So my wife wanted a video doorbell after seeing a commercial. What the wife wants, the wife gets, so I start looking into them.
I didn't want a very complicated system, just something to put in place of the regular doorbell button that would video anybody that came up the steps to the deck. To that end, I selected the Ring Wired Doorbell Plus. This one:
ring.com
It looks like this:
Installation was easy. Setup was a snap. Then, of course, that's as far as it ever went.
The first one ran perfectly all day after I installed it. The next morning, it had gone "offline". When you check the app, it's getting plenty of power, but it's just "offline". When it is offline, you can do absolutely nothing with it at all.
So I followed all the trouble shooting directions to try to get it back online, to no avail.
So then, at wits end, I call customer service...and a very nice Indian gentlemen I could barely understand tried his level best to help. After a couple hours, he threw in the towel, said the unit was defective and emailed me a return authorization.
OK.
So I'll just pick up another one, right? I mean, what are the odds of getting another defective unit, right?
Well, if you're me, it's 100%. That's exactly what happened. The second one didn't even last as long as the first one. Full disclosure:
I'm well aware that a video doorbell draws more power, that's why I bought an upgraded doorbell transformer (18 V @ 30 VA) for this thing, plus I replaced the old doorbell that came with the house with a brand new one just to make sure everything was top drawer.
Doing more reading, it seems like EVERYBODY with a ring has had this same problem for YEARS. Going back to 2019 the same thing happens: installs easy, works a few hours to a day or so, then goes offline never to be seen or heard from again.
Doing even more research this morning to try to fix the issue, I found that just about all of the so-called "wired" doorbell cams don't actually use the power from the wires at all, they're still just rechargeable batteries that die every few days that you have to take out and recharge.
What the ever loving hell is that all about?
Oh well. I did finally settle on a solution though that has it all sorted out. I just finished the repainting and install on it. Here it is:
So if you're in the market for a video doorbell, get the hell out of it.
This has been a public service announcement.
I didn't want a very complicated system, just something to put in place of the regular doorbell button that would video anybody that came up the steps to the deck. To that end, I selected the Ring Wired Doorbell Plus. This one:
Wired Doorbell Plus | Advanced Smart Doorbell, Night Vision and Alexa
Add front door protection with our hardwired 1080p HD smart doorbell camera. Ultra-slim design. Color Night vision. Mobile access. Works with Wi-Fi. FREE Expedited Shipping!
ring.com
It looks like this:
Installation was easy. Setup was a snap. Then, of course, that's as far as it ever went.
The first one ran perfectly all day after I installed it. The next morning, it had gone "offline". When you check the app, it's getting plenty of power, but it's just "offline". When it is offline, you can do absolutely nothing with it at all.
So I followed all the trouble shooting directions to try to get it back online, to no avail.
So then, at wits end, I call customer service...and a very nice Indian gentlemen I could barely understand tried his level best to help. After a couple hours, he threw in the towel, said the unit was defective and emailed me a return authorization.
OK.
So I'll just pick up another one, right? I mean, what are the odds of getting another defective unit, right?
Well, if you're me, it's 100%. That's exactly what happened. The second one didn't even last as long as the first one. Full disclosure:
I'm well aware that a video doorbell draws more power, that's why I bought an upgraded doorbell transformer (18 V @ 30 VA) for this thing, plus I replaced the old doorbell that came with the house with a brand new one just to make sure everything was top drawer.
Doing more reading, it seems like EVERYBODY with a ring has had this same problem for YEARS. Going back to 2019 the same thing happens: installs easy, works a few hours to a day or so, then goes offline never to be seen or heard from again.
Doing even more research this morning to try to fix the issue, I found that just about all of the so-called "wired" doorbell cams don't actually use the power from the wires at all, they're still just rechargeable batteries that die every few days that you have to take out and recharge.
What the ever loving hell is that all about?
Oh well. I did finally settle on a solution though that has it all sorted out. I just finished the repainting and install on it. Here it is:
So if you're in the market for a video doorbell, get the hell out of it.
This has been a public service announcement.
