Ring Video Doorbell 3 vs 3 Plus vs 2 vs Pro vs Eufy Doorbell – What has Ring improved? Which is the best alternative?

There is no getting away from the awful PR Ring has had recently, it has been revealed that the company has some serious issues with privacy as well as agreements with law enforcement to share your data.

They are trying to improve though; they claim to have locked down the privacy concerns enforcing mandatory 2FA on their web access as well as new privacy controls within the app.

I’ll be honest, I still love my Ring Doorbell 2, and apathy has meant I didn’t worry too much about the privacy concerns.

Ring has now launched the Doorbell 3, which comes in two
variants, the normal one and the Pro model.

In the US they will be available form the 8^th of April
for $199.99 and $299.99 respectively, no word on UK pricing or availability
yet, but expect them soon.

The most significant upgrade from the Doorbell 2 models is the new Pro-Roll feature, which is only available on the Plus model. This records footage in black and white for four seconds before motion is detected, giving you a more reliable clip should you need to identify what someone is doing.

The feature was available on the Doorbell 2 Pro, but that
requires a wired connection, whereas this is the first Doorbell to do it on
battery (how this affects the battery is not known yet).

Thankfully Ring has now added dual-band 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz
Wi-Fi to both the doorbells. The previous wireless doorbells on had 2.4Ghz,
this has a longer range, but I find that the congested channels means it is
difficult to get a good signal being recorded by the Doorbell, my RSSI number
is often too high. With 5Ghz this, in theory, should be easier to reduce, which
in turn should make the Doorbell respond faster.

Ring has also upgraded the motion zones to include a new Near
Motion Zone feature that provides motion detection in areas approximately
1.5-4.5m in front of your home (reducing unnecessary Motion Notifications and
saving your Video Doorbell 3 battery life).

Doorbell 3 Plus = Wireless Doorbell Pro

Basically, the new Ring Doorbell 3 Plus is a wireless
version of the existing Pro model, with 5Ghz and pre-roll.

Should I upgrade?

If you have a Ring Doorbell 2, it is probably not worth getting the 3 unless you have problems with the signal on 2.4Ghz. If you want the additional protection of pre-roll, it could be worth it, though if it is at all viable, you could opt for the existing Video Doorbell Pro which is hardwired but has 5Ghz and pre-roll.

Ring Video Doorbell Pro | Kit with Chime and Transformer, 1080p HD, Two-Way Talk, Wi-Fi, Motion Detection

Compatibility

If you do upgrade, not everything you may have bought
previously will be compatible.

Mounting brackets and wedge/corner kits are not compatible,
but new versions will be provided in the Video Doorbell 3 box.

Solar mounts are not designed to be used with the new Video
Doorbell 3, and a new version will be available soon.

Ring Doorbell Alternatives – No decent battery options

While Ring has done a lot to address the issues they have faced recently, for some, it is too little too late. So if you are looking for a video doorbell alternative, there are a handful of decent options, but from what I can gather, there is no well-known company offering a battery-based solution.

There are plenty of random brands on Amazon with this, but
if you have privacy concerns with Ring, I wouldn’t recommend placing your
privacy in the hands of an unknown Chinese brand.

Eufy Video Doorbell $159.99 (no current UK stock)