Ring Video Doorbell users also have PC and Mac apps, faster than unlocking your phone

Posted by Paul Braren on Sep 8 2016 (updated on Oct 13 2016) in
  • Reviews
  • Ring
  • SmartHome
    • 2016-09-08_16-59-17

    In case you hadn't spotted this yet, Ring made an announcement on their blog:

    featuring a nice functionality overview of the free apps, and download links for the Windows and Mac App stores. I've been using the Windows version on Windows 10 Anniversary edition for about a month now, without incident. It just works. When somebody is at my door, it's faster when the app pops up, versus taking my phone out of my pocket to unlock it.

    A nice bonus is the ability to use your trackpad or mouse to draw the motion detection zones, which some might find easier than smallish mobile screens. That said, the lowest 10% of the screen can't be specified in the detection zone when using the Windows app, a minor issue, but there is room for improvement here.

    A more significant drawback I noticed was the lack of Live View functionality in the Windows app, discussed here:

    Kevin on July 20, 2016 at 4:41 pm
    Not everyone has a mac or windows 10 desktop. I want the app on my desktop to view it live. Through the website there currently is not the option to do so. Is there going to be more options added in the future?
    Reply

    Yul on July 28, 2016 at 7:58 pm
    Thank you for sharing your feedback, Kevin! We’ll look into this desktop feature for future so please stay tuned. Let us know if you have any other suggestions to share with us!

    outside-1523-1-768x409
    RingVideoDoorbellWindows
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    Oct 13 2016 Update

    IntroducingLiveView

    Not sure when this happened, but spotted this little message for a brief second, when using the PC app today. Yes, it appears that you can now do on demand Live View of your Ring Video Doorbell Pro. Keep in mind that if you leave it running, you are using Wi-Fi bandwidth, and you will eventually be automatically disconnected after about 30 minutes. I believe this limitation is by design.

    Ring-Video-Doorbell-how-to-launch-Live-View-by-TinkerTry
    To try your Live View, launch the PC app, then follow along with the click sequence outlined above. Should be very similar on Mac.
    TinkerTry-mockup-LiveView-PC
    This is pretty close to what it actually looks like on your PC. Yeah, still doesn't really seem to be live 1080p video, but it's almost good enough. Variables like Wi-Fi strength and lightning could affect the image quality you experience.

    See also at TinkerTry

    TinkerTry - PCs, EVs, home tech, efficiency and more, including virtualization. My opinions here, not my employer's.

    Paul Braren, MCSE in 1998, VCP #2681 in 2005, vExpert 2014 to 2024, Veeam Vanguard Emeritus, 2015 to 2019.

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