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One of the first pieces of smart home technology people invest in is a video doorbell. It holds a lot of promiseâthe ability to see who dropped by when you werenât there, and, more importantly, interact with those people as if you were there. A smart doorbell allows you to secure your packages, or watch them get stolen in high definition. It's often an easy choice to buy one, but the tougher decision is which brand to purchase.
Although it may seem like a one-off purchase, your smart doorbell could become part of a whole home security system in the future, and youâll probably want everything to be the same brand. Two of the biggest players in the field are Ring, the OG of video doorbells, and Blink, the Amazon brand. (To be clear, though, Amazon owns both brands now.) So, which is the better video doorbell cam: Ring or Blink?
Blink security system keeps things simple. There's only one model, the Blink Video Doorbell, and it can be hardwired or wireless. At only $59.99, it is substantially less than most Ring models on the market. Ring has taken a different approach, and has many versions of the doorbell available. A more recent release, the Battery Doorbell Plus (Video Doorbell), is considerably more expensive at $99.99. If you plan to hardwire your doorbell, you can also look at the Video Doorbell Wired for $99.99, an earlier release that canât be used wirelessly, the wired Video Doorbell Pro for $149.99, or Video Doorbell Pro 2 for $149.99. Ring also offers a Peephole Cam (Video Doorbell) for $129.99 and their top-of-the-line model, the Video Doorbell Elite, which at $349.99 comes with professional installation and is powered by ethernet.
Blink Video Doorbell
$29.99 at Best Buy
$59.99 Save $30.00
Get Deal
Get Deal
$29.99 at Best Buy
$59.99 Save $30.00
The Blink camera follows the look and feel of other Blink products like the security camerasâuniversally black and sleek with plastic and metal parts, rounded corners and a rather slim profile. It doesnât look expensive, and itâs not. Ring cameras, on the other hand, look more substantial and well-designed. Featuring brushed metal parts, most are aluminum steel (silver) and black, with a front camera surrounded by a blue circle. The model you choose will determine how much brushed metal is featured, but Ring has a more established ecosystem of frames and mounts for the doorbell as well, which means you can disguise the metal if you so choose. Ring cameras usually feature a mix of sharp edges and rounded curves.
Both doorbells come with mounting plates for a flat surface, but Blink doorbells simply slide onto the mount, while Ring doorbells are secured by a few screws to the mount, for security.
Ring Video Doorbell Pro
$69.99 at Amazon
$139.99 Save $70.00
Shop Now
Shop Now
$69.99 at Amazon
$139.99 Save $70.00
Installation has two parts: physically mounting the doorbell, and then connecting it to your app. Both doorbells involve unboxing the doorbell, downloading an app, and then walking through a guided installation where you scan for a new device, connect the doorbell to your homeâs wireless, and then set it up within the app. Having set both up, I can tell you thereâs no advantage here for either brand.
In five years of having a Ring mounted to my door, Iâve only had to do a hard reset once, and thatâs probably on me for letting it go uncharged for six months. In the month I had a Blink doorbell installed, it went offline every few days, and had to be hard reset at least once. The Ring has never gone offline.
If youâre using a hardwired connection, battery power isnât an issue. However, if youâve gone wireless, itâs another story. Taking the doorbell off to charge it or change the batteries is a pain in the neck. Blink, luckily, requires only a few AA batteries, and claims the batteries can last two years. By contrast, Ring wireless doorbells use either a USB charger or a removable battery, which you will normally need to recharge every few months. To use the USB charger, you need to remove the entire doorbell, plug it in, charge it and then mount it again. The rechargeable batteries require removing a faceplate and grabbing the battery to do the same, meaning the doorbell wonât have a battery while it charges. You can, however, purchase additional batteries so you can always have one in the Ring while the other is charging.
Now, normally, I think regular batteries are âoverâ and I'd rather have a rechargeable battery. But as a Ring owner, I think Blink may have an advantage for ease and length of battery life. At a minimum, to compare, youâd need to purchase an additional battery unit, and choose a Ring model that has a removable battery.
All this said, Ring has an optional solar charger to extend the battery life.
All video doorbells, including the Blink and Ring models, offer high-definition 1080p video, including night vision. This should deliver clear, crisp video at all hours. Two of the Ring models, the Video Doorbell Pro 2 and the Battery Doorbell Plus, offer higher resolution, at 1536p. These two also offer color night vision, which is an improvement over standard black and white. Of course, those models are also two of the most expensive, but if the quality of the video youâre capturing is important, youâll want to go with a higher-end Ring doorbell.
It doesnât matter how good the video is if you canât review it. The doorbells, whether Ring or Blink, send notifications for different kinds of activity: someone ringing your doorbell, leaving a package, or passing by the front of the house in the zone youâve tagged as being important. If you get the notification immediately, you can flip over to the live video of the doorbell to hopefully catch the action. Thatâs not really how most video doorbells work, however. Although wired doorbells do this a bit better, most of them have a bit of lag, and by the time you get the notification that UPS is at your door, flip over to live video, and have it come up, the delivery driver is pulling away. Thatâs not a problem if they left the package, but if that package is missing, and you see a notification someone was at the door after the UPS guy, youâd want to watch that video. Except you canât, unless youâve set up storage for the clips. Thatâs where these two doorbells are different.
On both models, the Blink and the Ring, those clips can be stored in the cloud, and you pay monthly or yearly to do so. For Blink, itâs $30 a year for one device, and for Ring itâs $39 a year. (In both cases, the above fee is for storage from one device; youâd pay more for a whole house plan.) In both cases, you can also store videos locally, instead. For Blink, you set up a Sync Module, and attach a USB drive. For Ring, youâd need to purchase a Ring Alarm Pro and a micro SD card, and even then, youâd still need a Ring subscription on top of it.
The Blink doorbell offers many of the same features as the company's security cameras, and for the purpose of interacting with someone at your door, or seeing video of whatâs happened on your stoop, it works just fine. If youâre looking for more advanced options, Ring runs circles around Blink. It offers the option for professional monitoring, and has a whole community built in, so you can see alerts of what's happening in your neighborhood. Ring is compatible with IFTTT and Alexa, while Blink isnât. Blink has been slow to add AI features to its security systems, but Ring already has updated doorbells with AI that can tell if it's a person or package at the door.
The Blink doorbell is a solid, easy-to-install doorbell thatâll kick off your smart home and security system for about $50. Itâs basic, but thatâs the Amazon brand for you. Ring is the upgrade, with more features, better looks, higher resolution and with it, more cost.
The best time to invest in a video doorbell is during big events like Cyber Monday. Check out these sale prices:
Apple AirPods Pro 2 ANC Earbuds With USB-C Charging Case â $154.00 (List Price $249.00)
Meta Quest 3S 256GB VR Headset + $30 Digital Credit â (List Price $399 With Code "QUEST30")
Apple iPad 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Retina Tablet (2022 Release) â $279.00 (List Price $349.00)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 64GB Wi-Fi 11" Tablet â $149.00 (List Price $219.99)
Blink Outdoor 4 1080p Security Camera (3-Pack) â $99.99 (List Price $259.99)
Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones â $199.00 (List Price $349.00)
Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 42mm, Black, S/M, Sports Band) â $329.00 (List Price $399.00)
iRobot Roomba Vac Essential Q0120 Robot Vacuum Cleaner â $149.00 (List Price $249.99)
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Gaming Headset (Black) â $269.99 (List Price $349.99)
Samsung Odyssey G93SC 49" Dual QHD OLED Curved Monitor â $949.99 (List Price $1,599.99)
Deals are selected by our commerce team
Full story here:
One of the first pieces of smart home technology people invest in is a video doorbell. It holds a lot of promiseâthe ability to see who dropped by when you werenât there, and, more importantly, interact with those people as if you were there. A smart doorbell allows you to secure your packages, or watch them get stolen in high definition. It's often an easy choice to buy one, but the tougher decision is which brand to purchase.
Although it may seem like a one-off purchase, your smart doorbell could become part of a whole home security system in the future, and youâll probably want everything to be the same brand. Two of the biggest players in the field are Ring, the OG of video doorbells, and Blink, the Amazon brand. (To be clear, though, Amazon owns both brands now.) So, which is the better video doorbell cam: Ring or Blink?
On cost alone, you canât beat Blink
Blink security system keeps things simple. There's only one model, the Blink Video Doorbell, and it can be hardwired or wireless. At only $59.99, it is substantially less than most Ring models on the market. Ring has taken a different approach, and has many versions of the doorbell available. A more recent release, the Battery Doorbell Plus (Video Doorbell), is considerably more expensive at $99.99. If you plan to hardwire your doorbell, you can also look at the Video Doorbell Wired for $99.99, an earlier release that canât be used wirelessly, the wired Video Doorbell Pro for $149.99, or Video Doorbell Pro 2 for $149.99. Ring also offers a Peephole Cam (Video Doorbell) for $129.99 and their top-of-the-line model, the Video Doorbell Elite, which at $349.99 comes with professional installation and is powered by ethernet.
Blink Video Doorbell
$29.99 at Best Buy
$59.99 Save $30.00
Get Deal
Get Deal
$29.99 at Best Buy
$59.99 Save $30.00
Ring Doorbells look more substantial
The Blink camera follows the look and feel of other Blink products like the security camerasâuniversally black and sleek with plastic and metal parts, rounded corners and a rather slim profile. It doesnât look expensive, and itâs not. Ring cameras, on the other hand, look more substantial and well-designed. Featuring brushed metal parts, most are aluminum steel (silver) and black, with a front camera surrounded by a blue circle. The model you choose will determine how much brushed metal is featured, but Ring has a more established ecosystem of frames and mounts for the doorbell as well, which means you can disguise the metal if you so choose. Ring cameras usually feature a mix of sharp edges and rounded curves.
Both doorbells come with mounting plates for a flat surface, but Blink doorbells simply slide onto the mount, while Ring doorbells are secured by a few screws to the mount, for security.
Ring Video Doorbell Pro
$69.99 at Amazon
$139.99 Save $70.00
Shop Now
Shop Now
$69.99 at Amazon
$139.99 Save $70.00
On installation, itâs a dead heat between Ring and Blink
Installation has two parts: physically mounting the doorbell, and then connecting it to your app. Both doorbells involve unboxing the doorbell, downloading an app, and then walking through a guided installation where you scan for a new device, connect the doorbell to your homeâs wireless, and then set it up within the app. Having set both up, I can tell you thereâs no advantage here for either brand.
In five years of having a Ring mounted to my door, Iâve only had to do a hard reset once, and thatâs probably on me for letting it go uncharged for six months. In the month I had a Blink doorbell installed, it went offline every few days, and had to be hard reset at least once. The Ring has never gone offline.
Even if you prefer rechargeable batteries, you may still prefer Blinkâs AAs
If youâre using a hardwired connection, battery power isnât an issue. However, if youâve gone wireless, itâs another story. Taking the doorbell off to charge it or change the batteries is a pain in the neck. Blink, luckily, requires only a few AA batteries, and claims the batteries can last two years. By contrast, Ring wireless doorbells use either a USB charger or a removable battery, which you will normally need to recharge every few months. To use the USB charger, you need to remove the entire doorbell, plug it in, charge it and then mount it again. The rechargeable batteries require removing a faceplate and grabbing the battery to do the same, meaning the doorbell wonât have a battery while it charges. You can, however, purchase additional batteries so you can always have one in the Ring while the other is charging.
Now, normally, I think regular batteries are âoverâ and I'd rather have a rechargeable battery. But as a Ring owner, I think Blink may have an advantage for ease and length of battery life. At a minimum, to compare, youâd need to purchase an additional battery unit, and choose a Ring model that has a removable battery.
All this said, Ring has an optional solar charger to extend the battery life.
When it comes to resolution, some of the Ring models are superior
All video doorbells, including the Blink and Ring models, offer high-definition 1080p video, including night vision. This should deliver clear, crisp video at all hours. Two of the Ring models, the Video Doorbell Pro 2 and the Battery Doorbell Plus, offer higher resolution, at 1536p. These two also offer color night vision, which is an improvement over standard black and white. Of course, those models are also two of the most expensive, but if the quality of the video youâre capturing is important, youâll want to go with a higher-end Ring doorbell.
Saving clips on the cloud and locally
It doesnât matter how good the video is if you canât review it. The doorbells, whether Ring or Blink, send notifications for different kinds of activity: someone ringing your doorbell, leaving a package, or passing by the front of the house in the zone youâve tagged as being important. If you get the notification immediately, you can flip over to the live video of the doorbell to hopefully catch the action. Thatâs not really how most video doorbells work, however. Although wired doorbells do this a bit better, most of them have a bit of lag, and by the time you get the notification that UPS is at your door, flip over to live video, and have it come up, the delivery driver is pulling away. Thatâs not a problem if they left the package, but if that package is missing, and you see a notification someone was at the door after the UPS guy, youâd want to watch that video. Except you canât, unless youâve set up storage for the clips. Thatâs where these two doorbells are different.
On both models, the Blink and the Ring, those clips can be stored in the cloud, and you pay monthly or yearly to do so. For Blink, itâs $30 a year for one device, and for Ring itâs $39 a year. (In both cases, the above fee is for storage from one device; youâd pay more for a whole house plan.) In both cases, you can also store videos locally, instead. For Blink, you set up a Sync Module, and attach a USB drive. For Ring, youâd need to purchase a Ring Alarm Pro and a micro SD card, and even then, youâd still need a Ring subscription on top of it.
On features, Ring takes the lead
The Blink doorbell offers many of the same features as the company's security cameras, and for the purpose of interacting with someone at your door, or seeing video of whatâs happened on your stoop, it works just fine. If youâre looking for more advanced options, Ring runs circles around Blink. It offers the option for professional monitoring, and has a whole community built in, so you can see alerts of what's happening in your neighborhood. Ring is compatible with IFTTT and Alexa, while Blink isnât. Blink has been slow to add AI features to its security systems, but Ring already has updated doorbells with AI that can tell if it's a person or package at the door.
Blink vs. Ring: Which is the best doorbell?
The Blink doorbell is a solid, easy-to-install doorbell thatâll kick off your smart home and security system for about $50. Itâs basic, but thatâs the Amazon brand for you. Ring is the upgrade, with more features, better looks, higher resolution and with it, more cost.
The best time to invest in a video doorbell is during big events like Cyber Monday. Check out these sale prices:
Blink Video Doorbell: $29.99, regularly $59.99
Ring Battery Doorbell Plus (Video Doorbell): $99.99, regularly $149.99
Ring Video Doorbell Wired: $99.99, regularly $149.99
Ring Video Doorbell Pro: $149.99, regularly $229.99
Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 with chime: $189.99, regularly $289.99
Apple AirPods Pro 2 ANC Earbuds With USB-C Charging Case â $154.00 (List Price $249.00)
Meta Quest 3S 256GB VR Headset + $30 Digital Credit â (List Price $399 With Code "QUEST30")
Apple iPad 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Retina Tablet (2022 Release) â $279.00 (List Price $349.00)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 64GB Wi-Fi 11" Tablet â $149.00 (List Price $219.99)
Blink Outdoor 4 1080p Security Camera (3-Pack) â $99.99 (List Price $259.99)
Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones â $199.00 (List Price $349.00)
Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 42mm, Black, S/M, Sports Band) â $329.00 (List Price $399.00)
iRobot Roomba Vac Essential Q0120 Robot Vacuum Cleaner â $149.00 (List Price $249.99)
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Gaming Headset (Black) â $269.99 (List Price $349.99)
Samsung Odyssey G93SC 49" Dual QHD OLED Curved Monitor â $949.99 (List Price $1,599.99)
Deals are selected by our commerce team
Full story here:
![[DK]](/data/avatars/s/57/57999.jpg?1720990206){kind=avatar}
