Ring is practically synonymous with smart ringtones, and Ring Video Doorbell Wired, for $ 59.99, is the smallest and most affordable model to date. As the name suggests, it requires wiring, but is still fairly easy to install. It supports Amazon Alexa voice control and IFTTT applets, but access to recorded videos and a handful of other features requires a Ring Protect subscription. For about $ 30 extra, Ezviz DB1C (also a wired bell) is a much better deal. It offers free smart alerts, local video storage and a higher resolution image, keeping the Editors' Choice award for affordable video ringtones.

The smallest ringer ringer

At 3.9 x 1.8 x 0.8 inches (HWD), Wired Video Doorbell is slightly shorter than Doorbell Pro Video Ring (4.5 x 1.8 x 0.8 inches) and Ezviz DB1C (5.0 1.8 x 0.8 inches), but still a hair thicker than the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro (4.6 x 1.5 x 1.3 inches). It has a matte black finish with a glossy black face and there is a Ring logo at the bottom of the enclosure.

The front of the bell contains a 1080p camera, a microphone, and a 0.75-inch round dial button surrounded by an LED ring that spins white during setup, glows solid white during normal operation, and turns blue when the button is pressed. The camera uses two infrared LEDs for black and white night vision and has a horizontal field of view of 155 degrees. Connectivity comes via a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi radio.

The lower edge of the bell holds a speaker and an opening for a safety screw, and the rear panel has two wiring terminals. Included in the box are two Torx safety screws, a Torx screwdriver, mounting bolts and anchors, a user guide, a quick start card and a jumper cable to bypass your bell box. This ringtone doesn't work with your existing bell, so if you want to hear internal audio alerts, you'll need to pair it with an Amazon Alexa device or buy a Bells ($ 29.99). Alternatively, you can purchase a Doorbell Wired + Chime Video Ring package for $ 79.99.

Live video, motion alerts, two-way calls, and lifetime theft protection are free, but you need a Ring Protect plan to view and share recorded videos, capture snapshots, and use Mode Only People, which filters all moves and sends only warns when a person is detected. The basic plan costs $ 3 per month or $ 30 per year and gives you 60 days of video history for a single room, while the Plus plan costs $ 10 per month or $ 100 per year and gives you 60 days of history video for all your Ring devices.

Video Doorbell Wired works with Alexa voice commands and will interact with many smart devices at home via IFTTT applets, but does not support Apple HomeKit or Google Assistant.

Use the same mobile app (for Android and iOS) to control the ringtone as for all other Ring devices. Doorbell Wired video appears in its own panel on the home screen, along with any other Ring products you have installed. The panel displays the ringtone name and a still image of the last captured motion event. If you tap the panel, you'll see a screen where you can view live videos by tapping the Live arrow. Touch the box in the lower right corner of the video screen to view it in full screen mode.

Just below the video panel is a timeline of movement and ringing events that you can scroll to view images of a particular event, and below that are the mute speech buttons and two-way speech. The wheel icon in the upper right corner takes you to the ringer settings screen where you can turn call alerts, motion detection, and motion alerts on or off. Here you can also view event history, configure Home, Remote and Geofencing settings, connect the ringtone to other Ring devices to record them when motion is detected, configure motion sensitivity and motion programs, and change settings device, including ringtone volume and video recording length.

Relatively easy to install and use

Installing Doorbell Wired Video is easy, but if you are not comfortable working with low voltage ringtone wiring, we recommend that you find someone who is or hire a professional. We started by turning off the ringer current from the switch box and removing the old ringer unit. I removed the Ring bell cover, connected the two rattle wires, and used the included mounting screws to attach the ring to the door frame. Then I pulled the cover on the bell again and turned on the power to the circuit.

If this is your first Ring device, you'll need to download the app and create an account. To pair the ringtone with the app, I tapped Device Setup in the menu, selected ringtones, and used my phone's camera to scan the QR code from the quick start card. I entered my address, gave the device a name, and made sure I didn't have to install the jumper cable. If you need a jumper to extract power from your existing sound box, you can see the installation instructions right now. Then I checked if the setup light was turning on and in a few seconds the bell confirmed that it was connected. I selected my Wi-Fi SSID, entered my Wi-Fi password, and the ringtone was associated with the app and was automatically added to the Alexa device list.

Video Doorbell Wired achieved solid test results. The video during the day was clear, with good color quality, while the black and white night vision showed a solid contrast and uniform illumination. There has been some distortion of the barrel, but this is quite common in ringing rooms and does not distort the overall picture.

The bell rang instantly at the push of a button and the internal bell was loud enough. Motion detection worked fine once we changed the sensitivity settings, and the People Only mode function worked as intended. The alerts arrived immediately and I had no problem viewing videos from the ringtone on the Amazon Echo Show using Alexa voice commands.

Is it worth the most affordable soner ring?

At $ 59.99, the Doorbell Wired Video Ring offers an affordable way to see who's at your door without getting up from the couch. It is easy to install and offers clear 1080p videos and works with many other smart devices. That being said, you'll need to pay for a subscription to view, save, and share recorded videos and use People Only mode. The winners of Editors' Choice for affordable ringtones, Ezviz DC1B, may cost a few dollars more, but offer a much clearer UHD image, dual-band Wi-Fi, cloud and local video storage, and support for Google Assistant, in addition to Alexa and IFTTT. Meanwhile, if you want to run wirelessly, Ring Video Doorbell (2020) offers similar features to the wired model, but with a built-in battery for $ 99.99.