Ring Doorbell Wired vs Pro (What’s the difference?!) – New Video

I purchased the Ring Doorbell Pro – a purely hardwired Ring doorbell – around a year ago, and it's working out really nicely for me. But Ring have now announced the Ring Doorbells Wired, which is also purely hardwired.

So… what's the difference between the Pro and Wired versions? And what are the similarities? Well, I cover all this and more in this video:

The timestamps are:

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:50 The Ring doorbell lineup
• 2:32 Similarities of the Ring Wired and Pro
• 4:44 Differences between the two
• 9:13 The Ring Doorbell Elite
• 10:15 Wrapping up

Video Transcript (text version of this guide)

Hello, I'm Tristan. Ring recently announced a really interesting new addition to their smart doorbell line-up: the $60 Ring Video Doorbell Wired. This seems like it could be a really awesome product – especially given its low price – however it's not immediately clear how this differs from the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2, a product which is almost $200 more expensive.

So in today's video I wanted to cover the similarities and differences between the two devices. Now, they actually offer very similar features – especially within the app itself – but there are also a handful of key differences (including, for example, that the Doorbell Wired model only supports 2.4 GHz WiFi, whereas the Doorbell Pro is dual band – this can be a key point to some people).

The Ring Doorbell lineup now

Before going into all this in a lot more detail later on, I wanted to quickly address that this new product now makes the overall Ring Doorbell line-up a little bit confusing. After all, you have the Ring Doorbell 1 (which is just called “Ring Doorbell” and it was re-released last year in 2020, but they kept the same name), you also have the Doorbell 2… which is currently not actively for sale, you also have the Doorbell 3, the Doorbell 3 PLUS… the Doorbell Pro, Doorbell Elite and the Doorbell Peephole Cam. And now, of course, the Doorbell Wired joins the line-up. Phew, I think that's all right!

So what are the main differences between all of the different models that I just listed. Well, as the Ring shop shows on screen, the Ring Doorbells 1-3 (including the Plus) are all battery models. Whilst they can be hardwired, this is mainly to provide what's known as a “trickle charge” to the battery so there's still certain features of these “battery” models that don't quite work quite as well as the truly hardwired Ring Doorbell options – such as the Pro and the Elite models, and now the “Wired” variant as well.

Equally the battery models are substantially bigger than the wired versions – as you can see. This is because the battery models contain – as you can probably guess – a battery! Surprisingly! This takes up a lot of space, and it can make it hard or impossible to install these particular models on a really narrow door frame. By removing this battery completely, the Doorbell Pro – and now this new “Wired” variant – can be made much smaller, whilst also scrapping any of the power saving features that can sometimes harm motion detection performance.

So today's video focuses entirely on comparing these two hardwired variants. As you can see, I have the Ring Video Doorbell Pro (I did a full install video on this previously) – but I only have the Pro because the Ring Doorbell Wired didn't exist when I bought the Pro. If the “Wired” version had existed previously, I almost certainly would have purchased THAT, instead of this “Pro” version. Why?

Similarities between the Ring Pro and Wired versions

Well firstly, nearly all of the REAL features are the same. You get – after all:

• Full HD video recording on both. This 1080p quality captures more than double the number of pixels as 720p “HD ready” recording quality than the original Ring Doorbell 1 had. Although admittedly this isn't as good as the 2k resolution that you might get with the Eufy Doorbells, for example.
• Two way talk is available on both. This is basically intercom functionality, and it allows you to use your smartphone to speak to visitors, and also via your Echo devices. This is a really useful feature, especially for parcel deliveries.
• Thirdly, Ring devices only automatically record when motion is detected (remember, none of the lineup whatsoever offer 24/7 recording). This means that being able to customize motion detection is really important, and thankfully both versions offer fully Customizable Motion Zones, which allow you to go into the app and adjust exactly what areas will trigger motion-based recording.
• Both devices also offer “People Only” motion mode, which helps to prevent a range of false positive “motion detected” notifications from being sent to you when an animal (or a car) passes by. In theory, that is – in practise, the people only mode isn't perfect, but that's another topic – it's equally imperfect on all Ring devices!
• Both can also be powered using the plug-in adapter, which plugs into a wall outlet and supplies the required output voltage to the doorbells.
• Finally, they both offer live view modes, changeable video recording lengths, motion snoozes, smart notifications, snapshot captures and everything else you expect from a powered Ring camera and Ring doorbells.

Differences between the Ring Wired and Pro

So… what is different then? Why would you ever choose the Ring Pro at $200 more than the Wired? Well, there are actually a few differences which might be really important to you.

• Firstly, the Ring Video Doorbell Pro joins the Doorbell 3 variants in supporting dual band Wi-Fi, in other words it supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. However the Ring Video Doorbells [Wired] ONLY supports 2.4 GHz connections. This matters because 5 GHz can be faster and potentially more reliable than 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, which is especially important for a smart doorbell which will be transmitting lots of full HD video recordings. Having said that, the signal range of 5 GHz drops a lot when it goes through walls (especially through thicker, more insulated walls). So if your internet router is at the back of your house, and your smart doorbell is at the front of your house, connecting over 5 GHz may not provide good connection anyway. In this case, dropping down to 2.4 GHz connections will probably be better. In short, if 5 GHz connections matter to you, the Ring Doorbell Wired may not suit you. So that's one “TICK” for the Pro.
• Secondly, ooohhh, SHINY! The Ring Video Doorbells [Pro] comes with four changeable faceplates. As you can see, you can have different colors which you can swap out if you don't like the default silver effect (which I think Ring call “Satin Nickel”). You don't get these faceplates with the Ring Doorbell Wired, you just get the single faceplate, the default look. So if you bling is your thang, get the Pro. (facepalm/shakes head). Nevermind.
• Thirdly, the Ring Doorbell Pro requires at least 16 volts (AC), whereas the Ring Doorbell Wired requires just 10+ volts (AC). As a result, the Ring Pro comes with a Ring transformer in many European countries, although this must be purchased separately in America. Equally the Ring Pro often includes a free Ring Chime, which it did with me, but again this depends on the country. But if you are based in a country that supplies the transformer and chime within the box (like here in the UK), you actually get a decent amount in the box for your money – especially since the transformer ensures that when you come to install everything, you have everything you need for the actual installation of the Ring Pro. This compares to the Ring Wired which may not be compatible with your existing wiring, meaning you'll then need to go out and buy further electrical hardware before you can actually install it. This point is less relevant in America though, where you don't get much in the box of the Ring Pro either!
• Fourthly, the Ring Doorbell Pro has extra internal wiring and capability which allows for your existing doorbell to be rung – hence the higher voltage requirements of the Pro. In other words, someone can click your Ring Pro outside and your internal doorbell chime (up on the wall somewhere) will ring. If it's compatible, that is. My old Deta chime unit wasn't compatible, so I just use the Ring Chime and also my Echo devices to notify me when someone is at my door. This is fine for me, however it creates a dependence on WiFi that some people won't like. The Ring Doorbell Wired does NOT support ringing your existing doorbell chime whatsoever. This is an important point – that means that if you really want this support, the Pro is your only option here from the entire lineup.
• Finally, size matters. As I shown earlier, whilst the Ring Doorbell Pro is already very small, the Ring Doorbell Wired is smaller again. It's half an inch less wide, and it's marginally less tall too. To be precise, the Pro is 4.5″ wide [tall] and 1.85″ tall [wide] whereas the Wired is 3.98″ wide [tall] and 1.8″ tall [wide]. It is a little bit deeper, however this shouldn't really matter. After all, when it comes to installing it, the width is what matters here, not the depth or the tallness for that matter, since not all door frames support really wide doorbell units.

So there are the five differences between the Pro and the Wired versions. Now, to be honest a single reason probably won't be enough to warrant you spending almost $200 extra for the Pro. After all, you're probably not going to say “ooh I want to change the faceplate, shut up and take my $200!!!”… but a combination of these reasons might be enough to justify the purchase. Especially if you want dual band WiFi, for example, and the ability to ring the pre-existing doorbell chime.

Now, before I finish, I'm conscious that at the start I mentioned the “Ring video doorbell elite” doorbell, but I haven't yet mentioned it anymore in any – despite listing this as one of the “hardwired” variants (like the Pro and the Wired). Right, so the Elite is a fairly unique because it's a smart home device that supports PoE – which is Power over Ethernet. This means it providers power and internet connectivity, so there's no reliance on WiFi. PoE is usually reserved just for professional grade equipment. I actually really like PoE, but because I didn't have any powered Ethernet cable running to my doorbell, I never seriously considered the Ring Elite – the Ring Video Doorbell Elite – as an option for me – especially because the Elite USED to cost a whopping $499. It's worth noting that it's now a bit cheaper at $349, which may make it a more attractive option to you – especially to protect you against WiFi jamming attacks which all the other Ring doorbells are susceptible to, unfortunately.

Right, so that wraps up today's video. As I mentioned earlier, I would have chosen the Ring Doorbells Wired if it was available a year ago when I bought this. Nonetheless, I'm happy with my Ring Doorbell Pro – it works really well… even if it was a bit expensive now that I've seen the price of the Wired. I hope you found this video useful, if you did, please click the thumbs up button and don't forget to subscribe. Thank you!