Ring has revealed an update for its well-liked Battery Doorbell Plus outdoor camera. As is always the case when a company adds a “Pro” to a brand, the Battery Doorbell Pro is an improvement in almost every aspect.
Ring says this new model is its “most advanced battery powered doorbell” ever and that it’s packed with features that exceed even its wired doorbells. It boasts radar-powered 3D motion detection, which was also included with the company’s Stick Up Cam Pro. Otherwise called “Bird’s Eye View”, this technology tracks an object’s path through the camera’s field of view so you can monitor where visitors are going and the route they took to get there.
This is paired with an algorithm that sets more nuanced and discrete motion alerts, so you won’t get pinged every time a cat or shadow crosses your yard. You also get something called “Bird’s Eye View” that translates this information into a series of dots on an aerial image of your property.
The visuals have received an upgrade. The camera records 1546p HD+ video and there’s some upscaling features to make the image more crisp. Ring says the doorbell’s dynamic image processing and high-efficiency compression delivers “life-like color and sharpness whether you’re watching in Live View or a video recording from the night before.” To the latter point, there’s a new tool called Low-Light Sight that provides “clear color” videos even in the dark.
The Ring Battery Doorbell Pro also includes a noise-canceling algorithm so you can actually hear who’s at the door, and not just a truck passing by. As the name suggests, it’s powered by a rechargeable battery and not by splicing into your home’s electrical system. Ring is owned by Amazon, so you get Alexa functionality and Echo Show integration. The company would also very much like you to sign up to its Ring Alarm Pro subscription plan for cloud storage, package alerts and backup internet for when the power goes out.
If you’ve been hesitant about Ring products because of where your data might go, the company recently walked back its police-friendly stance regarding video sharing. Amazon says that Ring’s home doorbell unit would stop acquiescing to warrantless police requests for footage from users’ video doorbells and surveillance cameras.
The doorbell goes on sale on March 6 for $230, with pre-orders going live today. A Ring Alarm Pro subscription costs $20 per month or $200 per year.
