Ring Video Doorbell Plus review: It’s about damn time

When people hear the words ‘video doorbell’, the first brand that comes to mind is almost always Ring. After all, it’s the OG, and with 10 years in the business, its popularity isn’t surprising. After so long in the market and so many models, finding the differences can be a difficult task, but the distinguishing advantage of the Ring Video Doorbell Plus is right there in the name—Plus. With its extended viewing range that finally allows you to see your doorstep, we think it’s the best doorbell Ring has to offer.

Visually, it’s hard to tell the difference between the Ring Video Doorbell Plus and most other Ring Doorbell models unless you’re looking really closely. However, as we noted in our review of the Ring Video Doorbell 4, that’s not a bad thing. The design is modern, sleek, compact, and relatively lightweight. If it ain’t broke, and all that.

Installing the Ring Video Doorbell Plus is an easy (if renter-unfriendly) process. Simply give the battery pack a charge, and once it’s full, pop it in the doorbell, download the Ring app and you’ll be guided through the steps for connecting it to your Wi-Fi network.

Once you’re ready, follow the included instructions for mounting it to your preferred surface. All the screws and hardware you’ll need to do so can be found in the box—you’ll just need to BYO screwdriver. If you prefer not to make any holes, as mentioned above, you’ll need to fork out an additional $29 for the No-Drill Mount.

Though the Ring Video Doorbell Plus is battery-powered, it can also be connected to your existing doorbell wiring.

Our biggest gripe with the last Ring doorbell we reviewed (the Ring Video Doorbell 4) was its limited vertical viewing range. One of the main benefits of video doorbells in general is the ability to see if that long-awaited parcel finally arrived, but when the doorstep is out of the camera’s range, it doesn’t do a whole lot of good. Thankfully, as you might expect given the ‘Plus’ in the name, the Ring Video Doorbell Plus rectifies this mistake with a generous 150-degree view both vertically and horizontally and a 1:1 aspect ratio—something that, up until this point, was reserved only for the more premium Pro model.

As for the video quality, it’s more than crisp enough to make out faces and some package details, though not quite clear enough to catch the number plate of our car driving down the driveway just two metres away. Then again, that’s what security cameras a for, and as a video doorbell, it does an excellent job, both during the day and at night.

After three weeks of testing (during which time we had many deliveries, visitors and motion triggers), the battery stood at 89%, which bodes really well. It’s a bit too early to tell, but based on our usage up to the time of writing, we estimate a good four or five months’ worth of battery life before it’ll need another juice.

Although quite a lot of features (such as person alerts, rich notifications, and, of course, cloud storage) are locked behind the Ring Protect paywall, the Ring Video Doorbell Plus does have a number of nifty tricks that don't come at an extra cost. These include customisable alert tones, a selection of pre-recorded quick replies, the ability to create motion zones, and adjustable motion sensitivity.

The Ring Video Doorbell Plus isn’t an earth-shattering update to a tried-and-true formula, but its increased viewing range truly feels like an upgrade and a game-changer. The lack of any free video storage options is sure to be a dealbreaker for some, but if you’re happy to pay the ongoing subscription fee, we reckon the Ring Video Doorbell Plus is one of the best video doorbells Ring has ever produced.