IS THERE ANYTHING BETTER THAN A RING DOORBELL?

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walterjay

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I purchased a ring doorbell. It only works part of the time. Generally unreliable. Are there any recommendations for an alternative brand that will not break the bank?
 
You likely just have bad Wi-Fi signal.

We have 3 of the floodlight cameras and 1 outdoor camera with no issues. Have had for almost 3 years
 
My daughter gave us one for Christmas, and I just installed it a few days after. So far it has worked great. No problems.

What problems have you had with it? I'd like to know if perhaps there is something I'm overlooking.
 
The unit only picks up and alerts about 40 percent of the time. We had a delivery today with a large UPS truck and it did not alert.
 
The unit only picks up and alerts about 40 percent of the time. We had a delivery today with a large UPS truck and it did not alert.
Have you looked at the motion settings?
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I have the Arlo. It’s kind of a letdown too. I was expecting it to be more instant. Most people are only at the door for a few seconds. It does a good job at catching movements and saving if you pay the monthly fee. I pretty much never use it other than to know I got a delivery.
 
A Ring doorbell isn't going to work reliably without having two three essentials --

1) a good connection to the local wireless network
2) a good internet connection with sufficient upload speed
3) being a hard-wired Pro model

#1 can be a challenge, even if the router is sitting a few feet away, because its wi-fi hardware is less than great.
#2 is vital, because they have no local storage and have to connect and upload the video to the servers
#3 the hard-wired Pro models can be challenging, even under good conditions that the cheaper battery-powered models may struggle more with.
#3a the hard-wired models require a sufficient electrical supply from the doorbell transformer, which often needs to be upgraded

Motion detection is also reliant on it being properly installed so the sensors are seeing the right areas, and the motion zones are set properly. There are pictorial help guides that show how they should be installed and aimed. I don't know how the current models' features are segmented, but in the past, only the Pro had customizable zones, which was a big advantage to getting accurate triggers and avoiding false positives.

And though less frequent, the servers sometimes have issues, and the app has bugs, which can prevent notifications from being made even if motion events are captured.

Thankfully, my experience with a Pro has been good, but these things are very much a YMMV product, regardless of brand, since there are so many variables. There is no shortage of complaints in the Ring forums and subreddit.
 
A Ring doorbell isn't going to work reliably without having two three essentials --

1) a good connection to the local wireless network
2) a good internet connection with sufficient upload speed
3) being a hard-wired Pro model

#1 can be a challenge, even if the router is sitting a few feet away, because its wi-fi hardware is less than great.
#2 is vital, because they have no local storage and have to connect and upload the video to the servers
#3 the hard-wired Pro models can be challenging, even under good conditions that the cheaper battery-powered models may struggle more with.
#3a the hard-wired models require a sufficient electrical supply from the doorbell transformer, which often needs to be upgraded

Motion detection is also reliant on it being properly installed so the sensors are seeing the right areas, and the motion zones are set properly. There are pictorial help guides that show how they should be installed and aimed. I don't know how the current models' features are segmented, but in the past, only the Pro had customizable zones, which was a big advantage to getting accurate triggers and avoiding false positives.

And though less frequent, the servers sometimes have issues, and the app has bugs, which can prevent notifications from being made even if motion events are captured.

Thankfully, my experience with a Pro has been good, but these things are very much a YMMV product, regardless of brand, since there are so many variables. There is no shortage of complaints in the Ring forums and subreddit.
Agree with all but #3. Have gad a wireless model for over a year and uts flawless
 
I’ve got a Ring doorbell, two motion cam/lights and a remote motion cam (solar powered). They all work great.

Play with the settings, the sensitivity, and the area for alerts, until you’re happy with the performance.

A good wifi signal is a must. I had to get a wifi extender for the remote camera.
 
I’ve got a Ring doorbell, two motion cam/lights and a remote motion cam (solar powered). They all work great.

Play with the settings, the sensitivity, and the area for alerts, until you’re happy with the performance.

A good wifi signal is a must. I had to get a wifi extender for the remote camera.
Exactly. And sometimes that means wifi extenders or the mesh routers etc..
 
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