If you’re in the market for one of the best video doorbells on the market, then the Amazon-owned Ring brand is always going to come into the conversation – and the new Ring Battery Video Doorbell is the latest model to present itself for your consideration.
It comes in slightly cheaper than the Ring Battery Video Doorbell Plus and significantly less expensive than the Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro. Those other two options also have slightly higher video resolution and some extra features, like audio noise cancellation.
Here though we’re focusing on the Ring Battery Video Doorbell, a wireless, battery-powered option you can mount almost anywhere, and which is controlled via your phone. For more on the best video doorbells, see our Ring vs Nest comparison guide.
Ring Battery Video Doorbell (2024) review: price and availability
You can pick up the Ring Battery Video Doorbell now, direct from Ring itself or through retailers including Amazon and Currys in the UK. Check the widgets embedded on this page for links to the cheapest prices for the devices currently available online, but at the time of writing, it’s available for £99.99 / $99.99.
Ring Battery Video Doorbell (2024) review: unboxing and setup
(Image credit: Future)
This is very much a Ring doorbell in the looks department: there’s no change in the design or aesthetics here, so if you’ve seen the previous models in this range then you’re going to know what this one looks like. It comes in at a relatively compact 6.19 cm x 2.30 cm x 12.65 cm (4.98 in x 2.44 in x 0.91 in), in either Satin Nickel (the silver version I had to review) or the darker Venetian Bronze.
The box isn’t much bigger than the actual doorbell, but manages to pack in a getting started guide, a security sticker, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, a mounting bracket, and two screws with screw mounts. There’s also a little tool for removing the doorbell from its bracket when it needs recharging. Ring hasn’t specified an estimated battery life, but you should be able to go for several months between recharges, depending on usage.
Setup is really simple and shouldn’t take you longer than 10 minutes or so – and a lot of that is going to be spent signing up for a Ring account (if you don’t already have one). The bracket and build quality feels solid, and if you already have a wired doorbell system in place then you can connect this up to it.
(Image credit: Future)
If you’ve used a Ring camera before then you’ll be able to breeze through the setup process in the accompanying mobile app, including the instructions on how to use your device. Of course, if you’ve got several Ring cameras in your home, they can all be managed together through the central app.
As with previous devices, you get a 30-day trial of Ring Protect included. This gives you extras including the ability to detect people or parcels, richer notifications, and 180 days of cloud storage for your video recordings – if you want these extras, you’ll need to pay £4.99 / $4.99 a month, though you can do a lot with the Ring Battery Video Doorbell without a subscription (see also cameras that don’t need a subscription at all).
I really can’t fault the Ring Battery Video Doorbell in terms of its design, build quality, or setup process – everything is well put together and easy to configure, right through to the initial stages of getting the doorbell connected to your Wi-Fi network. Of course one of the benefits of going with Ring for your next video doorbell is that the company has been making these devices for a long time, and it shows.
Ring Battery Video Doorbell (2024) review: features and performance
(Image credit: Future)
The Ring Battery Video Doorbell offers just about everything you could want from a device like this, starting with the basics: mobile alerts when the doorbell button is pushed or when motion is detected, the ability to block out certain parts of the video feed for privacy reasons, two-way audio, preset responses you can quickly select, do not disturb times, customisable motion zones, and more.
You get a 1440 x 1440 pixel high-definition video feed, and what Ring calls a ‘head-to-toe’ fish eye view (150 degrees both horizontally and vertically). Combine both of those together and you get a fine view of whatever is outside your door, whether it’s a person, a pet, or a package (assuming the package isn’t pushed right up against the bottom of the door, you’ll be able to see it).
During the time I spent with the Ring Battery Doorbell, I was consistently impressed with the quality of the audio and the video, and the night vision capabilities too – it only really works for objects that are near to the camera, but this is a video doorbell after all, not a security camera. There were no issues with video feed stability either (though this is partly dependent on your Wi-Fi network setup).
(Image credit: Future)
So what don’t you get? The Plus and Pro models offer slightly higher quality 1536p video quality, as well as removable batteries and interchangeable backplates. The Pro model also has advanced noise cancellation for superior audio, and 3D motion detection. Bear in mind too that there’s no video storage unless you pay for Ring Protect (so if you miss an event while it’s happening, you can’t go back and look at it later).
Even with so many features at your disposal, everything is well set up inside the Ring app, and when you’re looking for a setting it doesn’t take long to find out where it is. You can get to the live view for the camera feed with a couple of taps from wherever you are, and quickly get to options for motion sensing detection and so on.
Do bear in mind that if you don’t want to just rely on your phone for doorbell alerts and you don’t have an existing chime system, you’ll need to buy a Ring chime separately, which is another £30 / $35. That’s the same for the other doorbells in the same Ring series though, and indeed doorbells from other manufacturers.
Ring Battery Video Doorbell (2024) review: verdict
(Image credit: Future)
Past video doorbells from Ring have been of a very high quality, and this one doesn’t break the trend. Given the lower price, it might even be the most appealing of the lot from the current Ring selection – certainly if you’ve got an existing chime setup you can connect it to, or you can afford the extra for a chime from Ring.
Having used this on my front door for a week or so, it’s performed exactly as advertised, and hasn’t fallen short in any department. It gives you an instant and reliable video feed from the front door at any time you like, and the alerts that came through when motion was detected or when someone rang the bell worked every time too. All the default settings for motion sensitivity seemed to be well judged too.
It’s a doorbell I can fully recommend, but you’ll have to take your current setup into consideration when deciding if it’s the right upgrade for you. If you already have a home that’s full of Nest cameras and Nest speakers, for example, then this might not be the best pick: being an Amazon product, it works much better alongside Amazon Echo speakers and displays, as part of a smart home setup.
Ring Battery Video Doorbell (2024) review: alternatives to consider
I’ve mentioned it several times already, but the Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro is a fantastic bit of kit. It will cost you twice as much as the model reviewed here, but for some people it’s going to be worth the investment: in our review we described it as “packed with neat tech upgrades” and “truly the brand’s flagship” – so if you want the best there is, go for that model instead.
Should you want to move away from the Ring brand entirely, then the Yale Smart Video Doorbell is a reliable and affordable alternative. It costs slightly more than the Ring Battery Video Doorbell, and comes with features including AI-powered motion detection and a 154-degree field of view – and you can store a few days of video clips locally without relying on a paid subscription.
