Wired Video Doorbell Plus (Featuring Retinal 2K)

I love Ring products, they just work and are very user friendly. When I install video doorbells I prefer Wired myself but the battery options are just as good and you don’t have to change batteries often. The video quality is great and they last for years and years even in SWFL salt air weather. Make sure your transformer can power the doorbell properly, I always swap out current transformer with a 30 VAC or if installing the new pro I jump to a 40 VAC in order to power it properly.

In my particular case mounting the Ring Wired Doorbell Plus 2nd Gen was a bear. The doorbell itself and the Ring App were absolutely great. The Ring App basically takes you by the hand and walks you through everything as far as setting up the doorbell and any other accessories such as the Chime Pro but if your mounting the doorbell to a non-flat surface, such as Dutch Lap vinyl siding then be prepared to do some 'Gerry Rigging'. You'll need a Dutch lap vinyl siding bracket such as this product here at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G5H18G5W?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title) to mount the doorbell. There is two types of vinyl siding so be sure to get the correct mounting bracket if required. Now, the problem I discovered is the mounting brackets that are included with the Ring doorbell won't mount easily to the third party Dutch Lap mounting bracket mentioned. I ended up drilling holes and finding the appropriate hardware to bring it all together to an aesthetic result (see the pictures). If your mounting the doorbell to a flat surface you'll have little to worry about, everything should be fairly straight forward using the brackets that come with the Ring camera. Also, if you need to angle the camera for your specific view be sure to read my other review about the Ring Corner Kit here (https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2BA5MGL05OA0W). The Ring app will literally guide through the entire process. I knocked off one star because my Ring doorbell didn't include a paper copy of the setup instructions out-of-box. I ended up calling the Ring 24/7 support line and the agent emailed me the instructions and graciously answered a few other questions. The agents support was superb. I also purchased the Ring Chime Pro to go with my Ring doorbell which was a snap to install. That device provides a night light, a better selection of chime sounds and also acts as a Wi-Fi extender. There is a Chime Mini Kit (a small device) included with the Ring doorbell that hooks into your existing home doorbell chimes that will provide a simple Chiming Sound when the doorbell is pressed if you don't opt for the Ring Chime Pro Device. If you have a large home you can actually install more than one Chime Pro to hear the chimes better in different parts of the home. There are a multitude of features and options included with the Ring doorbell such as neighborhood stuff, finding lost dogs (which I have already helped with), watching for wildfires and more (some require a subscription for professional monitoring but not required) and the app makes adding other Ring devices to your home super simple. Expansion of the Ring environment can include devices for home security, fire detection, water leakage, and more, some are not yet available but are on the way (see the Ring store for more info). The wireless connection for many devices makes expansion incredibly easy. Highly recommended!

UPDATE: When installing the Ring camera there were mounting issues. This is covered extensively in my other review mentioned above concerning the Ring Corner Kit but be advised Ring actually contacted me to conduct an interview to learn more about the mounting issues, I was absolutely stunned. You don't typically see vendors reaching out to investigate what the issues were. I have jacked my stars to 5 here for Rings interest in learning how to improve their product. If you must mount your Ring on Dutch Lap vinyl siding be sure to read my review about the Ring Corner Kit to learn more. Even though mine was a bear to mount the pictures here show the final results, not to bad. So far the camera has been the best we have ever installed compared to previously owned cameras, absolutely clear and sharp, day or night. Highly recommended. Cheers!

Easy to install, works great, solid video and sound quality and nice upgrade from previous versions. Only reason 4/5 is because the installation should be more upfront about power needs and explain the give and take of it. Would definitely double check your home’s wiring and doorbell transformer ratings, mine was 16v 10vA and works fine but will not ring bell without the ring bell kit and night time night vision seems to run slower. I’ve read having higher like 24v and 30-40vA improves night time video quality and can still ring doorbell (more amps so load can run both but have not confirmed myself). Swapping the transformer is another $20-30 for a better one but only if you know how or you’ll need an electrician. Hope this helps!

I love the wide view of this video door bell.

Ring image is clear and response time along with alerts are quick without delay proving to be valuable when needed.