call the police if someone peed on my doorstep.....

I would be very surprised if the police came round for that misdemeanor. They don't even investigate burglaries or car thefts these days. Small fry crime. If someone peed on my doorstep I'd get my dog to harrass them and hump their leg - that usually gets folk running for the hills :mysmilie_48:

CC
 
Retrovertigo - I'm not sure if it would work for you tbh. But at least if you bought it from Q you could return it without hassle.

My phone is always on so even if I mute the doorbell chime, I still get alerts via my phone. This means I can call anyone's bluff as I can talk to them through the phone app. I like to make it a habit to open bedroom window and look down on doorstep if someone rings while I'm upstairs, as I can get there quicker, and always ask the person to wait for me to come to the door if I'm downstairs and I've answered.

The great thing is I can look before I decide to answer. I can also flick the light on or off with the remote socket if I don't like the look of someone and don't bother to answer. I tend to answer with "I'm in the bath, could you call later" as a security measure if I'm not.

As for the pee situation, several in the street made complaints and they were taken seriously eventually. As sod's law would have it, as soon as we were taken seriously it stopped happening! We still as a street get random keyings/thefts of plants from the front etc., on a Friday and Saturday night though.

It would be a very nice area but for the shortcut for the rough estate down the road, though the council has been around and are considering blocking off pedestrian access.
 

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