These days, most homes have incorporated a surveillance camera in their security system to aid in preventing and investigating crimes. But in reality, traditional security cameras are not really helpful in crime prevention. The most they can do is help investigate crimes. Hence, the Ring Doorbell was created.
This great smart doorbell allows 24/7 coverage of your home using a mobile app, which requires a connection to the internet. However, with the integration of new network connections, many might wonder whether Ring Doorbells are compatible with 5G.
Can Ring Doorbell connect to 5G? Ring Doorbell 1 and 2 cannot link to 5 GHz Wifi. They only work with 2.4 GHz, but Ring Doorbell Pro can connect to both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Alternatively, you can utilize your 5G cellular hotspot or LTE router to connect your Ring Doorbell to the internet.
Although the 5 GHz sounds tempting and appeals to the senses of tech-savvies, this new radio frequency signal is not compatible with every device, and its use depends on many considerations.
This article will talk about the 5 GHz bandwidth and 5G cellular network, how they work with Ring Doorbells, and the drawbacks you might want to consider before connecting your Ring Doorbells to a 5 GHz network or a 5G cellular hotspot.
The Common Network for Ring Doorbells
Ring Doorbells
Ring Doorbells are smart doorbells manufactured by Ring Inc., a company owned by Amazon. Each smart doorbell is water-resistant. It contains a speaker and microphone for two-way audio communication, an outdoor motion-detecting sensor and a high-definition home security camera with a viewing angle of 160 degrees for Ring Doorbell Pro and 180 degrees for Ring Doorbells 1 and 2.
The 2.4 GHz Frequency
The most common radio wavelength used by Wifi routers to transmit wireless internet connections is 2.4 GHz. Ring products are designed to be fully connectable to wireless networks with 2.4 GHz frequency. Both Ring Doorbells 1 and 2 have been made to function with this frequency.
However, with the integration of higher bandwidth in the market, Ring has designed a new product that works to both 2.4 and 5 GHz wireless networks. This is the Ring Doorbell Pro.
Ring Doorbell Pro on 5 GHz Wifi
5 GHz Wifi is a home networking system with a short-range which operates in the five gigahertz radio band. It was first created around 1999, but it became more popular in 2009 when the 802.11n home routers were released. These routers generally support a 5 GHz bandwidth.
Ring Doorbell Pro works just fine to both 2.4 and 5 GHz network connections. Similar to a Wifi router which emits 2.4 GHz signal, the Ring Doorbell Pro can be linked to a 5 GHz band by merely connecting it to its router whether or not password protected. The manner of connecting them does not differ.
The only differences you will notice are faster signals and shorter range. Higher frequency signals cannot usually penetrate solid objects such as walls, ceilings, and floors, unlike lower frequency signals. Hence, the 5 GHz band has a shorter range.
Pros and Cons of 5 GHz for Ring Doorbell Pro
The Advantages
One of the significant advantages of a 5 GHz wireless network is a faster internet connection. 5 GHz provides about 10 to 20 times the speed of the link supplied by 2.4 GHz, which is heaven for techie individuals. Furthermore, most items found in your homes such as microwave ovens, cordless phones, alarm systems, and wireless speakers emit radio frequency signals at 2.4 GHz, which can obstruct a Wifi router with the same frequency. So unlike 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz radiofrequency is not susceptible to interference from other wireless devices.
The 2.4 GHz band is the standard frequency band used by many devices. However, it only has three available channels. It means it can get crowded and can slow down its speed, especially since this bandwidth is shared by Bluetooth, microwave ovens, and even your remote controls.
The 5 GHz band has more available channels, and most devices are not supported by 5 GHz. This means that there is lesser to no chance for this bandwidth to be crowded. Hence, you can experience a much faster internet connection with 5 GHz.
The Drawbacks
This breakthrough technology in wireless networks comes with some drawbacks. Although 5 GHz provides a faster internet connection, it does not offer a wide range of coverage. Generally, the higher the frequency, the lesser the range a wireless signal can travel. Devices on 2.4 GHz tend to have a more excellent range than those using 5 GHz frequency. This is the faster-but-closer rule, which applies to both 5 GHz radiofrequency and the 5G cellular.
Wifi routers that use the 2.4 GHz frequency can travel around 50 to 75 feet in a closed area. A 5 GHz Wifi can only go for about 25 to 50 feet indoors. It may be 10 or 20 times faster than 2.4 GHz Wifi, but it has a shorter range. This is a problem for consumers with large homes if they want to connect their Ring Doorbell to a Wifi connection with 5 GHz bandwidth. They may consider using Wifi range extenders or additional Wifi routers to mitigate this problem. The Ring Chime is a Wifi range extender that acts not only as a separate chime or bell but also extends the signal of the Wifi router to your Ring devices.
Another drawback of this bandwidth is that 5 GHz support is not available everywhere. It is not universal, unlike the 2.4 GHz frequency. But the world is gradually adapting to changes in the field of technology. Ring, Inc. manufactured Ring Doorbell Pro to address the issue of limited wireless network support. So most probably, 5 GHz radiofrequency will be supported soon by most devices.
Ring Doorbell on 5G Cellular Network
The 5G cellular is different from the 5 GHz Wifi network. Short for Fifth Generation cell phone networks, 5G is a unified and more capable air interface. This is the new global wireless network for mobile phones after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G. The most common cellular network is 4G or the fourth generation, which allows fast internet data connection.
The 5G mobile network is designed to deliver more reliability and massive network capacity, higher multi-GBPS peak data speeds, ultra-low latency, and more consistent user experience. The higher performance and the improved efficiency empower a new and better user experience, deliver new services, and connect more industries.
Connecting Ring Doorbells with 5G Cellular
Ring Doorbells cannot connect to a 5G cellular alone. You have to turn on the hotspot mode on your mobile phone or use an LTE router to convert the cellular network into a Wifi connection that is compatible with the Ring Doorbell. This will allow you to access the smart video doorbell using the mobile app, watch the live stream, and receive instant app alerts without an actual Wifi connection.
Pros and Cons for 5G Cellular for Ring Doorbell
The Advantages
Using cellular networks as a Wifi alternative is a smart remedy for areas that do not offer Wifi connection services. It is also beneficial when a power outage occurs. When there is a constant power outage, the Ring Doorbell may not serve its primary purpose, which is the 24/7 live stream of your home, even when you are away.
A cellular network turned into Wifi connection is a remedy for places with a constant power outage, especially in the countryside and rural areas.
For mobile hotspots, you might need to continually charge the phone being used as a cellular network since putting it in hotspot mode drains its battery. But the additional cost for constant charging is not a drawback since generally, Wifi routers are also required to be plugged into a power source 24/7 for it to work.
So, this may be a cost-cutting advantage for 5G mobile networks. As for LTE routers, there is not much difference. Like Wifi routers, it is also plugged into a power source 24/7, or else it cannot function.
The Drawbacks
This method comes with a price and drawbacks. Generally, mobile networks are costly compared to Wifi connections. Unless you can find a cheaper deal than the Wifi internet services offered in your local area, mobile systems may not be financially advantageous.
The Ring Doorbell may also consume too much data when you are continually watching the live stream or when there are a lot of motions detected by its built-in camera. Further, you may experience latency of connection since mobile networks experience more crowding compared to Wifi connections.
If your biggest worry is cellular networks’ cost, here are two tips to help you save the mobile connection. If you do not want your Ring Doorbell to consume a lot of data, you can choose to disable the PIR sensor. This will stop the doorbell from eating up the data when there are no motion events.
Further, you can lower the resolution of the smart camera in your Ring Doorbell. The lower the resolution, the fewer the data it will consume. A 720 HD is not too bad. You can opt for that resolution over the 1080 HD offered by the Ring Doorbell.
Conclusion
There have been many advances in the field of technology in the past decades. Products are gradually adapting to these changes by integrating as many support systems as they can. Being flexible or compatible with many support systems is just one of the goals businesses should aspire their products to be, for instance, compatibility with 5 GHz network and 5G cellular.
5G cellular can be used to connect Ring Doorbells to the internet using a hotspot or a particular router to convert the cellular data into a Wifi connection. As for the 5 GHz bandwidth, there are still plenty of products available in the market which do not support this network.
Ring Doorbells 1 and 2, as examples, do not support 5 GHz Wifi Connection, unlike Ring Doorbell Pro. Although 5 GHz is currently not a universal bandwidth, we will see more products adapting to this network shortly as companies become more competitive.
Conclusion
We’ve built up and continue to write even more articles around smart homes and smart home security. After reading this article you might want to check out:
- Can Home Security Cameras Record Sound – Yes! Here’s How & Why!
- Can Home Security Cameras Be Used in Court – What You Should Know
- Can Arlo Pro 2 Be Hacked? You Should Be Aware of This…
- Does Blink XT2 Have a Siren – How Loud Is It?
P.S.
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Steve
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