One of the most popular smart home technology gadgets is the doorbell camera. The simple idea of being able to see who’s knocking on your front door when you’re not home or otherwise unwell is valuable to many people, which is why this rare Amazon half-price deal is eye-catching.
Right now you can pick up the Ring Video Doorbell 2nd Gen for £49.99, a massive 50% saving on its £99.99 RRP. You rarely see this item for this cheap – in fact, Amazon’s price tracking site Camelcamelcamel indicates that this is the cheapest a doorbell has ever been.
Video Doorbell, implemented with a mobile phone or tablet application, offers you a 24/7 live feed of events outside your front door. It has a camera, microphone, and speaker, so if someone calls and you’re not there, you can see who they are and chat with them through the app.
This is great if you want to tell the courier where to leave the package or tell your friends you’re only ten minutes away. Your phone will send a ping notification when someone calls, and you can also optionally receive a notification when motion is detected. This can be handy to set up when you go on vacation and want to keep an eye on things.
The doorbell is easy to install by attaching the mounting bracket to the door frame or any suitable place. The unit itself, which includes the camera and watch button, snaps in and is secured with two screws. This allows you to unplug the bell from time to time to charge it, but you can also plug it into your existing doorbell wires for continuous power if you want.
Check out the Ring Video Doorbell offer here
Because Ring is owned by Amazon, it works with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. This means you can connect it to an Amazon Echo to act as a doorbell – it’s worth noting that the doorbell doesn’t come with one, so you’ll need to pair it with the Echo or buy one if you don’t want to. you have one ringtone for your entire home (although it can just ping your phone if you want).
If you have an Echo Show, you can also set the screen to show who’s at the door. This can be handy if you have a large home or are less mobile.
Even if you get the basic features, you’ll need to purchase a Ring subscription to unlock everything the doorbell can do, including video, package alerts, person notifications, and more.
Amazon is listing this for half price as a “limited time offer”, so be sure to pick one up if you’ve been thinking about it, as it’s the cheapest a doorbell has ever been – we don’t know when this offer will go into effect. end.
Google also sells a competing product called the Nest Doorbell, but it’s much more expensive at £179.99. Other competitors are Arlo and eufy, some of whose products do not require a subscription.