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Topic: Door Bell (Read 1278 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Door Bell

Reply #25

After a week with the Ring Video Doorbell, I'm sold and think I'll keep it.  When I'm in town, it alerts me when UPS drops off a box, and at night I get to see all the critters in HD clear as day, b/w night vision!!!  Much better than my game cams!!  This is the version of Ring Vid Doorbell just released end of May.  I'll also extend the one month free trial for the online storage service too, even though I know it's really public domain.

I mounted it to the edge of the door rail, right under the plastic handle, using the magnet in the base and some velcro.  It's labeled as water resistant, not waterproof, so I intend to pull it in during downpours.

I got a Echo Show 5 to give me a bedroom doorbell viewer...plus Alexa music/weather etc, but it did not update properly and didn't work with the Ring Video Doorbell at all.  Getting a replacement from Amazon and will update here when I figure out whether it was the Show or my Peplink to blame.  Woody


@Pyolet
If you are like me (geeky) the Ring is a very cool addition to the coach.  I ordered ours last Cyber Monday on a whim. 
Since you don't have a hardwired doorbell, the easiest option would be just to stick the ring to the side of the coach and pull it off to charge it as needed.  If you go this route, the easiest option is probably to use a Ring wifi chime.  Amazon.com: Ring Chime, A Wi-Fi-Enabled Speaker for Your Ring Video Doorbell:...

For those with a hardwired doorbell, a couple of things to note that might not be self evident to everyone.  In our coach, the doorbell chime was designed for 12V DC.  Just about every other doorbell chime, as well as doorbell cameras, are NOT DC, they are usually 8 to 24V AC.  If you are intending to replace your current doorbell button and wire it thru a chime so that it also provides power to the Ring camera, this will cause a problem
From Ring's Specs Power:  Can be hardwired to an existing doorbell system or transformer for continuous charging (8-24 VAC, 40 VA max, 50/60 Hz).  If you want to hardwire it, you will likely need a new chime designed for AC voltage, and a 24V AC transformer. 
Ring does require a fast always on internet connection.  Without that it's pretty useless.  I'm not saying it can't be hacked, to use locally, but that's way above most peoples abilities and it would render the app useless.  (See second screen shot).  If I didn't have a fast internet connection, I wouldn't have a ring doorbell or any other smart home device for that matter. 
One of the things we like about it is being able to answer the "door" using our Alexa show.  Which gives us live video (with 1-way audio) from the door almost instantly.  Then we can turn on the 2-way audio to talk to who's at the door.  Or we can ignore them.  :))


We have really enjoyed having the Ring doorbell camera, and use it more as a camera than a doorbell.  To be able to check in on the coach (albeit the outside) from anywhere has been great on the few occasions when we have left the coach over night.  One night we were staying at a friend's condo and knew storms were coming.  We were literately able to watch the storm roll in on the camera.  We were also able to check that the power was still on at the RV park, because the lights were still on at the boat dock, which we could see from the camera.

The unfortunate thing about the a doorbell/camera is that, very few people actually use it.  Most people still knock.  We had the same issue with the original doorbell.  I don't think people expect to see a doorbell or doorbell camera on a motorhome, so they just knock without even thinking.  However, you can always enable motion detection, but with only one door, you will trigger the motion detection every time you enter or leave.

One last thing, I think the Ring system is very good for what it is but I would NEVER have a RING branded device INSIDE my home.  They are NOT difficult to hack with tons of tools available all over the internet.  If someone hacks my camera, the most they are going to see is me sitting on the patio, the same thing they would see walking down the street. 

P.S.  Not sure which model of Pepwave MaxBR1 you have but if it's 2.4ghz only, you might not get the speed you need for 1080p video.  Regardless of model, the following page explains a bit on testing your internet speed to be sure you get good results.  Of course they assume your house is stationary.  Ping rate and thru-put will vary greatly by location.  How To: Test Device Wifi Speed - Ring Community
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Re: Door Bell

Reply #26
My button was corroded inside to the point it just fell apart when I removed it. Everything else works perfectly when I jump across the button wires. I am ordering a new button and I will heed advice and add a 1 or 2 amp inline fuse. Does anyone have an idea why there is a diode like thingy between the two wires inside chime box? Is that because of residual voltage from the magnetic coil?????
Chuck Wiggy
Coloma, Wisconsin
Sold my 1999 U 320 40 Ft. M11 450 hp
Build # 5468
2009 Silverado