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The Ring Doorbell works like any other doorbell, but has a video camera built in that can alert you to motion and button presses. While it's a pretty basic device for the most part, there are definitely some features and tricks that you might not have known about.
Ring also makes several other products, like standalone cameras called the Stick Up Cam and Spotlight Cam, as well as different versions of the Ring Doorbell. This post focuses on the original Ring Doorbell model, but some of these tips can work on Ring's other products as well.
Share Access with Other Users
If you have other people living under the same roof, it might be a good idea for them to also know who rang the doorbell and when. Thankfully, the Ring app lets you do just this.
If you tap on your Ring Doorbell within the app and select "Shared Users", you can invite people to access your Ring Doorbell. They'll have to create their own Ring account, but it's a quick and easy process.
Adjust the Motion Sensitivity
While the Ring Doorbell notifies you whenever the button is pressed, it can also notify you of any motion that's detected, whether the doorbell is rung or not. This can be great for mailmen or UPS drivers who forget to ring the doorbell whenever they drop off a package.
To adjust the sensitivity of the motion detection, select your Ring Doorbell from the app and navigate to Motion Settings > Zones and Ranges. From there, you can set the sensitivity for different zones, like left, center, and right.
Connect It to Your Doorbell's Existing Wiring for Live View
The Ring Doorbell comes with an internal battery, allowing it to power itself without relying on your doorbell's existing wiring (in case you want to keep your existing doorbell as well). However, you won't get all of the features of the Ring Doorbell without connecting it to your doorbell's wiring.
Live View, for instance, is a big feature that battery-powered Ring Doorbells can't use. It lets you pull up a live video feed of the Ring Doorbell whenever you want. Whereas if you're running it on battery power, you can only see the live view when motion is detected or the doorbell button is pressed.
Don't Forget to Recharge It (If It's Running on Battery Power)
If you do decide to forgo the doorbell wiring and run the Ring Doorbell off of its battery, you'll need to make sure to recharge it every few months.
The app lets you see how much juice it has left, and you can receive an alert whenever the battery gets low. Recharging it isn't exactly super easy (and you can't put it to use while it's charging up), but all you really need to do is remove the unit and plug a microUSB cable into the port on the back of the device.
Connect It to IFTTT for More Capabilities
If you want to be able to do even more things with your Ring Doorbell, you can connect it to IFTTT, which integrates all sorts of products and services together for serious automation.
There are many things you can control based on what your Ring Doorbell does. For example, you can have your lights blink whenever someone hits the button, or have your porch light turn on when the Ring detects motion. The world is your oyster with IFTTT and it adds a lot of cool capabilities to the Ring Doorbell.
Image from Ring.com