{"id":1917047,"date":"2026-05-04T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1917047"},"modified":"2026-05-04T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T08:00:00","slug":"rings-new-video-doorbell-is-the-most-powerful-ive-seen-but-it-tries-to-do-too-much","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1917047","title":{"rendered":"Ring&#8217;s New Video Doorbell Is the Most Powerful I&#8217;ve Seen, but It Tries to Do Too Much"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/82b9474a8685cd759938c17d25fc2142fe9503f5\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/d8cdcad3-9e93-48ba-a77c-65e55d90207d\/ring-doorbell-cnet-ar.png?auto=webp&amp;fit=crop&amp;height=675&amp;width=1200&#8243;]<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e\" class=\"c-pageArticle_body sm:u-col-2 md:u-col-6 lg:u-col-12 lg:u-col-start-0 u-grid-columns\">\n<div class=\"c-pageArticle_content sm:u-col-2 md:u-col-6 lg:u-col-12\">\n<div class=\"u-grid-columns\">\n<div class=\"c-ShortcodeContent_leftRail sm:u-col-2 md:u-col-6 lg:u-col-4 lg:u-col-start-0 u-grid-columns\">\n<div class=\"sm:u-col-2 md:u-col-6 lg:u-col-11\">\n<div data-cy=\"bylineCard\" class=\"c-articleBylineCard\">\n<h2 class=\"c-articleBylineCard_header\">\n    Our Experts<br \/>\n  <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-articleBylineCard_authorContainer\">\n<div data-cy=\"bylineCard_images\" class=\"c-articleBylineCard_authorImages-noinfo\">\n<div class=\"c-articleBylineCard_image g-container-round c-articleBylineCard_image-0\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/1b7f51f5560ae0f141c3829c4c5a046caee6610f\/hub\/2024\/01\/19\/d7cdb7d2-3238-47b2-988d-f58f5f3a8342\/screenshot-2024-01-19-at-9-12-19am.png?auto=webp&amp;fit=crop&amp;height=96&amp;width=96\" alt=\"Headshot of Tyler Lacoma\" height=\"96\" width=\"96\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-articleBylineCard_meta-noinfo single\">\n<div class=\"c-articleBylineCard__authorName-noinfo\">\n<address class=\"c-articleBylineCard_authorNameContainer\"><span class=\"c-articleBylineCard_writtenBy g-text-xsmall\">Written by\u00a0<\/span><span data-cy=\"bylineCard_link\" class=\"c-articleBylineCard_link c-articleBylineCard_link-0\"><br \/>\n              Tyler Lacoma<br \/>\n            <\/span><\/address>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-cy=\"bylineCard_disclaimer\" class=\"c-articleBylineCard_disclaimer g-outer-spacing-top-small\"><span class=\"c-articleBylineCard_disclaimerText\">Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-articleBylineCard_disclaimerLinks\">\n        Reviews ethics statement\n         <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"author-card-0\" class=\"col-5 c-globalAuthorCard\">\n<div class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_head\">\n<div class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_picture\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/afea7dfb37a004f5248ea646f6e019106cecf3ae\/hub\/2024\/01\/19\/d7cdb7d2-3238-47b2-988d-f58f5f3a8342\/screenshot-2024-01-19-at-9-12-19am.png?auto=webp&amp;fit=crop&amp;height=84&amp;width=84\" alt=\"Headshot of Tyler Lacoma\" height=\"84\" width=\"84\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_info\"><span class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_name\">Tyler Lacoma<\/span><span>Editor \/ Home Security and Smart Home<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_bio\">Tyler has worked on, lived with and tested all types of smart home and security technology for over a dozen years, explaining the latest features, privacy tricks, and top recommendations.<\/p>\n<p>With degrees in Business Management, Literature and Technical Writing, Tyler takes every opportunity to play with the latest AI technology, push smart devices to their limits and occasionally throw cameras off his roof, all to find the best devices to trust in your life. He always checks with the renters (and pets) in his life to see what smart products can work for everyone, in every living situation. <\/p>\n<p>Living in beautiful Bend, Oregon gives Tyler plenty of opportunities to test the latest tech in every kind of weather and temperature. But when not at work, he can be found hiking the trails, trying out a new food recipe for his loved ones, keeping up on his favorite reading, or gaming with good friends.<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_details\"><span>Expertise<\/span><span class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_description\">Smart home | Smart security | Home tech | Energy savings | A\/V<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_linkWrapper\">See full bio<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_metaContainer u-flexbox\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_top\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_header\"><span class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_title g-text-xxsmall\"><br \/>\n          Why You Can Trust CNET<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_metrics g-inner-spacing-left-medium u-flexbox-justifyBetween\">\n<div data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure_category\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_category\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_value\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_valueContainer c-bestListDisclosure_counter\"><span>16<\/span><span>17<\/span><span>18<\/span><span>19<\/span><span>20<\/span><span>21<\/span><span>22<\/span><span>23<\/span><span>24<\/span><span>25+<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure_topic\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_topic\">Years of Experience<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure_category\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_category\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_value\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_valueContainer c-bestListDisclosure_counter\"><span>14<\/span><span>15<\/span><span>16<\/span><span>17<\/span><span>18<\/span><span>19<\/span><span>20<\/span><span>21<\/span><span>22<\/span><span>23<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure_topic\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_topic\">Hands-on Product Reviewers<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure_category\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_category\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_value\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_valueContainer c-bestListDisclosure_counter\"><span>6,000<\/span><span>7,000<\/span><span>8,000<\/span><span>9,000<\/span><span>10,000<\/span><span>11,000<\/span><span>12,000<\/span><span>13,000<\/span><span>14,000<\/span><span>15,000<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure_topic\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_topic\">Sq. Feet of Lab Space<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n          How we test\n          <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_expandedCard\">\n<p data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure_message\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_message\">CNET\u2019s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<article class=\"c-ShortcodeContent c-ShortcodeContent-theme:default sm:u-col-2 md:u-col-6 lg:u-col-8 lg:u-col-start-5\">\n<div data-location=\"BODY\" class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign\">\n<div class=\"u-grid-columns c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_overview\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_column lg:u-col-7 md:u-col-6 sm:u-col-2 c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_column-small\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_product u-flexbox-alignFlexStart\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/83aa2c8307705a4055ea0eec73f7cc3743ac765e\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/d8cdcad3-9e93-48ba-a77c-65e55d90207d\/ring-doorbell-cnet-ar.png?auto=webp&amp;fit=crop&amp;height=362&amp;width=644\" alt height=\"362\" width=\"644\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_data-container lg:u-col-5 md:u-col-6 sm:u-col-2\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_data\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_name-rating\">\n<div data-cy=\"reviewRating\" class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_rating g-text-bold\">\n<div data-catalyst-ui-component=\"CnetScoreBadge\" class=\"c-cnetScoreBadgeWrapper\">\n<div class=\"catalyst-ui\" data-v-072a8ef0>\n<div aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"cnet-tooltip-anchor relative inline-block\" data-v-072a8ef0>\n<div class=\"cnetScoreBadge px-2.5\" data-v-072a8ef0>\n<div class=\"cnetScoreBadgeLarge\" data-v-5df03ea3 data-v-072a8ef0>\n<div class=\"cnetScoreBadge-score\" data-v-5df03ea3><span class=\"cnetScoreBadge-score_value\" data-v-5df03ea3>7<\/span><span class=\"cnetScoreBadge-score_scale\" data-v-5df03ea3> \/ 10<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"cnetScoreBadge-tooltip\" data-v-5df03ea3> Score <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-container\" data-v-5ab478e1 data-v-072a8ef0>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip\" data-v-5ab478e1>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-content\" data-v-5ab478e1>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-content_inner\" data-v-5ab478e1>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-content_header\" data-v-5ab478e1>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-content_title\" data-v-5ab478e1>Cnet Score<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-content_text\" data-v-5ab478e1> CNET provides expert, unbiased reviews of products and services. When we assign a score, we use a scale of 1-10. Each product we score is evaluated by criteria specific to its category with most assessing pricing, quality, features and performance. <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-read-more\" data-v-5ab478e1> Read more on:  How we test <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 data-cy=\"reviewProduct\" class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_productName g-outer-spacing-bottom-medium\">Ring Battery Doorbell Pro (2026)<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium\">$250 at Amazon<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons u-grid-columns g-outer-spacing-top-medium\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_like lg:u-col-6 md:u-col-6 sm:u-col-2\">\n<h3 class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_hed g-text-xxxsmall\"> Pros<br \/>\n      <\/h3>\n<ul data-cy=\"reviewPros\" class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_list\">\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          4k resolution with 10x zoom\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Improved, compact design\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Advanced AI features unique to Ring like Alexa Greetings\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Packed with every additional feature you could want\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Can tweak every possible setting\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          First battery-powered doorbell capable of these advances\n        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_dislike lg:u-col-6 md:u-col-6 sm:u-col-2\">\n<h3 class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_hed g-text-xxxsmall\"> Cons<br \/>\n      <\/h3>\n<ul data-cy=\"reviewCons\" class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_list\">\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Package detection doesn&#8217;t work well\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Alexa Greetings need some improvement\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          There&#8217;s a ton of settings to learn and enable\/disable\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          At $250, it&#8217;s one of the most expensive models, too\n        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<nav class=\"c-globalToc\">\n<div class=\"c-globalToc_header\">\n<div class=\"c-globalToc_title\"><span class=\"c-globalToc_titleText\">Table of Contents<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"c-globalToc_dropdown g-dropShadow-hover\">\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Ring&#8217;s New Video Doorbell Is the Most Powerful I&#8217;ve Seen, but It Tries to Do Too Much\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Ring&#8217;s latest doorbell design: Several steps forward and one back\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Camera quality, AI detection, audio and other features\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        App controls and oh, so many settings\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Alexa Plus Greetings: A very unique feature that needs some work\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Ring and privacy\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Final thoughts about the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro 2026\n      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<p class=\"u-speakableText-p1\">Amazon Ring&#8217;s plethora of <span><span>video doorbells<\/span><\/span> received a major update in April with the <span class=\"c-shortcodeCommerceLink\">Ring Battery Doorbell Pro ($250)<\/span>, a culmination of Ring&#8217;s latest technologies as well as Amazon&#8217;s AI push, featuring advanced AI video descriptions and connections to <span><span>Alexa Plus&#8217;s generative AI greetings<\/span><\/span>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"u-speakableText-p2\">I think <span><span>battery video doorbells<\/span><\/span> are far superior to trying to wire them into your old doorbell spot (<span><span>Google Nest<\/span><\/span> still hasn&#8217;t come out with a wireless version of its third-generation doorbell, <span><span>putting Ring ahead of the game<\/span><\/span> here). So I was eager to test out the latest model and see what it can do. <\/p>\n<p>What I found was an incredible powerhouse of a security device that tries to do everything &#8212; including the highest available resolution and <span><span>most AI features<\/span><\/span> &#8212; but doesn&#8217;t quite succeed. Users may have more options than ever, but it also feels like Ring bit off more than it can chew, at least in these early days. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-1\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-1\">Ring&#8217;s latest doorbell design: Several steps forward and one back<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/1f1615504d9e704de1174d7b1e2adba6664bd599\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/90d0b5d1-c04d-4d8a-aa63-7ee5145c8a05\/ring-doorbell-pro-full-kit.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's Battery Doorbell Pro kit on a wood table.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring&#8217;s new doorbell has an updated design that&#8217;s better than many previous versions.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I&#8217;ve been ambivalent about Ring&#8217;s doorbell design in the past, finding it less compact and a bit flimsier than the smaller doorbells from Nest, Blink, Tapo and so on. Ring came out with a <span class=\"c-shortcodeCommerceLink\">standard version of its battery doorbell ($60)<\/span> that addressed some of these concerns and got rid of the pull-out battery in favor of just connecting a cable to the doorbell itself, which I appreciated. <\/p>\n<p>This 2026 doorbell is a mixed bag in comparison. On one hand, it&#8217;s the most <span><span>durable, compact<\/span><\/span> Ring doorbell I&#8217;ve ever tested, with a thinner profile and higher quality that puts it on par with some of the best doorbell designs I&#8217;ve tried. <\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, Ring has switched back to a battery-dropout case, so you have to remove the front of the doorbell and bring the battery inside to charge it. That does carry some advantages, like being able to swap out two battery packs (only one is included) to keep the doorbell working. But it also compromises the integrity of the doorbell and is, in my opinion, a pain.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/2f5a99916304011fb51e05ca6aba3aa0151847fa\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/33a8d6b1-3f7f-4d93-a813-deef45802e05\/ring-doorbell-pro-battery-pack.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's 2026 doorbell with the battery case open on a table.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring has returned to the slide-off battery case design here, which I don&#8217;t like at all but allows you to swap battery packs.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Otherwise, Ring&#8217;s latest Battery Doorbell Pro comes with expected extras, including an installation plate, screws and the necessary angling mount to turn the camera in the right direction on many front porch setups. <\/p>\n<p>You can also choose the color of this model, choosing from options like mocha, navy and deep silver, more options than I usually see for doorbells.<\/p>\n<p>As for battery life, the battery dropped by several percentage points while I was testing, which was expected, especially with all the extra features Ring has to active. You can expect to recharge it every few months or so, based on activation frequency, the same as most standard doorbells.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-2\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-2\">Camera quality, AI detection, audio and other features<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/c8765c9864a04c40a84d289ba87903ab4348de90\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/2736af79-5cb4-45b1-9fa3-8821d2e3f25d\/ring-video-doorbell-2026-porch-view.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's 2026 doorbell showing yard view through app.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring&#8217;s camera quality is excellent and I like how you can see the video streaming quality in real time.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ring&#8217;s 4K Retinal resolution and 10x zoom, plus the 140-degree horizontal\/vertical field of view, make this the most powerful camera I&#8217;ve tested on a <span><span>video doorbell<\/span><\/span>. If you want maximum resolution and coverage from your front door, this model will outperform nearly everything else. <\/p>\n<p>Like other video doorbells, Ring&#8217;s model offers options for two-way audio, live views and event recordings, although you&#8217;ll need a subscription for cloud storage or a Ring security hub for local storage if you want a saved history. <\/p>\n<p>Video quality will, as always, depend on local connection quality. One feature I particularly liked, which I&#8217;ve seen on very few security cams, was a Mbps counter on the live view screen that showed exactly how much video data was streaming through the app. Audio quality is also effective and loud on this doorbell.<\/p>\n<p>Motion detection features are expected on today&#8217;s video doorbells, and like other recent models, the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro also offers extended smart alerts for specific objects and, with subscription,\u00a0<a href target=\"_blank\" rel>AI video descriptions<\/a>\u00a0that summarize what&#8217;s going on. You can enable what specific object notifications you receive, too. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/66d5bce60a90b0b2f9b111071a7f775488c74f4b\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/254cc6be-4e70-4acf-97bf-c7eafaa99061\/ring-app-doorbell-video-descriptions.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring app showing video descriptions.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring, if the video descriptions know there&#8217;s a package, why doesn&#8217;t the package alert trigger too?<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Here I ran into a roadblock. Ring&#8217;s camera was very good at detecting a person, but surprisingly bad at notifying me when a package showed up. I tried multiple package tests on my porch, plus manual adjustments to my package detection zone, but the doorbell kept refusing to activate its package event. <\/p>\n<p>Funnily, the AI video descriptions often noticed activity during tests like, &#8220;A person with a package walks on a wood deck,&#8221; which is accurate but didn&#8217;t trigger a package alert. Every time I tried this, my nearby <span><span>Nest video doorbell<\/span><\/span> correctly alerted me about a person and a package, but Ring&#8217;s detection features fell short. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-3\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-3\">App controls and oh, so many settings<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/441e9d3ffe3dc6f2a741f48f78f19bf265c31659\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/488b00ed-9c6e-4408-9d19-6d797f24ea58\/ring-app-home-for-battery-doorbell.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's app showing home screen settings for a video doorbell.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring organizes settings well, but there&#8217;s a whole lot to master here.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When a doorbell can do everything, it needs an app that can keep up. Ring&#8217;s app is capable, but the learning curve is one of the steepest I&#8217;ve seen due to all the features and their detailed settings. <\/p>\n<p>From the device settings screen, you can access your event history, mode settings, alert settings, <span><span>motion settings<\/span><\/span>, power settings, smart alerts, device health &#8212; and plenty more. Within each section are a plethora of other settings, allowing you to turn features on or off, adjust their sensitivity, choose which events trigger alerts, create routines, <span><span>enhance battery life<\/span><\/span> and so on.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/ce479b0e5a3faf79766b92639a5be47625da1c81\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/44914cc3-7e4d-46a8-abea-1531cb295a55\/ring-app-doorbell-alert-settings.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's app showing camera alert settings.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>You can set or disable alerts as you see fit.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ring also offers several unique settings that few other doorbells do. That includes activating an &#8220;unusual&#8221; event alert mode so you get only alerts about uncommon activity, and adjusting not only motion sensitivity but package sensitivity and package zones (as I said, I didn&#8217;t have much success with that option).<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s also Ring&#8217;s Birds Eye View feature, which lets you set an area for the doorbell to track continued motion, and you can sign up for Ring&#8217;s Familiar Faces program if you want the doorbell camera to start recognizing and labeling face data. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/4cd28d05602699044dfce194194ebfdbb142625a\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/27a1fa11-1009-4614-aa1c-d48273cebe2a\/ring-app-power-settings-doorbell.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's app showing doorbell power settings.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>You can also tweak how power and battery settings work.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That&#8217;s just the start of what the app can do, and it doesn&#8217;t touch on the Ring Neighbors app, which offers its own series of settings and customizations interwined with how you use the video doorbell. Ring tries to make management a little easier with &#8220;recommended&#8221; settings in many locations, but that only goes so far. <\/p>\n<p>These app funtions works fine, outside of the problems I discussed above. But while Ring&#8217;s app has very effective navigation and layout, you&#8217;ll have to spend a lot of time learning everything this doorbell can do and carefully changing settings so it behaves just how you want. For the average user, that could take days, weeks or even months of playing with settings and seeing what&#8217;s available. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-4\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-4\">Alexa Plus Greetings: A very unique feature that needs some work<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/ccfca713664259dc143bbb363bb8f3b797ddae96\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/7d83d39d-eb7f-4f8e-b325-7838ac63cc8f\/ring-app-doorbell-alexa-plus-greeting.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's app showing a pop up for enabling Alexa Plus Greetings.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring allows you to enable Alexa Plus Greetings in smart alerts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After <span><span>using Alexa Plus for over a year<\/span><\/span>, I really wanted to see how far Alexa Greetings had come, a feature Ring added in late 2025 that allows the Alexa Plus AI to carry on a full conversation with people at the door.<\/p>\n<p>As an Amazon company, Ring has innate support for Alexa (but no other smart home platforms) and is connected to my Alexa app automatically during setup. You can even use the Alexa app for several important doorbell functions like live views, audio and alerts, but to enable deeper settings like Alexa Plus Greetings, you need to head into Ring&#8217;s own settings and do more work. You&#8217;ll also need Alexa Plus enabled, either from an Amazon Prime subscription or a standalone Alexa Plus service ($20 per month). <\/p>\n<p>With the Greetings set up, I ran several test conversations with the doorbell and enjoyed it quite a lot. Here&#8217;s a fun and often effective use case for today&#8217;s conversational AI chatbots, letting them greet strangers, take notes and offer advice or send people on their way.<\/p>\n<p>Alexa Plus was able to handle all this, within limits. I started <span><span>with a simple order<\/span><\/span> in the Alexa app to tell anyone with a package to put it by the garage, then rang the doorbell. &#8220;Hey, I have a package,&#8221; I responded when Alexa Plus greeted me. &#8220;You can put it by the garage,&#8221; Alexa told me. &#8220;Thanks,&#8221; I said, and Alexa responded, &#8220;Perfect! Goodbye.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/3dc7b919cab9f8bd595851bffa5efba309fc2894\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/8543de88-fa18-4c44-81a5-a34a63f86bd6\/alexa-plus-setting-greeting-instruction.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Alexa app showing instructions about packages for Alexa Plus Greetings.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Alexa Plus Greetings worked very well in some cases, like relaying instructions about packages to delivery people.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>My other test conversations were similar. &#8220;I have a package that needs a signature,&#8221; I tried, with Alexa saying, &#8220;What time will you be back with a package? I&#8217;ll let them know.&#8221; I said I&#8217;d be back at the same time the next day, to which the voice assistant said, &#8220;Got it. They&#8217;ll hear this message when they check recordings.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Other trials went the same way, with Alexa generally doing a good job of managing the conversation and getting useful info when necessary. But there are a couple of caveats. <\/p>\n<p>First, Ring says that Alexa Plus Greetings are activated when people push the doorbell or when Ring video descriptions recognize a delivery. But in my tests, I had people show up with what Ring recognized as a package (oh, <em>now<\/em> Ring finally labels a package, too bad it was a clipboard), and Greetings didn&#8217;t activate. <\/p>\n<p>Perhaps Ring needs to recognize a delivery uniform like a UPS outfit. But that&#8217;s a bigger problem, because in my area &#8212; and probably in yours &#8212; many delivery people are contracted and don&#8217;t wear uniforms. That makes this function of dubious value. <\/p>\n<p>Second, when Alexa Plus carried on a conversation, I couldn&#8217;t find any way to get a summary of what that conversation was or the important information it contained. Neither Ring nor Alexa&#8217;s own app gave me notes about the visit. To find out, I had to watch the entire recorded clip myself. <\/p>\n<p>That seems like a large oversight of a common-sense addition to Greetings. So I asked Alexa Plus directly to give me summaries of conversations, to see if I could make my own routine. &#8220;Checking,&#8221; said Alexa &#8212; and never got back to me.<\/p>\n<p>Well, when it works, I really like Alexa Plus Greetings, although there are wrinkles to be ironed out. <\/p>\n<div data-location=\"BODY\" class=\"c-shortcodeCommercePromo u-flexbox u-grid-gap-medium g-outer-spacing-bottom-medium\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeCommercePromo_content u-flexbox-column\"><span>Best Wireless Home Security Cameras of 2026: Battery Benefits<\/span> See at Cnet<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeCommercePromo_image\"><img src alt height=\"108\" width=\"196\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-5\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-5\">Ring and privacy<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/8c762c8a5c41e0cf1a77e9b52cf078e0741d2df6\/hub\/2026\/03\/13\/8054981b-0c4e-4819-a619-b51238918f12\/ring-search-party-settings.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring settings showing Search Party.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Opting out of Search Party only takes a minute.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Given Ring&#8217;s past history, including a failed partnership <span><span>with surveillance company Flock<\/span><\/span>, I&#8217;d be remiss if I didn&#8217;t talk about privacy.<\/p>\n<p>The good news is that Ring doesn&#8217;t automatically share information with police with this doorbell. There are sharing features for law enforcement in the Ring Neighbors app, but they are currently opt-in, and those notifications can be blocked. Ring no longer shares data with cops upon request unless there&#8217;s a signed warrant or similar legal requirement.<\/p>\n<p>Ring does have an option to submit videos and descriptions to Ring\/Amazon, but it&#8217;s opt-in at this time. Your camera won&#8217;t automatically send video clips for extended analysis unless you agree. Features like Amazon Sidewalk are opt-in, too. <\/p>\n<p>However, using a Ring doorbell also enables Ring Neighbors features that are opt-out, including some you may be uncomfortable with. That includes Search Party, which can recognize lost pets by tapping into Ring&#8217;s AI recognition, but could be used to track specific people as well. <\/p>\n<p>You can turn off all opt-out functions if you know where to go, but that&#8217;s another deep dive into settings. Fortunately, I have a <span><span>guide on how to turn off several less-popular Ring features<\/span><\/span> that will save you a lot of time. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-6\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-6\">Final thoughts about the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro 2026<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/bbf5323e45257c94c45705c6a741bb413a0f72d3\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/e3fde6b4-9b48-46c4-a3af-03f8d1e4d2db\/ring-doorbell-pro-outside.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's Battery Doorbell Pro 2026 on brown siding.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring&#8217;s newest doorbell tries to do everything &#8212; and doesn&#8217;t quite get away with it.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Like a juggler pushing themself to the limit, Ring&#8217;s new Battery Doorbell Pro is very impressive at first sight, but drops some balls as time passes.<\/p>\n<p>The doorbell can do everything, more than any other model on the market, and its 4K resolution, 10x zoom and wide viewing angle can&#8217;t be beat. Ring has also equipped this model with more advanced AI features than most others, including Alexa Plus greetings (fun!), video descriptions (often handy), and Familiar Faces recognition (too invasive for me). The powerful battery and design quality boost also impress.<\/p>\n<p>But putting all the cutting-edge features on one device comes at a cost. Package detection, which works fine on other doorbells, doesn&#8217;t seem to work well at all on this model, despite my adjustments. And Alexa Plus Greetings could use improvement, including more reliable activation and text summaries of the conversation. <\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s also the app, which is weighed down with a huge number of settings and features to wade through. That&#8217;s an investment and learning curve not everyone will have time for, but it rewards you with more customization than any other doorbell I&#8217;ve seen. <\/p>\n<p>The <span class=\"c-shortcodeCommerceLink\">Ring Battery Doorbell Pro 2026<\/span>&#8216;s complications may ease over time as bugs get fixed and firmware improves. I&#8217;d especially like to see Alexa Plug Greetings become refined, as it&#8217;s my favorite use of this doorbell. But for now, if you&#8217;d like all the latest tech that Ring can pack into a device, you can stay on the cutting edge with this $250 purchase &#8212; just be aware the ride could be bumpy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sm:u-col-2 md:u-col-6 lg:u-col-8 lg:u-col-start-5\">\n<div class=\"c-pageArticle_articleAuthorBioFooter\">\n<div class=\"c-articleAuthorBioFooter\">\n<div class=\"c-articleAuthorBioFooter\">\n<div class=\"c-articleAuthorBioFooter_body\">\n<div class=\"c-articleAuthorBioFooter_nameBlock\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-articleAuthorBioFooter_image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/00d08a20f3224fb9aa74a87f0219b67371f8816b\/hub\/2024\/01\/19\/d7cdb7d2-3238-47b2-988d-f58f5f3a8342\/screenshot-2024-01-19-at-9-12-19am.png?auto=webp&amp;fit=crop&amp;height=64&amp;width=64\" alt=\"Headshot of Tyler Lacoma\" height=\"64\" width=\"64\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-articleAuthorBioFooter_nameText\">\n<div class=\"c-articleAuthorBioFooter_name\"><span>TYLER LACOMA<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"c-articleAuthorBioFooter_credentials\">Editor \/ Home Security and Smart Home<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"c-articleAuthorBioFooter_bio\"><span>Tyler has worked on, lived with and tested all types of smart home and security technology for over a dozen years, explaining the latest features, privacy tricks, and top recommendations.<\/p>\n<p>With degrees in Business Management, Literature and Technical Writing, Tyler takes every opportunity to play with the latest AI technology, push smart devices to their limits and occasionally throw cameras off his roof, all to find the best devices to trust in your life. He always checks with the renters (and pets) in his life to see what smart products can work for everyone, in every living situation. <\/p>\n<p>Living in beautiful Bend, Oregon gives Tyler plenty of opportunities to test the latest tech in every kind of weather and temperature. But when not at work, he can be found hiking the trails, trying out a new food recipe for his loved ones, keeping up on his favorite reading, or gaming with good friends.<\/span> See full bio <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-pageArticle_content sm:u-col-2 md:u-col-6 lg:u-col-12\">\n<div class=\"u-grid-columns\">\n<div class=\"c-ShortcodeContent_leftRail sm:u-col-2 md:u-col-6 lg:u-col-4 lg:u-col-start-0 u-grid-columns\">\n<div class=\"sm:u-col-2 md:u-col-6 lg:u-col-11\">\n<div data-cy=\"bylineCard\" class=\"c-articleBylineCard\">\n<h2 class=\"c-articleBylineCard_header\">\n    Our Experts<br \/>\n  <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-articleBylineCard_authorContainer\">\n<div data-cy=\"bylineCard_images\" class=\"c-articleBylineCard_authorImages-noinfo\">\n<div class=\"c-articleBylineCard_image g-container-round c-articleBylineCard_image-0\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/1b7f51f5560ae0f141c3829c4c5a046caee6610f\/hub\/2024\/01\/19\/d7cdb7d2-3238-47b2-988d-f58f5f3a8342\/screenshot-2024-01-19-at-9-12-19am.png?auto=webp&amp;fit=crop&amp;height=96&amp;width=96\" alt=\"Headshot of Tyler Lacoma\" height=\"96\" width=\"96\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-articleBylineCard_meta-noinfo single\">\n<div class=\"c-articleBylineCard__authorName-noinfo\">\n<address class=\"c-articleBylineCard_authorNameContainer\"><span class=\"c-articleBylineCard_writtenBy g-text-xsmall\">Written by\u00a0<\/span><span data-cy=\"bylineCard_link\" class=\"c-articleBylineCard_link c-articleBylineCard_link-0\"><br \/>\n              Tyler Lacoma<br \/>\n            <\/span><\/address>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-cy=\"bylineCard_disclaimer\" class=\"c-articleBylineCard_disclaimer g-outer-spacing-top-small\"><span class=\"c-articleBylineCard_disclaimerText\">Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-articleBylineCard_disclaimerLinks\">\n        Reviews ethics statement\n         <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"author-card-0\" class=\"col-5 c-globalAuthorCard\">\n<div class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_head\">\n<div class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_picture\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/afea7dfb37a004f5248ea646f6e019106cecf3ae\/hub\/2024\/01\/19\/d7cdb7d2-3238-47b2-988d-f58f5f3a8342\/screenshot-2024-01-19-at-9-12-19am.png?auto=webp&amp;fit=crop&amp;height=84&amp;width=84\" alt=\"Headshot of Tyler Lacoma\" height=\"84\" width=\"84\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_info\"><span class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_name\">Tyler Lacoma<\/span><span>Editor \/ Home Security and Smart Home<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_bio\">Tyler has worked on, lived with and tested all types of smart home and security technology for over a dozen years, explaining the latest features, privacy tricks, and top recommendations.<\/p>\n<p>With degrees in Business Management, Literature and Technical Writing, Tyler takes every opportunity to play with the latest AI technology, push smart devices to their limits and occasionally throw cameras off his roof, all to find the best devices to trust in your life. He always checks with the renters (and pets) in his life to see what smart products can work for everyone, in every living situation. <\/p>\n<p>Living in beautiful Bend, Oregon gives Tyler plenty of opportunities to test the latest tech in every kind of weather and temperature. But when not at work, he can be found hiking the trails, trying out a new food recipe for his loved ones, keeping up on his favorite reading, or gaming with good friends.<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_details\"><span>Expertise<\/span><span class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_description\">Smart home | Smart security | Home tech | Energy savings | A\/V<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-globalAuthorCard_linkWrapper\">See full bio<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_metaContainer u-flexbox\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_top\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_header\"><span class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_title g-text-xxsmall\"><br \/>\n          Why You Can Trust CNET<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_metrics g-inner-spacing-left-medium u-flexbox-justifyBetween\">\n<div data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure_category\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_category\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_value\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_valueContainer c-bestListDisclosure_counter\"><span>16<\/span><span>17<\/span><span>18<\/span><span>19<\/span><span>20<\/span><span>21<\/span><span>22<\/span><span>23<\/span><span>24<\/span><span>25+<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure_topic\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_topic\">Years of Experience<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure_category\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_category\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_value\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_valueContainer c-bestListDisclosure_counter\"><span>14<\/span><span>15<\/span><span>16<\/span><span>17<\/span><span>18<\/span><span>19<\/span><span>20<\/span><span>21<\/span><span>22<\/span><span>23<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure_topic\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_topic\">Hands-on Product Reviewers<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure_category\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_category\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_value\">\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_valueContainer c-bestListDisclosure_counter\"><span>6,000<\/span><span>7,000<\/span><span>8,000<\/span><span>9,000<\/span><span>10,000<\/span><span>11,000<\/span><span>12,000<\/span><span>13,000<\/span><span>14,000<\/span><span>15,000<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure_topic\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_topic\">Sq. Feet of Lab Space<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n          How we test\n          <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_expandedCard\">\n<p data-cy=\"bestListDisclosure_message\" class=\"c-bestListDisclosure_message\">CNET\u2019s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<article class=\"c-ShortcodeContent c-ShortcodeContent-theme:default sm:u-col-2 md:u-col-6 lg:u-col-8 lg:u-col-start-5\">\n<div data-location=\"BODY\" class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign\">\n<div class=\"u-grid-columns c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_overview\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_column lg:u-col-7 md:u-col-6 sm:u-col-2 c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_column-small\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_product u-flexbox-alignFlexStart\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/83aa2c8307705a4055ea0eec73f7cc3743ac765e\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/d8cdcad3-9e93-48ba-a77c-65e55d90207d\/ring-doorbell-cnet-ar.png?auto=webp&amp;fit=crop&amp;height=362&amp;width=644\" alt height=\"362\" width=\"644\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_data-container lg:u-col-5 md:u-col-6 sm:u-col-2\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_data\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_name-rating\">\n<div data-cy=\"reviewRating\" class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_rating g-text-bold\">\n<div data-catalyst-ui-component=\"CnetScoreBadge\" class=\"c-cnetScoreBadgeWrapper\">\n<div class=\"catalyst-ui\" data-v-072a8ef0>\n<div aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"cnet-tooltip-anchor relative inline-block\" data-v-072a8ef0>\n<div class=\"cnetScoreBadge px-2.5\" data-v-072a8ef0>\n<div class=\"cnetScoreBadgeLarge\" data-v-5df03ea3 data-v-072a8ef0>\n<div class=\"cnetScoreBadge-score\" data-v-5df03ea3><span class=\"cnetScoreBadge-score_value\" data-v-5df03ea3>7<\/span><span class=\"cnetScoreBadge-score_scale\" data-v-5df03ea3> \/ 10<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"cnetScoreBadge-tooltip\" data-v-5df03ea3> Score <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-container\" data-v-5ab478e1 data-v-072a8ef0>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip\" data-v-5ab478e1>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-content\" data-v-5ab478e1>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-content_inner\" data-v-5ab478e1>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-content_header\" data-v-5ab478e1>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-content_title\" data-v-5ab478e1>Cnet Score<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-content_text\" data-v-5ab478e1> CNET provides expert, unbiased reviews of products and services. When we assign a score, we use a scale of 1-10. Each product we score is evaluated by criteria specific to its category with most assessing pricing, quality, features and performance. <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-read-more\" data-v-5ab478e1> Read more on:  How we test <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 data-cy=\"reviewProduct\" class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_productName g-outer-spacing-bottom-medium\">Ring Battery Doorbell Pro (2026)<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium\">$250 at Amazon<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons u-grid-columns g-outer-spacing-top-medium\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_like lg:u-col-6 md:u-col-6 sm:u-col-2\">\n<h3 class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_hed g-text-xxxsmall\"> Pros<br \/>\n      <\/h3>\n<ul data-cy=\"reviewPros\" class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_list\">\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          4k resolution with 10x zoom\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Improved, compact design\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Advanced AI features unique to Ring like Alexa Greetings\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Packed with every additional feature you could want\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Can tweak every possible setting\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          First battery-powered doorbell capable of these advances\n        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_dislike lg:u-col-6 md:u-col-6 sm:u-col-2\">\n<h3 class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_hed g-text-xxxsmall\"> Cons<br \/>\n      <\/h3>\n<ul data-cy=\"reviewCons\" class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_list\">\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Package detection doesn&#8217;t work well\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Alexa Greetings need some improvement\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          There&#8217;s a ton of settings to learn and enable\/disable\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          At $250, it&#8217;s one of the most expensive models, too\n        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<nav class=\"c-globalToc\">\n<div class=\"c-globalToc_header\">\n<div class=\"c-globalToc_title\"><span class=\"c-globalToc_titleText\">Table of Contents<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"c-globalToc_dropdown g-dropShadow-hover\">\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Ring&#8217;s New Video Doorbell Is the Most Powerful I&#8217;ve Seen, but It Tries to Do Too Much\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Ring&#8217;s latest doorbell design: Several steps forward and one back\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Camera quality, AI detection, audio and other features\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        App controls and oh, so many settings\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Alexa Plus Greetings: A very unique feature that needs some work\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Ring and privacy\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Final thoughts about the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro 2026\n      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<p class=\"u-speakableText-p1\">Amazon Ring&#8217;s plethora of <span><span>video doorbells<\/span><\/span> received a major update in April with the <span class=\"c-shortcodeCommerceLink\">Ring Battery Doorbell Pro ($250)<\/span>, a culmination of Ring&#8217;s latest technologies as well as Amazon&#8217;s AI push, featuring advanced AI video descriptions and connections to <span><span>Alexa Plus&#8217;s generative AI greetings<\/span><\/span>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"u-speakableText-p2\">I think <span><span>battery video doorbells<\/span><\/span> are far superior to trying to wire them into your old doorbell spot (<span><span>Google Nest<\/span><\/span> still hasn&#8217;t come out with a wireless version of its third-generation doorbell, <span><span>putting Ring ahead of the game<\/span><\/span> here). So I was eager to test out the latest model and see what it can do. <\/p>\n<p>What I found was an incredible powerhouse of a security device that tries to do everything &#8212; including the highest available resolution and <span><span>most AI features<\/span><\/span> &#8212; but doesn&#8217;t quite succeed. Users may have more options than ever, but it also feels like Ring bit off more than it can chew, at least in these early days. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-1\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-1\">Ring&#8217;s latest doorbell design: Several steps forward and one back<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/1f1615504d9e704de1174d7b1e2adba6664bd599\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/90d0b5d1-c04d-4d8a-aa63-7ee5145c8a05\/ring-doorbell-pro-full-kit.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's Battery Doorbell Pro kit on a wood table.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring&#8217;s new doorbell has an updated design that&#8217;s better than many previous versions.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I&#8217;ve been ambivalent about Ring&#8217;s doorbell design in the past, finding it less compact and a bit flimsier than the smaller doorbells from Nest, Blink, Tapo and so on. Ring came out with a <span class=\"c-shortcodeCommerceLink\">standard version of its battery doorbell ($60)<\/span> that addressed some of these concerns and got rid of the pull-out battery in favor of just connecting a cable to the doorbell itself, which I appreciated. <\/p>\n<p>This 2026 doorbell is a mixed bag in comparison. On one hand, it&#8217;s the most <span><span>durable, compact<\/span><\/span> Ring doorbell I&#8217;ve ever tested, with a thinner profile and higher quality that puts it on par with some of the best doorbell designs I&#8217;ve tried. <\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, Ring has switched back to a battery-dropout case, so you have to remove the front of the doorbell and bring the battery inside to charge it. That does carry some advantages, like being able to swap out two battery packs (only one is included) to keep the doorbell working. But it also compromises the integrity of the doorbell and is, in my opinion, a pain.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/2f5a99916304011fb51e05ca6aba3aa0151847fa\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/33a8d6b1-3f7f-4d93-a813-deef45802e05\/ring-doorbell-pro-battery-pack.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's 2026 doorbell with the battery case open on a table.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring has returned to the slide-off battery case design here, which I don&#8217;t like at all but allows you to swap battery packs.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Otherwise, Ring&#8217;s latest Battery Doorbell Pro comes with expected extras, including an installation plate, screws and the necessary angling mount to turn the camera in the right direction on many front porch setups. <\/p>\n<p>You can also choose the color of this model, choosing from options like mocha, navy and deep silver, more options than I usually see for doorbells.<\/p>\n<p>As for battery life, the battery dropped by several percentage points while I was testing, which was expected, especially with all the extra features Ring has to active. You can expect to recharge it every few months or so, based on activation frequency, the same as most standard doorbells.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-2\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-2\">Camera quality, AI detection, audio and other features<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/c8765c9864a04c40a84d289ba87903ab4348de90\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/2736af79-5cb4-45b1-9fa3-8821d2e3f25d\/ring-video-doorbell-2026-porch-view.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's 2026 doorbell showing yard view through app.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring&#8217;s camera quality is excellent and I like how you can see the video streaming quality in real time.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ring&#8217;s 4K Retinal resolution and 10x zoom, plus the 140-degree horizontal\/vertical field of view, make this the most powerful camera I&#8217;ve tested on a <span><span>video doorbell<\/span><\/span>. If you want maximum resolution and coverage from your front door, this model will outperform nearly everything else. <\/p>\n<p>Like other video doorbells, Ring&#8217;s model offers options for two-way audio, live views and event recordings, although you&#8217;ll need a subscription for cloud storage or a Ring security hub for local storage if you want a saved history. <\/p>\n<p>Video quality will, as always, depend on local connection quality. One feature I particularly liked, which I&#8217;ve seen on very few security cams, was a Mbps counter on the live view screen that showed exactly how much video data was streaming through the app. Audio quality is also effective and loud on this doorbell.<\/p>\n<p>Motion detection features are expected on today&#8217;s video doorbells, and like other recent models, the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro also offers extended smart alerts for specific objects and, with subscription,\u00a0<a href target=\"_blank\" rel>AI video descriptions<\/a>\u00a0that summarize what&#8217;s going on. You can enable what specific object notifications you receive, too. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/66d5bce60a90b0b2f9b111071a7f775488c74f4b\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/254cc6be-4e70-4acf-97bf-c7eafaa99061\/ring-app-doorbell-video-descriptions.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring app showing video descriptions.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring, if the video descriptions know there&#8217;s a package, why doesn&#8217;t the package alert trigger too?<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Here I ran into a roadblock. Ring&#8217;s camera was very good at detecting a person, but surprisingly bad at notifying me when a package showed up. I tried multiple package tests on my porch, plus manual adjustments to my package detection zone, but the doorbell kept refusing to activate its package event. <\/p>\n<p>Funnily, the AI video descriptions often noticed activity during tests like, &#8220;A person with a package walks on a wood deck,&#8221; which is accurate but didn&#8217;t trigger a package alert. Every time I tried this, my nearby <span><span>Nest video doorbell<\/span><\/span> correctly alerted me about a person and a package, but Ring&#8217;s detection features fell short. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-3\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-3\">App controls and oh, so many settings<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/441e9d3ffe3dc6f2a741f48f78f19bf265c31659\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/488b00ed-9c6e-4408-9d19-6d797f24ea58\/ring-app-home-for-battery-doorbell.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's app showing home screen settings for a video doorbell.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring organizes settings well, but there&#8217;s a whole lot to master here.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When a doorbell can do everything, it needs an app that can keep up. Ring&#8217;s app is capable, but the learning curve is one of the steepest I&#8217;ve seen due to all the features and their detailed settings. <\/p>\n<p>From the device settings screen, you can access your event history, mode settings, alert settings, <span><span>motion settings<\/span><\/span>, power settings, smart alerts, device health &#8212; and plenty more. Within each section are a plethora of other settings, allowing you to turn features on or off, adjust their sensitivity, choose which events trigger alerts, create routines, <span><span>enhance battery life<\/span><\/span> and so on.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/ce479b0e5a3faf79766b92639a5be47625da1c81\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/44914cc3-7e4d-46a8-abea-1531cb295a55\/ring-app-doorbell-alert-settings.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's app showing camera alert settings.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>You can set or disable alerts as you see fit.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ring also offers several unique settings that few other doorbells do. That includes activating an &#8220;unusual&#8221; event alert mode so you get only alerts about uncommon activity, and adjusting not only motion sensitivity but package sensitivity and package zones (as I said, I didn&#8217;t have much success with that option).<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s also Ring&#8217;s Birds Eye View feature, which lets you set an area for the doorbell to track continued motion, and you can sign up for Ring&#8217;s Familiar Faces program if you want the doorbell camera to start recognizing and labeling face data. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/4cd28d05602699044dfce194194ebfdbb142625a\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/27a1fa11-1009-4614-aa1c-d48273cebe2a\/ring-app-power-settings-doorbell.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's app showing doorbell power settings.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>You can also tweak how power and battery settings work.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That&#8217;s just the start of what the app can do, and it doesn&#8217;t touch on the Ring Neighbors app, which offers its own series of settings and customizations interwined with how you use the video doorbell. Ring tries to make management a little easier with &#8220;recommended&#8221; settings in many locations, but that only goes so far. <\/p>\n<p>These app funtions works fine, outside of the problems I discussed above. But while Ring&#8217;s app has very effective navigation and layout, you&#8217;ll have to spend a lot of time learning everything this doorbell can do and carefully changing settings so it behaves just how you want. For the average user, that could take days, weeks or even months of playing with settings and seeing what&#8217;s available. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-4\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-4\">Alexa Plus Greetings: A very unique feature that needs some work<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/ccfca713664259dc143bbb363bb8f3b797ddae96\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/7d83d39d-eb7f-4f8e-b325-7838ac63cc8f\/ring-app-doorbell-alexa-plus-greeting.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's app showing a pop up for enabling Alexa Plus Greetings.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring allows you to enable Alexa Plus Greetings in smart alerts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After <span><span>using Alexa Plus for over a year<\/span><\/span>, I really wanted to see how far Alexa Greetings had come, a feature Ring added in late 2025 that allows the Alexa Plus AI to carry on a full conversation with people at the door.<\/p>\n<p>As an Amazon company, Ring has innate support for Alexa (but no other smart home platforms) and is connected to my Alexa app automatically during setup. You can even use the Alexa app for several important doorbell functions like live views, audio and alerts, but to enable deeper settings like Alexa Plus Greetings, you need to head into Ring&#8217;s own settings and do more work. You&#8217;ll also need Alexa Plus enabled, either from an Amazon Prime subscription or a standalone Alexa Plus service ($20 per month). <\/p>\n<p>With the Greetings set up, I ran several test conversations with the doorbell and enjoyed it quite a lot. Here&#8217;s a fun and often effective use case for today&#8217;s conversational AI chatbots, letting them greet strangers, take notes and offer advice or send people on their way.<\/p>\n<p>Alexa Plus was able to handle all this, within limits. I started <span><span>with a simple order<\/span><\/span> in the Alexa app to tell anyone with a package to put it by the garage, then rang the doorbell. &#8220;Hey, I have a package,&#8221; I responded when Alexa Plus greeted me. &#8220;You can put it by the garage,&#8221; Alexa told me. &#8220;Thanks,&#8221; I said, and Alexa responded, &#8220;Perfect! Goodbye.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/3dc7b919cab9f8bd595851bffa5efba309fc2894\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/8543de88-fa18-4c44-81a5-a34a63f86bd6\/alexa-plus-setting-greeting-instruction.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Alexa app showing instructions about packages for Alexa Plus Greetings.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Alexa Plus Greetings worked very well in some cases, like relaying instructions about packages to delivery people.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>My other test conversations were similar. &#8220;I have a package that needs a signature,&#8221; I tried, with Alexa saying, &#8220;What time will you be back with a package? I&#8217;ll let them know.&#8221; I said I&#8217;d be back at the same time the next day, to which the voice assistant said, &#8220;Got it. They&#8217;ll hear this message when they check recordings.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Other trials went the same way, with Alexa generally doing a good job of managing the conversation and getting useful info when necessary. But there are a couple of caveats. <\/p>\n<p>First, Ring says that Alexa Plus Greetings are activated when people push the doorbell or when Ring video descriptions recognize a delivery. But in my tests, I had people show up with what Ring recognized as a package (oh, <em>now<\/em> Ring finally labels a package, too bad it was a clipboard), and Greetings didn&#8217;t activate. <\/p>\n<p>Perhaps Ring needs to recognize a delivery uniform like a UPS outfit. But that&#8217;s a bigger problem, because in my area &#8212; and probably in yours &#8212; many delivery people are contracted and don&#8217;t wear uniforms. That makes this function of dubious value. <\/p>\n<p>Second, when Alexa Plus carried on a conversation, I couldn&#8217;t find any way to get a summary of what that conversation was or the important information it contained. Neither Ring nor Alexa&#8217;s own app gave me notes about the visit. To find out, I had to watch the entire recorded clip myself. <\/p>\n<p>That seems like a large oversight of a common-sense addition to Greetings. So I asked Alexa Plus directly to give me summaries of conversations, to see if I could make my own routine. &#8220;Checking,&#8221; said Alexa &#8212; and never got back to me.<\/p>\n<p>Well, when it works, I really like Alexa Plus Greetings, although there are wrinkles to be ironed out. <\/p>\n<div data-location=\"BODY\" class=\"c-shortcodeCommercePromo u-flexbox u-grid-gap-medium g-outer-spacing-bottom-medium\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeCommercePromo_content u-flexbox-column\"><span>Best Wireless Home Security Cameras of 2026: Battery Benefits<\/span> See at Cnet<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeCommercePromo_image\"><img src alt height=\"108\" width=\"196\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-5\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-5\">Ring and privacy<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/8c762c8a5c41e0cf1a77e9b52cf078e0741d2df6\/hub\/2026\/03\/13\/8054981b-0c4e-4819-a619-b51238918f12\/ring-search-party-settings.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring settings showing Search Party.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Opting out of Search Party only takes a minute.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Given Ring&#8217;s past history, including a failed partnership <span><span>with surveillance company Flock<\/span><\/span>, I&#8217;d be remiss if I didn&#8217;t talk about privacy.<\/p>\n<p>The good news is that Ring doesn&#8217;t automatically share information with police with this doorbell. There are sharing features for law enforcement in the Ring Neighbors app, but they are currently opt-in, and those notifications can be blocked. Ring no longer shares data with cops upon request unless there&#8217;s a signed warrant or similar legal requirement.<\/p>\n<p>Ring does have an option to submit videos and descriptions to Ring\/Amazon, but it&#8217;s opt-in at this time. Your camera won&#8217;t automatically send video clips for extended analysis unless you agree. Features like Amazon Sidewalk are opt-in, too. <\/p>\n<p>However, using a Ring doorbell also enables Ring Neighbors features that are opt-out, including some you may be uncomfortable with. That includes Search Party, which can recognize lost pets by tapping into Ring&#8217;s AI recognition, but could be used to track specific people as well. <\/p>\n<p>You can turn off all opt-out functions if you know where to go, but that&#8217;s another deep dive into settings. Fortunately, I have a <span><span>guide on how to turn off several less-popular Ring features<\/span><\/span> that will save you a lot of time. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-6\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-6\">Final thoughts about the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro 2026<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/bbf5323e45257c94c45705c6a741bb413a0f72d3\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/e3fde6b4-9b48-46c4-a3af-03f8d1e4d2db\/ring-doorbell-pro-outside.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's Battery Doorbell Pro 2026 on brown siding.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring&#8217;s newest doorbell tries to do everything &#8212; and doesn&#8217;t quite get away with it.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Like a juggler pushing themself to the limit, Ring&#8217;s new Battery Doorbell Pro is very impressive at first sight, but drops some balls as time passes.<\/p>\n<p>The doorbell can do everything, more than any other model on the market, and its 4K resolution, 10x zoom and wide viewing angle can&#8217;t be beat. Ring has also equipped this model with more advanced AI features than most others, including Alexa Plus greetings (fun!), video descriptions (often handy), and Familiar Faces recognition (too invasive for me). The powerful battery and design quality boost also impress.<\/p>\n<p>But putting all the cutting-edge features on one device comes at a cost. Package detection, which works fine on other doorbells, doesn&#8217;t seem to work well at all on this model, despite my adjustments. And Alexa Plus Greetings could use improvement, including more reliable activation and text summaries of the conversation. <\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s also the app, which is weighed down with a huge number of settings and features to wade through. That&#8217;s an investment and learning curve not everyone will have time for, but it rewards you with more customization than any other doorbell I&#8217;ve seen. <\/p>\n<p>The <span class=\"c-shortcodeCommerceLink\">Ring Battery Doorbell Pro 2026<\/span>&#8216;s complications may ease over time as bugs get fixed and firmware improves. I&#8217;d especially like to see Alexa Plug Greetings become refined, as it&#8217;s my favorite use of this doorbell. But for now, if you&#8217;d like all the latest tech that Ring can pack into a device, you can stay on the cutting edge with this $250 purchase &#8212; just be aware the ride could be bumpy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<article class=\"c-ShortcodeContent c-ShortcodeContent-theme:default sm:u-col-2 md:u-col-6 lg:u-col-8 lg:u-col-start-5\">\n<div data-location=\"BODY\" class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign\">\n<div class=\"u-grid-columns c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_overview\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_column lg:u-col-7 md:u-col-6 sm:u-col-2 c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_column-small\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_product u-flexbox-alignFlexStart\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/83aa2c8307705a4055ea0eec73f7cc3743ac765e\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/d8cdcad3-9e93-48ba-a77c-65e55d90207d\/ring-doorbell-cnet-ar.png?auto=webp&amp;fit=crop&amp;height=362&amp;width=644\" alt height=\"362\" width=\"644\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_data-container lg:u-col-5 md:u-col-6 sm:u-col-2\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_data\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_name-rating\">\n<div data-cy=\"reviewRating\" class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_rating g-text-bold\">\n<div data-catalyst-ui-component=\"CnetScoreBadge\" class=\"c-cnetScoreBadgeWrapper\">\n<div class=\"catalyst-ui\" data-v-072a8ef0>\n<div aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"cnet-tooltip-anchor relative inline-block\" data-v-072a8ef0>\n<div class=\"cnetScoreBadge px-2.5\" data-v-072a8ef0>\n<div class=\"cnetScoreBadgeLarge\" data-v-5df03ea3 data-v-072a8ef0>\n<div class=\"cnetScoreBadge-score\" data-v-5df03ea3><span class=\"cnetScoreBadge-score_value\" data-v-5df03ea3>7<\/span><span class=\"cnetScoreBadge-score_scale\" data-v-5df03ea3> \/ 10<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"cnetScoreBadge-tooltip\" data-v-5df03ea3> Score <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-container\" data-v-5ab478e1 data-v-072a8ef0>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip\" data-v-5ab478e1>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-content\" data-v-5ab478e1>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-content_inner\" data-v-5ab478e1>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-content_header\" data-v-5ab478e1>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-content_title\" data-v-5ab478e1>Cnet Score<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-content_text\" data-v-5ab478e1> CNET provides expert, unbiased reviews of products and services. When we assign a score, we use a scale of 1-10. Each product we score is evaluated by criteria specific to its category with most assessing pricing, quality, features and performance. <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cat-tooltip-read-more\" data-v-5ab478e1> Read more on:  How we test <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 data-cy=\"reviewProduct\" class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_productName g-outer-spacing-bottom-medium\">Ring Battery Doorbell Pro (2026)<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"g-inner-spacing-bottom-medium\">$250 at Amazon<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons u-grid-columns g-outer-spacing-top-medium\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_like lg:u-col-6 md:u-col-6 sm:u-col-2\">\n<h3 class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_hed g-text-xxxsmall\"> Pros<br \/>\n      <\/h3>\n<ul data-cy=\"reviewPros\" class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_list\">\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          4k resolution with 10x zoom\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Improved, compact design\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Advanced AI features unique to Ring like Alexa Greetings\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Packed with every additional feature you could want\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Can tweak every possible setting\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          First battery-powered doorbell capable of these advances\n        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_dislike lg:u-col-6 md:u-col-6 sm:u-col-2\">\n<h3 class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_hed g-text-xxxsmall\"> Cons<br \/>\n      <\/h3>\n<ul data-cy=\"reviewCons\" class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_list\">\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Package detection doesn&#8217;t work well\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          Alexa Greetings need some improvement\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          There&#8217;s a ton of settings to learn and enable\/disable\n        <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-shortcodeReviewRedesign_prosCons_item\">\n          At $250, it&#8217;s one of the most expensive models, too\n        <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<nav class=\"c-globalToc\">\n<div class=\"c-globalToc_header\">\n<div class=\"c-globalToc_title\"><span class=\"c-globalToc_titleText\">Table of Contents<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"c-globalToc_dropdown g-dropShadow-hover\">\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Ring&#8217;s New Video Doorbell Is the Most Powerful I&#8217;ve Seen, but It Tries to Do Too Much\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Ring&#8217;s latest doorbell design: Several steps forward and one back\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Camera quality, AI detection, audio and other features\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        App controls and oh, so many settings\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Alexa Plus Greetings: A very unique feature that needs some work\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Ring and privacy\n      <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-globalToc_dropdownItem\">\n        Final thoughts about the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro 2026\n      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<p class=\"u-speakableText-p1\">Amazon Ring&#8217;s plethora of <span><span>video doorbells<\/span><\/span> received a major update in April with the <span class=\"c-shortcodeCommerceLink\">Ring Battery Doorbell Pro ($250)<\/span>, a culmination of Ring&#8217;s latest technologies as well as Amazon&#8217;s AI push, featuring advanced AI video descriptions and connections to <span><span>Alexa Plus&#8217;s generative AI greetings<\/span><\/span>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"u-speakableText-p2\">I think <span><span>battery video doorbells<\/span><\/span> are far superior to trying to wire them into your old doorbell spot (<span><span>Google Nest<\/span><\/span> still hasn&#8217;t come out with a wireless version of its third-generation doorbell, <span><span>putting Ring ahead of the game<\/span><\/span> here). So I was eager to test out the latest model and see what it can do. <\/p>\n<p>What I found was an incredible powerhouse of a security device that tries to do everything &#8212; including the highest available resolution and <span><span>most AI features<\/span><\/span> &#8212; but doesn&#8217;t quite succeed. Users may have more options than ever, but it also feels like Ring bit off more than it can chew, at least in these early days. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-1\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-1\">Ring&#8217;s latest doorbell design: Several steps forward and one back<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/1f1615504d9e704de1174d7b1e2adba6664bd599\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/90d0b5d1-c04d-4d8a-aa63-7ee5145c8a05\/ring-doorbell-pro-full-kit.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's Battery Doorbell Pro kit on a wood table.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring&#8217;s new doorbell has an updated design that&#8217;s better than many previous versions.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I&#8217;ve been ambivalent about Ring&#8217;s doorbell design in the past, finding it less compact and a bit flimsier than the smaller doorbells from Nest, Blink, Tapo and so on. Ring came out with a <span class=\"c-shortcodeCommerceLink\">standard version of its battery doorbell ($60)<\/span> that addressed some of these concerns and got rid of the pull-out battery in favor of just connecting a cable to the doorbell itself, which I appreciated. <\/p>\n<p>This 2026 doorbell is a mixed bag in comparison. On one hand, it&#8217;s the most <span><span>durable, compact<\/span><\/span> Ring doorbell I&#8217;ve ever tested, with a thinner profile and higher quality that puts it on par with some of the best doorbell designs I&#8217;ve tried. <\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, Ring has switched back to a battery-dropout case, so you have to remove the front of the doorbell and bring the battery inside to charge it. That does carry some advantages, like being able to swap out two battery packs (only one is included) to keep the doorbell working. But it also compromises the integrity of the doorbell and is, in my opinion, a pain.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/2f5a99916304011fb51e05ca6aba3aa0151847fa\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/33a8d6b1-3f7f-4d93-a813-deef45802e05\/ring-doorbell-pro-battery-pack.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's 2026 doorbell with the battery case open on a table.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring has returned to the slide-off battery case design here, which I don&#8217;t like at all but allows you to swap battery packs.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Otherwise, Ring&#8217;s latest Battery Doorbell Pro comes with expected extras, including an installation plate, screws and the necessary angling mount to turn the camera in the right direction on many front porch setups. <\/p>\n<p>You can also choose the color of this model, choosing from options like mocha, navy and deep silver, more options than I usually see for doorbells.<\/p>\n<p>As for battery life, the battery dropped by several percentage points while I was testing, which was expected, especially with all the extra features Ring has to active. You can expect to recharge it every few months or so, based on activation frequency, the same as most standard doorbells.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-2\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-2\">Camera quality, AI detection, audio and other features<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/c8765c9864a04c40a84d289ba87903ab4348de90\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/2736af79-5cb4-45b1-9fa3-8821d2e3f25d\/ring-video-doorbell-2026-porch-view.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's 2026 doorbell showing yard view through app.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring&#8217;s camera quality is excellent and I like how you can see the video streaming quality in real time.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ring&#8217;s 4K Retinal resolution and 10x zoom, plus the 140-degree horizontal\/vertical field of view, make this the most powerful camera I&#8217;ve tested on a <span><span>video doorbell<\/span><\/span>. If you want maximum resolution and coverage from your front door, this model will outperform nearly everything else. <\/p>\n<p>Like other video doorbells, Ring&#8217;s model offers options for two-way audio, live views and event recordings, although you&#8217;ll need a subscription for cloud storage or a Ring security hub for local storage if you want a saved history. <\/p>\n<p>Video quality will, as always, depend on local connection quality. One feature I particularly liked, which I&#8217;ve seen on very few security cams, was a Mbps counter on the live view screen that showed exactly how much video data was streaming through the app. Audio quality is also effective and loud on this doorbell.<\/p>\n<p>Motion detection features are expected on today&#8217;s video doorbells, and like other recent models, the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro also offers extended smart alerts for specific objects and, with subscription,\u00a0<a href target=\"_blank\" rel>AI video descriptions<\/a>\u00a0that summarize what&#8217;s going on. You can enable what specific object notifications you receive, too. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/66d5bce60a90b0b2f9b111071a7f775488c74f4b\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/254cc6be-4e70-4acf-97bf-c7eafaa99061\/ring-app-doorbell-video-descriptions.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring app showing video descriptions.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring, if the video descriptions know there&#8217;s a package, why doesn&#8217;t the package alert trigger too?<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Here I ran into a roadblock. Ring&#8217;s camera was very good at detecting a person, but surprisingly bad at notifying me when a package showed up. I tried multiple package tests on my porch, plus manual adjustments to my package detection zone, but the doorbell kept refusing to activate its package event. <\/p>\n<p>Funnily, the AI video descriptions often noticed activity during tests like, &#8220;A person with a package walks on a wood deck,&#8221; which is accurate but didn&#8217;t trigger a package alert. Every time I tried this, my nearby <span><span>Nest video doorbell<\/span><\/span> correctly alerted me about a person and a package, but Ring&#8217;s detection features fell short. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-3\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-3\">App controls and oh, so many settings<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/441e9d3ffe3dc6f2a741f48f78f19bf265c31659\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/488b00ed-9c6e-4408-9d19-6d797f24ea58\/ring-app-home-for-battery-doorbell.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's app showing home screen settings for a video doorbell.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring organizes settings well, but there&#8217;s a whole lot to master here.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When a doorbell can do everything, it needs an app that can keep up. Ring&#8217;s app is capable, but the learning curve is one of the steepest I&#8217;ve seen due to all the features and their detailed settings. <\/p>\n<p>From the device settings screen, you can access your event history, mode settings, alert settings, <span><span>motion settings<\/span><\/span>, power settings, smart alerts, device health &#8212; and plenty more. Within each section are a plethora of other settings, allowing you to turn features on or off, adjust their sensitivity, choose which events trigger alerts, create routines, <span><span>enhance battery life<\/span><\/span> and so on.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/ce479b0e5a3faf79766b92639a5be47625da1c81\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/44914cc3-7e4d-46a8-abea-1531cb295a55\/ring-app-doorbell-alert-settings.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's app showing camera alert settings.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>You can set or disable alerts as you see fit.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ring also offers several unique settings that few other doorbells do. That includes activating an &#8220;unusual&#8221; event alert mode so you get only alerts about uncommon activity, and adjusting not only motion sensitivity but package sensitivity and package zones (as I said, I didn&#8217;t have much success with that option).<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s also Ring&#8217;s Birds Eye View feature, which lets you set an area for the doorbell to track continued motion, and you can sign up for Ring&#8217;s Familiar Faces program if you want the doorbell camera to start recognizing and labeling face data. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/4cd28d05602699044dfce194194ebfdbb142625a\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/27a1fa11-1009-4614-aa1c-d48273cebe2a\/ring-app-power-settings-doorbell.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's app showing doorbell power settings.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>You can also tweak how power and battery settings work.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That&#8217;s just the start of what the app can do, and it doesn&#8217;t touch on the Ring Neighbors app, which offers its own series of settings and customizations interwined with how you use the video doorbell. Ring tries to make management a little easier with &#8220;recommended&#8221; settings in many locations, but that only goes so far. <\/p>\n<p>These app funtions works fine, outside of the problems I discussed above. But while Ring&#8217;s app has very effective navigation and layout, you&#8217;ll have to spend a lot of time learning everything this doorbell can do and carefully changing settings so it behaves just how you want. For the average user, that could take days, weeks or even months of playing with settings and seeing what&#8217;s available. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-4\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-4\">Alexa Plus Greetings: A very unique feature that needs some work<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/ccfca713664259dc143bbb363bb8f3b797ddae96\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/7d83d39d-eb7f-4f8e-b325-7838ac63cc8f\/ring-app-doorbell-alexa-plus-greeting.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's app showing a pop up for enabling Alexa Plus Greetings.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring allows you to enable Alexa Plus Greetings in smart alerts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After <span><span>using Alexa Plus for over a year<\/span><\/span>, I really wanted to see how far Alexa Greetings had come, a feature Ring added in late 2025 that allows the Alexa Plus AI to carry on a full conversation with people at the door.<\/p>\n<p>As an Amazon company, Ring has innate support for Alexa (but no other smart home platforms) and is connected to my Alexa app automatically during setup. You can even use the Alexa app for several important doorbell functions like live views, audio and alerts, but to enable deeper settings like Alexa Plus Greetings, you need to head into Ring&#8217;s own settings and do more work. You&#8217;ll also need Alexa Plus enabled, either from an Amazon Prime subscription or a standalone Alexa Plus service ($20 per month). <\/p>\n<p>With the Greetings set up, I ran several test conversations with the doorbell and enjoyed it quite a lot. Here&#8217;s a fun and often effective use case for today&#8217;s conversational AI chatbots, letting them greet strangers, take notes and offer advice or send people on their way.<\/p>\n<p>Alexa Plus was able to handle all this, within limits. I started <span><span>with a simple order<\/span><\/span> in the Alexa app to tell anyone with a package to put it by the garage, then rang the doorbell. &#8220;Hey, I have a package,&#8221; I responded when Alexa Plus greeted me. &#8220;You can put it by the garage,&#8221; Alexa told me. &#8220;Thanks,&#8221; I said, and Alexa responded, &#8220;Perfect! Goodbye.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/3dc7b919cab9f8bd595851bffa5efba309fc2894\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/8543de88-fa18-4c44-81a5-a34a63f86bd6\/alexa-plus-setting-greeting-instruction.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Alexa app showing instructions about packages for Alexa Plus Greetings.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Alexa Plus Greetings worked very well in some cases, like relaying instructions about packages to delivery people.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>My other test conversations were similar. &#8220;I have a package that needs a signature,&#8221; I tried, with Alexa saying, &#8220;What time will you be back with a package? I&#8217;ll let them know.&#8221; I said I&#8217;d be back at the same time the next day, to which the voice assistant said, &#8220;Got it. They&#8217;ll hear this message when they check recordings.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Other trials went the same way, with Alexa generally doing a good job of managing the conversation and getting useful info when necessary. But there are a couple of caveats. <\/p>\n<p>First, Ring says that Alexa Plus Greetings are activated when people push the doorbell or when Ring video descriptions recognize a delivery. But in my tests, I had people show up with what Ring recognized as a package (oh, <em>now<\/em> Ring finally labels a package, too bad it was a clipboard), and Greetings didn&#8217;t activate. <\/p>\n<p>Perhaps Ring needs to recognize a delivery uniform like a UPS outfit. But that&#8217;s a bigger problem, because in my area &#8212; and probably in yours &#8212; many delivery people are contracted and don&#8217;t wear uniforms. That makes this function of dubious value. <\/p>\n<p>Second, when Alexa Plus carried on a conversation, I couldn&#8217;t find any way to get a summary of what that conversation was or the important information it contained. Neither Ring nor Alexa&#8217;s own app gave me notes about the visit. To find out, I had to watch the entire recorded clip myself. <\/p>\n<p>That seems like a large oversight of a common-sense addition to Greetings. So I asked Alexa Plus directly to give me summaries of conversations, to see if I could make my own routine. &#8220;Checking,&#8221; said Alexa &#8212; and never got back to me.<\/p>\n<p>Well, when it works, I really like Alexa Plus Greetings, although there are wrinkles to be ironed out. <\/p>\n<div data-location=\"BODY\" class=\"c-shortcodeCommercePromo u-flexbox u-grid-gap-medium g-outer-spacing-bottom-medium\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeCommercePromo_content u-flexbox-column\"><span>Best Wireless Home Security Cameras of 2026: Battery Benefits<\/span> See at Cnet<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeCommercePromo_image\"><img src alt height=\"108\" width=\"196\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-5\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-5\">Ring and privacy<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/8c762c8a5c41e0cf1a77e9b52cf078e0741d2df6\/hub\/2026\/03\/13\/8054981b-0c4e-4819-a619-b51238918f12\/ring-search-party-settings.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring settings showing Search Party.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Opting out of Search Party only takes a minute.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Given Ring&#8217;s past history, including a failed partnership <span><span>with surveillance company Flock<\/span><\/span>, I&#8217;d be remiss if I didn&#8217;t talk about privacy.<\/p>\n<p>The good news is that Ring doesn&#8217;t automatically share information with police with this doorbell. There are sharing features for law enforcement in the Ring Neighbors app, but they are currently opt-in, and those notifications can be blocked. Ring no longer shares data with cops upon request unless there&#8217;s a signed warrant or similar legal requirement.<\/p>\n<p>Ring does have an option to submit videos and descriptions to Ring\/Amazon, but it&#8217;s opt-in at this time. Your camera won&#8217;t automatically send video clips for extended analysis unless you agree. Features like Amazon Sidewalk are opt-in, too. <\/p>\n<p>However, using a Ring doorbell also enables Ring Neighbors features that are opt-out, including some you may be uncomfortable with. That includes Search Party, which can recognize lost pets by tapping into Ring&#8217;s AI recognition, but could be used to track specific people as well. <\/p>\n<p>You can turn off all opt-out functions if you know where to go, but that&#8217;s another deep dive into settings. Fortunately, I have a <span><span>guide on how to turn off several less-popular Ring features<\/span><\/span> that will save you a lot of time. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-6\" data-id=\"toc-d036fffe-c907-4b54-9e3e-bd8ae337b67e-item-6\">Final thoughts about the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro 2026<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"c-shortcodeImage u-clearfix c-shortcodeImage-large c-shortcodeImage-hasCaption\">\n<div class=\"c-shortcodeImage_imageContainer\">\n<div class=\"c-cmsImage c-shortcodeImage_image\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/bbf5323e45257c94c45705c6a741bb413a0f72d3\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/e3fde6b4-9b48-46c4-a3af-03f8d1e4d2db\/ring-doorbell-pro-outside.jpg?auto=webp&amp;width=768\" alt=\"Ring's Battery Doorbell Pro 2026 on brown siding.\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_caption g-inner-spacing-right-small g-text-xxsmall\"><\/p>\n<p>Ring&#8217;s newest doorbell tries to do everything &#8212; and doesn&#8217;t quite get away with it.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span class=\"c-shortcodeImage_credit g-inner-spacing-right-small g-outer-spacing-top-xsmall g-color-text-meta g-text-xxxsmall\">Tyler Lacoma\/CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Like a juggler pushing themself to the limit, Ring&#8217;s new Battery Doorbell Pro is very impressive at first sight, but drops some balls as time passes.<\/p>\n<p>The doorbell can do everything, more than any other model on the market, and its 4K resolution, 10x zoom and wide viewing angle can&#8217;t be beat. Ring has also equipped this model with more advanced AI features than most others, including Alexa Plus greetings (fun!), video descriptions (often handy), and Familiar Faces recognition (too invasive for me). The powerful battery and design quality boost also impress.<\/p>\n<p>But putting all the cutting-edge features on one device comes at a cost. Package detection, which works fine on other doorbells, doesn&#8217;t seem to work well at all on this model, despite my adjustments. And Alexa Plus Greetings could use improvement, including more reliable activation and text summaries of the conversation. <\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s also the app, which is weighed down with a huge number of settings and features to wade through. That&#8217;s an investment and learning curve not everyone will have time for, but it rewards you with more customization than any other doorbell I&#8217;ve seen. <\/p>\n<p>The <span class=\"c-shortcodeCommerceLink\">Ring Battery Doorbell Pro 2026<\/span>&#8216;s complications may ease over time as bugs get fixed and firmware improves. I&#8217;d especially like to see Alexa Plug Greetings become refined, as it&#8217;s my favorite use of this doorbell. But for now, if you&#8217;d like all the latest tech that Ring can pack into a device, you can stay on the cutting edge with this $250 purchase &#8212; just be aware the ride could be bumpy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;http:\/\/cnet.com\/home\/security\/rings-new-video-doorbell-is-the-most-powerful-ive-seen-but-it-tries-to-do-too-much\/&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/82b9474a8685cd759938c17d25fc2142fe9503f5\/hub\/2026\/05\/01\/d8cdcad3-9e93-48ba-a77c-65e55d90207d\/ring-doorbell-cnet-ar.png?auto=webp&amp;fit=crop&amp;height=675&amp;width=1200&#8243;] Our Experts Written by\u00a0 Tyler Lacoma Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement Tyler LacomaEditor \/ Home Security and Smart Home Tyler has worked on, lived with and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[67,226],"class_list":["post-1917047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-cnet-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1917047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1917047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1917047\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1917047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1917047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1917047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}