When we set out to find the video doorbell, we were looking for a modern, fully-featured security system. We sampled many products in the market but ultimately narrowed it down to the two biggest names in the industry: SimpliSafe Doorbell Pro and Ring Video Doorbell Pro.
After lengthy and thorough testing, we discovered that while both doorbells have similar technologies, each offers a set of unique features and technologies that set them apart. This Ring Video Doorbell Pro vs. SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro review dives deep into these two products to help you find out which video doorbell is best for you.
SimpliSafe Doorbell vs. Ring Video Doorbell Pro Comparison:
SimpliSafe Doorbell
The performance, reliability, and design of a digital doorbell are best tested in different situations and over some time. We spent time testing and reviewing the SimpliSafe Pro video doorbell and discovered that they call it ‘Smart Home Security for a good reason.
SimpliSafe is well known for producing low-cost hardware and digital services, and this doorbell is the company’s best effort to point their indoor cameras outside to protect a home.
SimpliSafe has got many things right as far as design and hardware are concerned. This doorbell offers a fixed high-quality Full HD 1080p resolution with auto-adjust depending on your Wi-Fi bandwidth as well as HDR.
The video captured by SimpliSafe offers a decent angle with a 162° field of view, which delivers a crisp view of the happenings in front of the house, but with less of a fisheye effect compared to the ring.
One of the top-selling features of the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro is its auto-enabled sharp night vision, which is triggered to record by a motion sensor.
However, because the camera lacks a low-light sensor, video images are swapped to black and white to improve recognition in poor lighting conditions.
SimpliSafe offers its customers two plans: cloud video storage for 30 days of recorded video for a single doorbell for $4.99 and storage for multiple doorbells or security cameras for $9.99. Note that SimpliSafe’s plans offer only cloud storage, which means that only subscribed customers can review the recorded footage.
Based on our review, SimpliSafe Video Doorbell is a clear winner when compared to Ring Video Doorbell. It offers a range of security packages, is easy to install and operate, and uses new depth-sensing technology in combination with heat sensors to identify objects and people.
Pros
- Live video and two-way audio streaming
- It has a small rechargeable battery
- Motion detection
- Has both a web app and a mobile app
- You can review local recordings with the Arlo SmartHub.
Cons
- To install a SimpliSafe doorbell, you will need to have an 8 to 24V doorbell transformer already installed
Ring Video Doorbell Pro
The Ring has been in the doorbell business for many years, which explains why it is one of the top brands in this industry based on doorbell video camera reviews.
The perfection of the Ring Video Doorbell Pro follows years of improvements on similar products. This particular product is a lot more than just a doorbell – it doubles as a remote-operated state-of-the-art home security system.
Amazon’s Ring Video Doorbell Pro has a lot in common with SimpliSafe Doorbell Pro.
It offers two-way audio streaming via an Android and iOS app for effective communication with whoever is at the door, live video streaming of full HD video on demand, night vision, and remote camera control and zooming capabilities.
However, how some of these features are implemented in the Ring Pro is a bit different, hence the difference in performance compared to the SimpliSafe doorbell.
On top of the list of features that makes the Ring Video Doorbell Pro such a popular product is the capability to specify which areas within the 160° horizontal and 100° vertical field of view can trigger motion alerts.
This doorbell sports a sophisticated motion detection feature that captures an image and uses its pixels as a reference to identify the moving object. Perhaps this is the main reason why this is the only true ‘smart doorbell.’
The company offers two subscription plans for users – Basic and Protect Plus. The Basic program costs $3 per month and provides access to 30 to 60 days of video storage while the Protect Plus offers additional ring Alarm professional monitoring for $10 per month.
Moreover, the ring offers a wide selection of indoor and outdoor cameras besides the video doorbell cameras, which means that it is easier and cheaper for you to set up a comprehensive home surveillance and security system once you have the doorbell installed.
For instance, you can set the internal chime to the good old-fashioned doorbell noise for alerts, and even control the security system using Google Assistant or Alexa, something that SimpliSafe doorbells lack.
Pros
- Video quality in Full HD 1080p
- Infra-red night vision that captures crisp-clear color images
- Comes with four different interchangeable color faceplates.
- Many customization and personalization options
Cons
- The Ring Video Doorbell requires an existing 8 to 24v AC doorbell transformer
Conclusion
We took our time to review these two video doorbells and came to a conclusion: both are great products that are well-designed and solidly built, but the video doorbell between the two will largely depend on your feature preferences. If you are looking for a modern doorbell camera that connects to a phone, you can easily be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing one of these two options.
The Ring is a well-established company well known for its excellent door alarms, cams, and security lighting, and its video doorbell does not disappoint in performance. SimpliSafe, on the other hand, has done a great job of incorporating the best features in the Pro video doorbell, and its product is built for exceptional performance as a stand-alone product.
