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Ring Battery Doorbell Pro
With 3D vision, the Ring Doorbell Pro can exclude busy sidewalks from alerting. The wide-angle lens captures more of your yard, and the removable battery makes charging easier. The doorbell will also record full-color night vision. However, you won’t be able to save videos without a subscription.
advantage- A wide-angle lens can show off more of your porch
- Color night vision device
- Removable battery for more convenient charging
shortcoming- Few features available without subscription
- Unable to save videos during internet outage
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Google Nest Doorbell (Battery)
The Google Nest Doorbell does more without a subscription, allowing three hours of video history and person detection on the free plan. Or, with a subscription, it’s one of the few options that can tell you who’s at your front door. It will also save footage during internet outages. However, without a removable battery, charging can be a bit annoying.
advantage- Watch three hours of video history without a subscription
- Person identification (subscription required)
- Save footage during an internet outage
shortcoming- The field of view is not as wide as Ring Pro
- Non-removable battery
Outfitting a home with smart cameras often starts at the front door. However, video doorbells do more than just show who is knocking on the door. Arguably, the most innovative options come from brands like Google Nest and Amazon Ring. Despite having only one camera, Ring’s new Battery Doorbell Pro can display a bird’s-eye view of the path to the front door. But how does the newest Ring stack up against Google’s long-running battery-powered Nest Doorbell?
After testing two smart video doorbells, there are a few clear differences that make one surpass the other.
Best smart security cameras: Top models from Ring, Arlo, and Nest
The best smart security cameras use 3D motion alerts, night vision, and even Alexa integration to monitor the interior and exterior of your home.
Looking at the specs of each model, it’s hard to pick a clear winner, especially since both options offer voice control. But after testing both smart video doorbells, there are some clear differences that set one above the other. Here’s how the new Ring Battery Doorbell Pro compares to the Nest Doorbell (battery).
Prices, specifications and availability
Before the recent launch of the Battery Doorbell Pro, Ring’s only battery options were more affordable options. Now, however, the roles are reversed. One of the company’s higher-end products, the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro retails for $230, while the Nest Doorbell (battery) sells for about $180.
If you want to slip away without a subscription, Nest is the more affordable option. Google offers features like three hours of video recording and person and package detection without a subscription. Ring only allows users on the free plan to watch live footage, not previously recorded video.
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Ring Battery Doorbell Pro Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) solve 1,536p 1,280p vision 150 degrees 145 degrees energy source battery or hardwired battery or hardwired brand amazon ring google nest Voice compatibility Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant Application compatibility Android and iOS Android and iOS
Even with the Nest camera, you need a subscription to view video that happened more than three hours ago (i.e. to see what triggered the camera while you were sleeping). Here, Ring offers a more affordable option for single-camera users at $5 per month. Nest’s most basic subscription costs $8 per month, but it’s not limited to a single smart camera. If you have multiple Ring cameras, you’ll need a Plus subscription, which costs $10 per month.
From Nest’s subscription options to Ring’s features, the functionality varies greatly. Nest offers familiar face detection and can save videos for up to 30 days. Nest Aware Plus is $15 per month and provides 60 days of video history. For some devices, Google also supports 24/7 video history if you subscribe to Nest Aware Plus, but that’s not an option with the battery-powered doorbell, only the wired version.
Ring Protect, Arlo Secure vs. Nest Aware: Security subscriptions face off
Subscriptions expand the capabilities of smart security cameras, but which company offers the best option?
Ring may offer fewer features without a subscription, but the company’s most advanced subscriptions offer more than Nest does. Ring Protect Pro costs $20 per month and includes professional alarm monitoring, but Google doesn’t offer that service. The most affordable $5 plan saves videos for up to 180 days, while the $10 Plus plan supports multiple cameras and enhanced notifications.
Features and storage options
What could provide smarter notifications, facial recognition, or 3D motion detection?
Ring’s latest video doorbell has an interesting feature. Using 3D motion detection and satellite imagery, the camera can show you a person’s path to your front door. In fact, the biggest reason to use this feature is to limit the number of notifications your camera sends to your phone. While both doorbells allow users to draw motion detection areas, the Ring’s 3D view does a little better at customizing motion areas based on distance from the camera.
Another great thing about the Ring is the removable battery. If you don’t want to miss guests while your doorbell is charging, you can purchase additional ones and the charging process is easier. The Nest model, on the other hand, doesn’t have a removable battery and you have to remove the entire doorbell to charge the battery.
However, older Nest doorbells still offer some hard-to-find features. Chief among them is internal storage. During an internet outage, you will not receive notifications. However, the doorbell still saves the video, so you can still see what happened once the network comes back up. Ring doesn’t have this option, and anything that happens during the outage is not logged.
Nest models can also recognize familiar faces if you have an active subscription and complete the process of saving them. This means that instead of opening the app or watching a video, you won’t get a notification that someone is at your door, but instead will see that it’s your neighbor or friend.
Video quality is evenly matched
The Ring’s ultra-wide field of view is a win
While you can get an idea of how sharp a video doorbell is based on the camera’s resolution, the biggest characteristic to look for is actually the width of the lens. Often, video doorbells can’t see your welcome mat—they’re too close, and the lens isn’t wide enough. This creates a problem because delivery drivers often leave packages at your door. Thankfully, both the Nest Doorbell Battery and the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro give you a head-to-toe view right in front of your door, but the two brands approach things a little differently.
Nest solves this problem by rotating the video sideways, so it actually records a TikTok-style vertical video instead of a horizontal video. This makes it easy to view your package from 1,280p video.
However, the Ring uses an ultra-wide-angle lens that captures a 150-degree field of view vertically and horizontally. While both will show you your package, the Ring’s wider, horizontal view will show more of your front porch or yard. The Ring also has a higher 1,536p HD+ resolution.
The Ring Doorbell Pro wins another point for its night vision feature – a built-in spotlight allows for color night vision. However, Nest uses an infrared sensor for black and white night vision.
Ring Battery Doorbell Pro Full Color Night Vision
Smart home compatibility
Two doorbells go hand in hand for compatibility
If you’ve already invested in a smart home system, compatibility can often make the decision for you. That said, there’s not much difference between the Nest Doorbell (battery) and the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro. Of course, Ring devices are compatible with Alexa and Echo devices, but they also work with Google Home and Google Assistant. Likewise, Nest works with Alexa. If you have an Echo Show, both doorbells can stream video to your smart display.
Neither option supports Apple HomeKit.
Ring Battery Doorbell Pro vs. Nest Doorbell (Battery): Which video doorbell is best for you?
In our testing, Pocket-lint awarded the Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro and Nest Doorbell four out of five stars – so the decision comes down to which features are most important to you.
Ring Battery Doorbell Pro
Best field of view and night vision
The Ring Video Doorbell Pro will show you more of your porch with a 150-degree horizontal and vertical field of view. 3D motion detection also makes it ideal for homes facing busy sidewalks, as satellite views can customize alerts to exclude motion a certain distance from the camera. It also has color night vision. If you only plan to buy one camera, a subscription is more affordable at $5 per month.
Google Nest Doorbell (Battery)
Preferably no subscription required
The Nest Doorbell (battery) is the more affordable of the two, especially considering you can save some videos and customize alerts for people, packages, vehicles, and animals without paying a monthly fee. If you want to recognize a familiar face or watch a video from more than three hours ago, a subscription starting at $8 will mean gradually surpassing Ring’s $5 plan. However, if you own multiple Ring cameras, Nest’s basic plan becomes a more affordable option because it’s not limited to a single camera. Nest will also continue recording during an internet outage.