Ring’s budget battery doorbell can now see packages left on your porch

Ring has refreshed its entry-level battery-powered doorbell camera, bringing a new head-to-toe view to better capture footage of packages on your porch. According to the company, the Ring Battery Doorbell ($99.99) also has improved battery life and color night vision, plus a new mounting system to make removing the doorbell for charging easier.

Ring has been slowly upgrading its video doorbell line from its original 16:9 aspect ratio to 1:1, with a 150-degree by 150-degree field of view that shows a full top-to-bottom view of what’s in front of your door. This square view is common among most of Ring’s competitors, as it’s more useful for seeing packages left on the floor.

The entry-level Battery Doorbell features 1080p HD video, compared to 1536p HD video on the more expensive Plus and Pro models. It has a standard PIR motion sensor for motion-activated recording, also found in the Plus model; the Pro model has an upgraded radar sensor for more accurate motion detection. 

Unlike the Pro and Plus, the Battery Doorbell has no removable battery. This means you have to take it off your door to charge it unless you can wire it to doorbell wiring, which will trickle charge the battery. Ring says it has redesigned the mounting system on this model to make it easier to remove using a push-pin tool.

The new doorbell’s battery life has been extended from its predecessor, the Ring Video Doorbell 2. Ring says the Battery Doorbell “delivers up to 23 percent longer battery life than the previous model (based on commonly used settings).”

As with all Ring doorbells, the Ring Battery Doorbell can send motion alerts, allow for a live view of the camera’s footage, two-way talk, and customizable motion zones — all for free. With a Ring Protect subscription (starting at $4.99 a month / $49.99 a year), you can see recorded videos with 180 days’ worth of cloud storage, plus get person and package alerts.

The Ring Battery Doorbell is available now to preorder on Ring.com and Amazon.com for $99.99 and will start shipping on September 4th.