Skybell HD vs Ring Pro Smart Video Camera Doorbell Comparison Review

Technology has evolved in a great way over the past few years. There are devices today that would have otherwise been unimaginable a few years ago. Thanks to technology, our lives today have been significantly enhanced. Keeping this in mind, we’re going to look at two items that are a necessary addition to any home. We’re of course talking about smart doorbells that come with cameras to give you a better idea of who has arrived at your doorstep, or even check if there’s any suspicious activity happening outside your door.

These are not ordinary doorbells, as you obviously know by now. But smart doorbells are available in abundance today, which is good, since it offers customers a lot of options. However, not all are good at what they do, which is why we’re decided to talk about two of the best smart doorbells available in the market right now. Both come with similar features, and there are some obvious advantages and disadvantages to both products. We’ll cover all these aspects in this comparison. Read on for more details.

SkyBell HD

Features

Most home doorbells come with the same price tag, which makes it important for us to have a closer look at the kind of features they offer. SkyBell HD is easily one of the best smart doorbells available in the market today, and we cannot recommend it highly enough to the customers. It comes with night vision, the ability to save seven days’ worth of recordings on the cloud for free, and a free app that makes it a breeze to use. Naturally, the doorbell also comes with a motion detection feature, allowing you to keep an eye on the suspicious activity happening outside your front door.

Pros and Cons

The SkyBell HD comes with the ability to record 180 degree videos, which makes it an obvious choice for us. The camera can also be zoomed by 5X, which is a handy feature to have on a doorbell camera. You can use the mobile app to monitor the video from the camera anytime. Naturally, there are notifications pushed to you every time there is a doorbell. The night vision feature on the camera, records video in full color, meaning you will never miss a detail from the doorbell footage. We also have to mention the size of this doorbell. It doesn’t take too much space and is almost like any other doorbell from the outside. SkyBell is compatible with SmartHome Things, IFTTT and Amazon Alexa.

The motion detection feature can be a little too sensitive sometimes and can even pickup moving cars and vehicles outside your street. We suggest setting the sensitivity to very low if you live near a street with heavy traffic. While a feature like this can be handy, it can also be annoying sometimes. There have been some words about the return policy of SkyBell, which has made a few customers wary of their products. However, for the kind of features it offers out of the box, I personally feel the SkyBell HD is the best in the business here.

Pricing

The SkyBell HD is available in Silver and Bronze, and can be purchased via Amazon right now for just about $199. This is significantly cheaper compared to the Ring Doorbell Pro, which we’ll talk about in a minute.

Ring Video Doorbell Pro

Features

A slightly expensive alternative to the SkyBell, the Ring Doorbell Pro also comes with its own set of exciting features to make it stand out. In addition to seeing your visitors from the smartphone or tablet app, you can also hear audio and talk to your visitors directly from your mobile device. This is an amazing feature to have an adds to the convenience aspect of smart doorbells. This feature isn’t offered on all doorbells, which makes this particular offering stand out amongst the crowd. The videos are stored in 1080p Full HD, allowing you to get a very clear image of the people ringing your doorbell or waiting outside the door. The camera also supports Live View, which lets you look through your camera in real time using just your smartphone or tablet.

Pros and Cons

One of the favorite features of this app is the lifetime theft protection. The company will replace your doorbell camera for free if it gets stolen. Naturally, you might have to coordinate with the authorities and the company in gaining access to the footage recorded before the theft. You can choose to pay a $3 fee monthly to store the videos directly on the cloud. This option is highly recommended as it will automatically save all footage from the camera securely on the cloud. The camera is compatible with SmartThings, Kevo, Wemo, Lockitron, Kisi, and Lockstate.

Now for the cons, although there aren’t many. The Ring Pro doesn’t come with zone detection, which is not a massive omission, but a feature which is offered by the SkyBell. The camera is also slightly more expensive compared to SkyBell, which is definitely a con. But considering the fact that it offers a bunch of other features in addition to just recording video, this can be easily overlooked. The doorbell also requires wiring from an existing doorbell to function.

Pricing

The camera is only available in one variant, which will set you back by $248.58. This is nearly $50 more than the SkyBell. But considering the kind of features it offers by default, we’re sure the customers won’t mind this all that much. You can check out the Ring Pro from Amazon right away.

 

Verdict

While both cameras have their advantages and disadvantages, we feel the odds are heavily stacked in favor of the SkyBell, thanks largely for the low price tag. It comes with a slender exterior, an easy to use app that can be setup in minutes, and compatibility with SmartThings products, allowing you to hook it up with Amazon Alexa, IFTTT and more. However, if SmartThings compatibility is a factor, we feel the Ring Pro offers more features out of the box.

If you don’t mind spending slightly more on the doorbell camera, the Ring Pro is an excellent choice as well. It comes with the ability to listen to audio and even converse with the people outside your door. This is an amazing feature to have and something that I personally look for in a doorbell camera. You can’t go wrong with either cameras to be honest.