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Our hands-on verdict on the hardwired doorbell with head-to-toe HD+ video and radar
Who it's for: homeowners with existing doorbell wiring who want the sharpest, head-to-toe view of their porch and the smartest motion alerts available.
This assessment is editorial and based on hands-on testing combined with research into manufacturer specs, owner feedback and independent reports. Doorbell specs, plan pricing and features change often — verify the current details on the retailer's page before you buy.
The Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 fixes the single most common doorbell complaint: the missing package. Its 1536p HD+ sensor uses a tall, near-square 1:1 view that captures a visitor head-to-toe in one frame — you see the face and what's sitting on the doormat, instead of a chest-up crop that hides every delivery.
Because it's hardwired, power is a non-issue: no batteries to recharge, no winter drop-off, and a live feed that's always ready. The 3D Motion Detection with Bird's Eye View radar is the other standout — it maps exactly where movement happens so you can fence off the sidewalk and the street, which dramatically cuts the nuisance alerts that make people mute their doorbell entirely. Pre-roll then hands you a few seconds of footage before the trigger, so you catch the approach, not just the doorbell press.
Day to day the app is responsive, two-way talk is clear, and notifications land fast. The caveats are well known: you need existing doorbell wiring to install it, recorded clips require a Ring Protect plan (live view and alerts are free), and you're committing to the Amazon/Ring ecosystem. For a wired porch, though, it's the most complete doorbell we've used.
| Resolution | 1536p HD+ (1:1 head-to-toe view) |
| Power | Hardwired (16–24 VAC doorbell wiring) |
| Motion | 3D Motion Detection + Bird's Eye View radar, custom zones |
| Night vision | Color night vision |
| Audio | Two-way talk with noise cancellation |
| Storage | Cloud via Ring Protect (no local storage) |
| Smart home | Amazon Alexa / Echo Show |
| Extras | Pre-roll, quick replies, dual-band Wi-Fi |
| Indicative price | ~$230 (doorbell unit) |
The best pick for Google Home users and homes without wiring. It runs on battery or wired and includes free on-device person/package/vehicle alerts even before you subscribe.
View on AmazonA sharp 2K doorbell with a square head-to-toe view and a built-in siren, available wired or wire-free. A strong rival if you want 2K and Arlo's wider smart-home support.
View on AmazonWant the full picture? See how the Pro 2 compares head-to-head in our best video doorbells comparison →
Yes. The Pro 2 is a hardwired doorbell that connects to standard 16–24 VAC doorbell wiring and your existing chime, so it gets continuous power and never needs charging. If you do not have doorbell wiring, a battery-powered Ring model (or a plug-in transformer) is the better fit.
The Pro 2 uses a 1536p HD+ sensor with a 1:1 aspect ratio that captures a full head-to-toe field of view. In practice that means you see a visitor's face and whatever is at their feet — packages left on the porch — in a single frame, which is exactly what most doorbells miss.
For saved video history you do. Without a plan you get live view, two-way talk and real-time motion/doorbell alerts, but recorded clips, snapshots and video sharing require a Ring Protect plan. The plan also unlocks features like advanced pre-roll on this model.
The Pro 2 adds 3D Motion Detection with Bird's Eye View radar, which maps where motion happens and lets you draw precise zones to cut down on alerts from the sidewalk or street. Combined with pre-roll, you get a few seconds of footage before the trigger, so you rarely miss the start of an event.
