Amazon-owned Ring is today launching its cheapest smart doorbell, the Ring Video Doorbell Wired, for just $60. The device has an all-new body, which takes design cues from the pricier Video Doorbell Pro, albeit in a much shorter body. Despite the low price, the camera packs a 1080p wide-angle camera, two-way audio and the same customizable motion zones as its siblings.
Naturally, the big omission here is the lack of a built-in or swappable battery, a common feature on the regular Ring range. Given the size, effort and cost of including a cell, it makes sense for the company to offer a bare-bones option, especially given how many people retrofit onto their existing wiring. Plus, at such a low entry price, you may feel encourage to sign up for a Ring Protect Plan subscription.
Unfortunately, Ring is still suffering from a number of privacy issues which it's working to tackle as fast as it can. In mid-January, just a day after announcing the advent of end-to-end encryption for some of its bells, reports emerged that the Neighbors app exposed people's precise addresses. Similarly, the company spent much of 2020 dealing with reports of high-profile hacking attempts and third-party app trackers.
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The Ring Video Doorbell Wired is available to pre-order from Amazon and Ring right now, and is expected to ship on February 24th. It'll also be exclusively available at Home Depot from February 24th through March 25th.