Dumb questions about Ring Wired Video Doorbell - SORTED THANKS!

Exodi

what does the blue light spinning round the bellpush button indicate? It seems to keep doing that for a certain length of time then revert to stationary white.

It is a cue to indicate to the visitor that the doorbell has been rung, like the "stupid chimes that the bell push sounds outside" you mentioned earlier.

Otherwise they might not be sure if it's connected, if they pressed it, etc. It seems normal in my mind as I've had a video doorbell for years, but I can totally appreciate that coming from a normal doorbell (that doesn't light up or make sounds when pressed, though oftentimes you might hear it ringing inside the house) it would seem unnecessary.

Keruge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6656625/dumb-questions-about-ring-wired-video-doorbell

Well done you for getting to grips with it

I usually hope to get the motion detect before they even ring the bell, in fact many do not bother to push the button.

What really annoys me is that Ring is so slow with the notifications, everything Bezos disappoints, I have had family members buy the top of the range Alexa with video and all that to speed up the alerts, it did not help.

I saw on YouTube a comparison between Ring and other doorbells, Ring was the slowest and I think Eufy was the fastest, Eufy also have a way to keep your data in your own NAS to avoid the annual cost of Ring Plan which I find obscene.

I turned off rich notifications to speed up the notifications but that did not help.

Now I am finding that it is missing some motions which I know because it catches people leaving my home but not them arriving.

There is an interesting option called quick replies, I used one that tells people "Hi, it may take a moment to answer, please wait."

It is in option 8 below under Default messages (to make it all year round).

How to set up Quick Replies 

In the Ring app:

1. Tap the menu (≡) on the top left of the Dashboard.
2. Tap Devices.
   • Select the device you want to set up.
3. Tap more (•••) on the doorbell you want to access.
4. Tap your device's Settings.
5. Tap the Smart Responses tile.
6. Tap Quick Replies.
   • Toggle the Quick Replies switch to the blue "on" position.
7. Set Response Time for right away or between 2-20 seconds.
8. Choose Quick Reply Message.
   • Scroll down the list and select a year round message or seasonal greeting.
9. Tap Save in the top right corner.

https://ring.com/gb/en/support/articles/ztd70/Setting-up-Quick-Replies-in-the-Ring-App

Exodi

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81898185#Comment_81898185

I think it has a lot to do with cloud interaction, whereby the devices communicate to a cloud service provider (in a different country) who then communicates back to your chime + notification devices, typically over WiFi. It doesn't help that doorbells are usually situated on the exterior behind brick walls, something which significantly impedes WiFi reception.

You could reduce the delay by hardwiring by ethernet, bringing the device local (e.g. with Zigbee, Thread/Matter, or through use of a VLAN where not possible) but requiring you to have your own local storage (not cheap)!

With all things considered, I think for most the 4 second or whatever delay is workable (it's not as if couriers wait after pressing the doorbell anyway)!

soolin

We tend not to use our ring exactly as intended. If someone rings the doorbell we tend to answer the door rather than faff around checking the app. We use the app more when we are not at home , our postman is well used to talking to us through the Ring .

The blue ring is usually to indicate that it detects movement but no one has rung the bell, we get the 'jangle' of motion when we move our cars from the drive.

You can also play around with the app to make the motion detector more or less sensitive and also to adjust the 'field' of detection.

Keruge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81898504#Comment_81898504

I agree, the Cloud is probably a big part of it but all things being equal the Eufy service is much faster, possibly fast enough to catch that Courier. Amazon have had to credit many orders because their Couriers dump parcels, often in a different building and we have no idea where it is.

Around here people will pinch something if they see a Courier buzz into a building using the trade buzzer, there was a C4 documentary about it on YT and many about what it is like to work for Amazon (with a Pee bottle) and the likes of EVRI.

Those videos give some explanation as to why the Couriers seem P'ed off.