Ring Video Doorbell Wired goes small on price and size

Ring has launched a new video doorbell, and rather than temperamental batteries the Ring Video Doorbell Wired focuses on two things: size, and price. The company's smallest doorbell so far, it also has the smallest price of a Ring model, coming in at $59.99.

As the name suggests, your life won't be entirely wire-free with this model. Like Ring's Video Doorbell Pro and Video Doorbell Elite, this new Video Doorbell Wired has to be hooked up to a power connection. That, though, means it's liberated from the usual compromises battery video doorbells have to make in order to balance functionality with efficiency.

So, you still get 1080p Full HD video streaming, with night vision support. There's two-way audio, with Ring's noise cancellation system, together with customizable Motion Zones that the video doorbell will watch out for movement in specifically. Privacy Zones, meanwhile, can be set to have the camera ignore.

Like Ring's more expensive models, there's support for the company's Advanced Motion Detection system. That means you get a notification in the Ring app when movement within a set distance of the doorbell is detected, and recording also starts. If you have a subscription to the Ring Protect Plan – which starts at $3 per month, per device – you get other trigger options, however.

People Only Mode, for example, will only trigger an alert on your phone when the camera spots a person, rather than movement of a car or something else. Rich Notifications, meanwhile, include a snapshot in the alert, so you can quickly check if it's something to be concerned about without having to open the Ring app first.

Finally, Ring Protect Plan subscribers also get color Pre-Roll. That adds a six-second video preview before each motion alert, saving the footage so you can see what happened just before it was triggered.

As you'd expect, there's integration with all of Ring's other products, like the Ring Chimes, Ring Alarm, and Ring Smart Lights. If you have multiple video doorbells, you can manage them all through the same app. There's also Alexa integration, with support for calling up a view from the doorbell camera on an Alexa-powered smart display, or using the "Alexa, talk to the front door" voice command to begin two-way audio.

The Ring Video Doorbell Wired is up for preorder from today, priced at $59.99. It'll begin shipping from February 24, and then arrive in other retailers – beginning with Home Depot – after that.