Ring’s Battery Doorbell lacks many of the features that you get with its more expensive sibling, the $229.99 Battery Doorbell Pro, but at $99.99, it's much more affordable and just as easy to install. It delivers sharp HD video and provides a wide field of view, but as is the case with all Ring doorbells, you have to pay to view recorded video, and it doesn’t support Google or HomeKit integrations. You’ll get a higher resolution, a wider field of view, and support for Google with the $79.99 Arlo Video Doorbell, our Editors' Choice winner for video doorbells.

Design and Features: All the Basics

The Battery Doorbell looks nearly identical to Ring's Battery Doorbell Plus ($149.99) and Battery Doorbell Pro models, but at 4.9 by 2.4 by 0.9 inches (HWD), it is slightly smaller than its siblings, which measure 5.1 by 2.4 by 1.1 inches. This model comes in a Satin Nickel or Venetian Bronze finish and uses an internal battery. To charge it, the doorbell unit itself easily detaches from your door.

The front of the device holds a doorbell button, a camera assembly, and a microphone, and around back are two wiring terminals (you can use your existing doorbell wire for power if you prefer), a setup button, and a USB-C battery charging port. A small speaker is located on the bottom edge of the doorbell. Included in the box are mounting screws, a USB-C charging cable, a mounting plate, a plate removal tool, and a user guide. If you need a wedge mounting plate, you can pick one up for $19.99.

(Credit: John R. Delaney)

The camera has a resolution of 1,440 by 1,440 pixels and a 150-degree viewing angle that provides a head-to-toe view of visitors on your doorstep, and it captures both black-and-white and color night vision. In comparison, the Arlo Video Doorbell has a sharper 1,536-by-1,536-pixel resolution and a bigger 180-degree viewing angle, but it does not support color night vision. Ring's Battery Doorbell Plus upgrades the resolution to 1536p, while the Battery Doorbell Pro adds a number of perks, including dual-band Wi-Fi, a Pre-Roll feature that captures four seconds of activity prior to an event trigger, and Birds Eye View aerial motion tracking.

The Ring Battery Doorbell will record video when the doorbell button is pressed and when motion is detected, but you’ll need a Ring Protect subscription to access the clips. A Basic subscription, which goes for $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year, provides access to 180 days of rolling video history, motion-activated snapshots, person and package alerts, and rich notifications. A $10 per month/$100 per year Ring Protect Plus plan covers an unlimited number of cameras and unlocks additional features, including live picture-in-picture viewing, the ability to monitor up to four camera feeds at a time, and enhanced notifications.

The Battery Doorbell works with Amazon Alexa voice commands. It integrates with third-party devices such as security cameras, locks, and smart plugs via IFTTT applets, but it doesn’t support Apple HomeKit or Google Assistant. It uses the same Ring - Always Home mobile app (available for Android and iOS) as every other Ring device and gets its own panel on the dashboard screen. Tap the panel to open a screen where you can view a live stream or scroll through a timeline of recorded video. To view any video in full-screen (landscape) mode, turn your phone sideways or tap the square in the lower right corner.

Mute and two-way talk buttons are located below the video, and at the very bottom of the screen are buttons labeled Controls, Replies, and More. You can use the Controls button to control other Ring devices, such as lights and smart plugs, and the Replies button lets you choose a voice message to play when the doorbell is pressed. You can play a standard message such as, “Hi, we’ll be right there,” or use a seasonal option such as a Halloween-inspired, “You’ve woken the spirits! Please leave a message." The More button opens a screen where you can enable a picture-in-picture feature that allows you to keep viewing a live stream in a small box even when you swipe away to another app.

To access the doorbell’s settings screen, tap the gear icon in the upper left corner. Here, you can enable and disable motion detection and motion alerts, launch a live stream, view saved video (Event History), configure motion and power settings, and configure Smart Responses (Quick Replies). Other settings allow you to assign modes (disarmed, home, away) that alter the behavior of certain features, link the doorbell to other Ring devices and to a chime box, put alerts on snooze, and check device health (battery level, Wi-Fi signal, MAC address).

(Credit: Ring/John R. Delaney)

Installation and Performance: Simple Doorstep Monitoring

In testing, I had the Battery Doorbell installed in no time. I started by charging the battery for several hours, then opened the app (you’ll have to download it and create an account if this is your first Ring device) and tapped Set Up a Device at the bottom of the dashboard screen. I selected Doorbells from the list of devices, and when prompted, used my phone’s camera to scan the QR code on the back of the doorbell. The app immediately identified the doorbell, so I selected my Home, tapped Continue, and gave the doorbell a name. I pressed the Setup button, confirmed that the LED ring was spinning white, and selected my Wi-Fi SSID. I entered my Wi-Fi password and the doorbell was connected to my network. After a brief firmware update, I took the doorbell outside and attached it to my door frame using the included mounting plate and screws.

The Battery Doorbell performed well in testing. Video showed good detail and colors were nicely saturated. Black-and-white night vision was sharp, but color night vision was a bit washed out. The camera’s wide-angle lens provided a full view of my doorstep.

Motion alerts and doorbell notifications arrived instantly, and Quick Replies worked as intended. I had no trouble viewing video on an Amazon Echo Show using Alexa voice commands, and my Alexa routine to have an AiDot Linkind Matter Smart Light Bulb turn red when the doorbell button was pressed worked as planned.