In addition to a new entry-level Ring video doorbell, Ring announced two new versions of its premium smart doorbells in early 2020 - the Ring Video Doorbell 3 and the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus. There's also a new Ring Chime and Chime Pro to alert you elsewhere in your home.
The Ring Chime Pro is again a Wi-Fi extender while now it has a night light. Both were made more aesthetically pleasing with a fabric panel in the Amazon Echo style.
What is different between bell 3 and 3 plus?
The main new feature, only available on the Plus, is Pre-Roll. This means that the video is constantly captured. So if you get a motion alert, you can see the four seconds before you get the alert.
In other words, you can see what caused the warning in the first place. So not only can you see the delivery person at your door, but you can also walk your way. It is also so that you can see the entire incident, not just the end of an incident. However, the video quality is not Full HD, while there is also no audio for it. There is a small price premium of £20 for this additional feature.
What's the same
Both doorbells offer improvements over the older Bell 2 , notably the addition of 5 GHz WiFi (in addition to 2.4 GHz) and Advanced Motion Detection, which we'll get into in a moment.
Key specifications
Both doorbells output 1080p Full HD video and, as mentioned, have 5 GHz in addition to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.
This is useful in households that are having trouble connecting a doorbell to a router. In our house, for example, we need a Chime Pro to close the gap, otherwise our doorbell 2 will interrupt the connection.
Both doorbells are battery operated like the original Ring Video Doorbell, Ring Video Doorbell 2, and Door View Camera (and unlike the Ring Video Doorbell Pro and Elite). You can wire them up too, but in reality few will.
Again, there is a removable battery that you need to charge via USB from time to time. We'll let you know how often we check these new doorbells.
Advanced motion detection
This function was only available for the wired Pro doorbell (in addition to the high quality Ring Video doorbell Elite).
Both doorbells contain a new, adjustable movement zone called the Near Zone. This detects movement within 1.5 to 4.5 m of the front door, but you can really fine-tune it.
Both doorbells also have privacy zones. This feature allows you to exclude areas of the camera's field of view from recording if you want to prevent something from being recorded.
You can also turn off video or audio recording at any time.
Smart home compatibility
As with other ringtones, you can simply say, "Alexa, show me the front door" to see your doorbell video doorbell 3 live on Fire TV or Echo Show devices. You can also say, "Alexa, open the front door" to speak to whoever is at your door.
Unfortunately, like other Ring devices, there is no compatibility with the Google Assistant or Apple HomeKit.
Linked Devices in the Ring app allow you to link your doorbell to compatible Ring Cams to create a single security system.
Price and availability
In the UK, Ring Video Doorbell 3 and Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus are now available for £179 and £230, £199, respectively. The redesigned Chime and Chime Pro are available for £29 and £49, respectively.