Ring Doorbell(s) Field of View | Distances & Angles

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The Ring Doorbell* monitors the entrance area of your house and provides more security and comfort. In order for the Ring Doorbell to do its job, the field of view must be right.

Motion detection works via infrared sensors or image comparisons. These determine the motion detection angle of the respective model. The distance up to which the doorbell’s camera measures is also dependent on the model.

The smart doorbells of the first to fourth generation have a separate angle of view for video recording, which differs horizontally and vertically.

You can adjust the field of view of your Ring Doorbell individually. The settings for this, as well as for night vision, can be found in the Ring app. You’ll get the most out of your device if you install it correctly from the start and adapt it to the conditions on site.

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What is a Ring Doorbell?

Ring is a US company based in California that manufactures various products for the smart home. With video doorbells, security cameras and alarm systems, it specializes primarily in security technology. The Ring Doorbell is one of these products.

With Ring Doorbell you can monitor your doors remotely via video. This works in the entrance area, at the back exit, but also at the garage.

What can the Ring Doorbell do?

Ring’s smart doorbells offer many functions. They are comparable to a combination of a conventional doorbell, an intercom system and a surveillance camera. Thus, they offer a lot of conveniences.

The device notifies you about events on your smartphone. When someone rings your doorbell, a live video is sent to you immediately so you can see who your visitor is. Then you can use Ring Doorbell as an intercom and talk directly to your guest via your smartphone.

This works regardless of the distance, as long as your smartphone is connected to the network. Even if you’re at work, visiting friends or on vacation, you can answer the guest at your front door. The notification is also handy if you have a large garden, for example, where you wouldn’t hear the normal doorbell.

In addition to its function as a doorbell and intercom, you can also use Ring Doorbell as a surveillance camera: When someone approaches your door, it records a video. If you wish, you can also receive a notification on your cell phone.

The monitoring function is activated without having to ring the bell. This way you know in advance that visitors are coming or you can keep an eye on suspicious persons.

You can time this function so that you are not constantly informed during the day. You just turn off the notifications, the videos will still be recorded.

Ring Doorbell Field of View 

In order for a smart doorbell to do its job, it has to meet a few requirements. This is especially true if you want to use it not only as an intercom, but also as a surveillance camera.

When deciding on a Ring Doorbell, the field of view is a crucial factor. This includes the range of the doorbell, as well as the angle at which it records. Of course, the resolution also plays a role and recording with night vision should be a matter of course.

Motion detection and motion detection angle

Ring Doorbell perceives the outside world in two different ways: by the angle of view and the angle of motion detection.

The first to fourth generation models use heat sensors to detect movement. Since people have a higher body temperature than their surroundings, the Doorbell detects when a person walks by or approaches the door and starts recording. If you have turned on the notification function, it will send a message to your smartphone at that moment.

The motion detection angle is 180 degrees for all four models. This means that everything in a semicircle in front of the doorbell is detected.

Motion detection removal

The distance at which motion detection works is also crucial. This has changed from generation to generation. A greater distance is not necessarily better.

Your Doorbell is designed to detect people approaching your door or entering your property. However, you don’t want to be constantly informed about passers-by on the sidewalk or passing cars. The area in which the infrared sensors operate is therefore focused where relevant movement is expected.

These are the ranges of the different Ring Video Doorbells:

  • Generation 1: 1 m up to 10 m
  • Generation 2: 1.50 m up to 9 m
  • Generation 3 and 4: 1.5 m up to 5 m

Ring Doorbell 3 and 4 monitor the smallest area. For most homes, this is quite sufficient. Thus, irrelevant movements are recorded less often.

Seting Up Motion Zones

The motion detection angle and distance depend on the doorbell model. However, the requirements placed on the device differ depending on the situation on site.

You don’t want passing cars or passers-by to trigger notifications or recordings, and you don’t need to monitor your neighbor’s property either. Starting with the second generation of Ring Doorbell, you can set up individual motion zones to exclude such areas.

The model’s motion detection basically works in the range from 1.50 m to 9 m. It records in this range in a 180-degree angle. In this range, it records at a 180-degree angle. You cannot extend this range, but you can limit it.

To make this change, first open your device’s motion settings. There you select the menu item Edit Motion Zones, tap on Default Zone and adjust the area as you would like it.

You can add three motion zones. Afterwards, you have to confirm your selection and save it. By the way, besides the movement zones, you can also set movement schedules and adjust the movement frequency.

Setting up motion zones works the same way with new models.

Viewing Angles and Video Quality

Besides the motion capture angle, there is the angle of view. This is the area in which the camera records the video. This angle is measured both horizontally and vertically.

  • Generation 1: 180 degrees horizontal, 140 degrees vertical
  • Generation 2: 155 degrees horizontal, 90 degrees vertical
  • Generation 3 and 4: 160 degrees horizontal, 84 degrees vertical

Although the viewing angle has decreased over time, the viewing angle is still wide enough to record everything outside the front door in Generation 3 and 4. Furthermore, the quality of the recordings has increased: Instead of a resolution of 720p in generation 1, the later generations offer 1080p.

Motion Detection and Field of View with Ring Doorbell Pro, Pro2, Elite and Wired

In addition to the first to fourth generation Ring Doorbells, there are also Pro, Elite and Wired models. Motion detection works differently in these models. It is no longer controlled via infrared sensors, but via image pixels.

The doorbell’s camera records images for motion detection. The individual images are compared pixel by pixel. Differences between the images indicate movement.

The motion detection angle of these models is identical to the angle of view of the recording. Accordingly, the angle is measured horizontally and vertically for these devices respectively:

Apart from the Pro 2, the resolution of the recorded videos is 1080p, just like the devices from the first to the fourth generation. The Ring Doorbell Pro 2 reaches a resolution of 1536p.

More Viewing Options with the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2

The Doorbell Pro 2 goes a step further than other models in detecting motion at your front door. It captures motion in 3D. It measures the size, distance, direction and speed of objects approaching your front door.

Of course, as usual, you can set custom zones in which this 3D motion measurement is applied. In addition, the Pro 2 offers you a bird’s eye view. For example, you can see the parcels that a courier leaves on your doorstep.

Night Vision Quality

From the first generation, Ring Doorbell has night vision. The images during night recording are created by infrared light. This creates a black and white image.

Errors can easily occur with night vision. For example, if the entire image is displayed in black, there is usually a problem with the router. This must be adjusted.

Sometimes the faces of visitors are displayed white and are difficult to recognize. In this case, the cause is often overexposure, which you can avoid by realigning the camera. You can use a wedge kit or a corner kit for this.

If you constantly get bad shots at night, the problem is due to lack of lighting. You can try changing the night vision settings in the Ring app to fix this problem.

There you can choose between three modes that indicate how well the entrance area is illuminated. If switching to another mode does not improve the situation, you will have to upgrade the lighting.

Night vision in color

The Ring Video Doorbell Pro, Pro 2 and Elite have the option to show you night vision footage in color. This has the advantage that you can get a better picture of what is happening outside your door.

Night vision in color is not true color imaging. Instead, the models use the infrared light and ambient light to colorize the black and white images. Since the colors displayed are not the actual colors of the objects, the colored image may look unusual.

Note that only the areas for which there is sufficient light from the surroundings are colored. Some areas on the image will therefore remain black and white.

The infrared light also has an influence on how the night vision turns out in color. Areas that are close to the camera are more strongly illuminated by this light. For this reason, close objects may look gray.

If you want to set the night vision in color, you can do that in the Ring app. Open the device settings for the Ring Doorbell and select the video settings. Under the menu item Night vision in color, you can activate or deactivate the function.

Mounting the Ring Doorbell

No matter which model you use, in order for the motion capture angle and the viewing angle to reach their full potential, you need to mount it correctly. Many owners mount their Ring Doorbell too high up, so the camera can’t record visitors’ faces. The perfect height is about 1.20 meters above the floor.

For ground level doors, you must mount the Ring Doorbell perpendicular to the floor. If your house wall is not flat due to cladding, you must mount your model at an appropriate angle.

If you just put it on a covered wall, it will cause the sensors and camera to point upwards and pick up objects like passing cars more often. Also, motion detection closer to your house is less accurate and leaves opportunities for burglars to sneak up unnoticed.

In addition to the house cladding, you should pay attention to stairs when installing the doorbell. If your visitors have to climb stairs, they will not be registered if the doorbell is mounted vertically. Point the device downwards at an angle to counteract this problem.

To mount the Ring Doorbell at an angle, you can use a wedge set, for example. This contains different angle openings. This allows you to adjust it to the conditions of your house.

If you do not like the look of the wedge set, you should look for a model that can be painted. So the wedge set on the house wall is not so noticeable.

Related Questions

Are the videos of the Ring Doorbell saved automatically?

The Ring Doorbell videos are saved automatically only if a subscription to the Ring Cloud has been taken out. The files in the cloud are deleted after thirty days. Without a subscription, only live videos can be accessed. Storage via other cloud services is not possible.

Can the Ring Doorbell be combined with other devices?

All Ring Doorbell models can be connected to other devices. They are controlled via all Alexa-enabled devices such as the Echo Dot or Echo Show. Greater security for your own home results in combination with the Ring Spotlight Cam or one of the Flooglight Cam models.

How can I prevent security risks?

The Ring Doorbell increases the security of the home, but as an electronic device, it is at risk of hacking. To mitigate the risk, you should operate the Doorbell and other smart home devices over a separate network. That way, private data on your laptop or tablet is safe.

Conclusion

The Ring Doorbell offers you extra security for your home. Thanks to motion detection by infrared sensors or the matching of image pixels, it detects every person approaching your house and informs you via notification on your smartphone.

With Ring Doorbell, you can talk to visitors who ring the doorbell, just like with an intercom. You can follow activities in front of your door live on the screen. These functions are also available when you are not in the house.

To get the maximum benefit from your Ring Doorbell, you need to mount it properly: It should be installed at a height of 1.20 meters. You need to pay attention to conditions such as the house cladding or stairs.

You determine which areas in front of the door the smart doorbell records in the settings. You define motion zones for this purpose. What you can record depends on the motion detection angle and the viewing angle of the respective model.

The models can record between 155 and 180 degrees horizontally, and between 84 and 150 degrees vertically. The distance can be 1 m to a maximum of 10 m. However, a shorter distance up to a maximum of 5 m is usually sufficient.

Attention: When installing electronic equipment, please be sure to observe the manufacturer’s safety instructions. You have to take care of your own safety. The information on this site only helps you to learn.
Disclosure: This website is the property of Martin Lütkemeyer and is operated by Martin Lütkemeyer. Martin Lütkemeyer is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to enable Web sites to earn advertising revenue through advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Links marked with * are affiliate links.