Amazon's Ring versus Google's Nest Hello.
It's a big battle, but after testing Ring for two years and Nest Hello for two weeks,
I feel confident that today we can declare one of these two video doorbells our winner.
Note, that we are comparing Ring Video Doorbell, not Ring Pro, not Doorbell 2, just Video Doorbell.
But I'll try to call out Ring's other options along the way so you'll know and be able to
compare.
Also, if you plan to buy either doorbell, I highly suggest you opt for a paid plan.
Nest's paid plans start at $5 per month.
Ring's start at $3 per month.
So with that out of the way, let's take a look.
Let’s cut right to it, installing Ring was easier.
Ring can run on batteries, or you can hardwire it.
Nest Hello, on the other hand, requires that you wire the doorbell using your existing
doorbell wires.
It also requires an additional installation step which involves mounting the included
chime connector to your existing door chime regardless of if your doorbell chime is mechanical
or digital.
To be fair, if you have a digital chime, Ring requires that you install a diode which might
make the installation process more on par with Nest Hello.
And while Ring is going to take this category, there are two areas related to installation
where Nest should get credit including size of the device and use of a wedge.
Video quality is an area where Nest pulls ahead, especially at night.
Ring Video Doorbell offers a high definition resolution, though version 2 and Ring Pro
both offer a full HD resolution.
All Ring cameras offer a rather low frame rate of 15 frames per second.
Nest, on the other hand, records at 30 frames per seconds and uses a unique video resolution
with a taller 4 to 3 view where most cameras use a wider 16 to 9 display.
As doorbell's are typically mounted at waist height, this should help, but I didn't find
it overly useful.
I've never had trouble seeing a person head to toe using Ring.
What is useful is Nest's use of HDR or high dynamic range.
In this Ring clip, you can see what you can't see—the homes across the street.
Using Nest Cam, the homes across the street are clearly visible during the day and at
night.
Though Nest wins this round overall, Ring took a few shots.
First, it has a larger field of view.
Second, when you accept a call it opens on a side angle so you can see the camera’s
entire field of view.
Nest, on the other hand, answers with a limited view, unless you turn your phone on its side.
Finally, Rings lower resolution reduces bandwidth demands which means fewer issues while streaming.
To make this third battle fair, I tested Nest at its full resolution, but also at a reduced
resolution.
Both ways, Nest wakes faster.
On average, it takes Ring 8 seconds to live stream.
It takes Nest around 3 seconds.
Also, from the Nest home screen, you can see a live stream from your camera without clicking
into the app.
For now, Ring only shows their event history, but a relaunch of the Ring app, expected sometime
this year, will add a similar multi-cam view.
Unfortunately, neither camera streams instantly.
And while Nest is going to take this one, Ring also gets a point.
While Ring takes longer to steam, once it's connected, the connection has always been
consistent for me.
Nest, on the other hand, sometimes hangs during calls which affects both visibility and two-way
audio.
Both devices will alert for doorbell calls and motion detection.
Nest also adds sound detection and person detection though Ring Doorbell Pro also has
human detection.
If you pay for Nest Aware, you'll also gain access to zones and facial recognition, which
is Hello's most compelling feature.
In my opinion, this battle is the most important, so we're going to take a little extra time
here starting with Nest.
Nest will send a push notification with a snapshot of the event.
If you subscribe to Nest Aware, you can press and hold the push notification to see a short
video summary of the event.
You can even respond without opening the app by pressing and holding the notification and
using one of three Quick Response options.
Just a sec, we'll be right there.
Swiping the notification will take you to the call screen.
From here, you can ignore the call, use two-way audio, or a Quick Response.
As Nest records continuously, this is all recorded, but here's a catch for you: you
can only see and hear your guest.
Nest doesn't record audio from the doorbell itself.
This is a clear oversight and hopefully something they will address.
Alright, it's a deal.
Ring notifications are just regular push notifications.
You can't take action without opening the app nor can you see who's at the door without
opening the app.
You can set custom ring tones to set Ring alerts apart from other alerts.
When you swipe to open, you can choose to end the call or start the call.
If you start the call, use can use two-way audio or share the clip to Ring Neighborhoods.
Speaking of two-way audio.
Which sounds better?
Nest or Ring?
Nest can also send email alerts and notify you using Google Home.
If someone rings your doorbell, Google Home will say, "Someone's at the door."
This works great, but what doesn't work as great is getting it to tell you who's at the
door using familiar face alerts.
"Rose is at the front door."
Of course, teaching a camera to learn a face takes time.
For me, performance improved once the camera captured around 40 instances of my face, but
even then, don't expect perfection.
Ring can connect to Ring Chime and Chime Pro which plug into the wall and notify you if
someone's at your door using a chime sound.
I think Google Home is more compelling and useful so I'm giving this round to Nest.
To sort through Nest's footage, you'll use the Sightline.
Though I like using Sightline with my Nest Cam, I didn’t enjoy using it with Nest Hello.
When sorting doorbell events, I want to get right to the point.
I want to see answered calls and missed calls, but that's not possible via the Nest app.
However, swapping to the event history view and filtering events will get you a little
closer.
From the Ring home screen, you're presented with a list of all events which you can filter
down to rings, motion events, live view recordings, and starred events.
From the Ring screen, you can also see if the doorbell call was missed or accepted.
This final battle is a tie.
Both devices are harder to steal than you might think, especially if you hardwire them.
Both mounts are screwed to the wall.
And Ring uses security screws to attach the camera to the mount.
Nest Hello snaps into the mount but requires a release tool if you want to remove it.
Both will record footage of any completed or attempted theft, and both companies will
replace your doorbell if it's stolen.
There's a little more to the story including paid versus free features, installation, third-party
compatibility, and extra details which I covered in my written review linked below.
But we've covered enough to declare a winner, and I am giving the overall win to Nest Hello.
Do I think that you should rip out your Ring Video Doorbell and replace it?
Absolutely not.
Ring is still a fine doorbell and there's definitely circumstances were that is the
doorbell I would recommend.
However, Nest Hello has some clear advantages.
So what do you think?
Which doorbell's for you?
Let me know in the comment section below, and I will see you all soon!