Echo Dot (5th generation, 2022 release, Charcoal) + Ring Intercom by Amazon | The ideal combination for a smarter home

I was so excited when this was announced, this is exactly the sort of product Amazon does brilliantly - a niche device which will really help improve everyday life. The sort of product that Amazon will invest in, but other technology companies will ignore because it doesn't appeal to a wide enough market or isn't considered 'cool' enough.Firstly, the installation is straightforward, but I did get stuck at one point. There is a page where the app was telling me to insert wire B-2 into the port labelled '-' (negative) but because of the way it is written the negative read to me as a hyphen and looked like 'Insert wire B-2 into port - B-2' (see the image I have uploaded). This confused me as I didn't have a port labelled B-2, but once I worked out what the app was really telling me, I was up and running very quickly!There is a delay between the call coming in and the app triggering, but it's not so long as to be unworkable. I did find initially that my Echo devices did not ring at all (only the app on my phone), however having reinstalled the Ring Alexa skill this seems to have been resolved.One feature I was excited about was the ability to unlock the door from my phone, this would have allowed me to access my building without entering the passcode (as our keyfobs are currently not working), but sadly my intercom is a digital system which requires an active call to be placed before the door can be unlocked, in other words I can open the door from the app, but only in response to an incoming call. This is disappointing, however I half expected it as I already knew that the button on my handset would not release the door if there was no incoming call. That said, I was surprised that Amazon's publicity and product description didn't go to greater lengths to explain that this feature would not work on digital systems.A feature which really should be added is voice message recording. If you miss an incoming call then you will never know who was calling. I believe that there is an option to link to a Ring Camera so that you can see who called, but I expect that the majority of people installing these devices will live in apartments where it will not be possible to position a ring camera by the door (unless Ring release a future communal entrance camera of some sort??). The ability to play a simple recorded message after a number of rings and ask the caller to leave a message would be really helpful.All in all, this is a useful device and one I would recommend. I hope that Amazon keep investing and improving it.The charging station also works well! Seems to be well built and appears to charge the batteries faster than the USB charger I was previously using.

Works as promised with a Came/BPT System 200 audio-only intercom with AGT A200 handset.Alexa integration is fine. The Alexa unlock PIN code can be avoided by adding a custom routine (eg. "Alexa, unlock") which says "Alexa, unlock Front Entrance with code 1234" (replacing "Front Entrance" and "1234" with the name of your door and PIN code, respectively). Then, the command "Alexa, unlock" will unlock the door without asking for the PIN code.If the door is answered with Alexa, you have to tell Alexa to stop ("Alexa, stop") before the door can be unlocked with "Alexa, unlock" (or whatever - the issue exists with or without the custom routine). This extra step of having to "stop" Alexa wastes time which can be frustrating/confusing for the visitor when it would be better if "Alexa unlock" (or whatever) would work whilst already talking to the intercom. There doesn't seem to be a way for a custom routine to "stop" an existing activity.Alexa notifications arrive reliably and immediately, however Android phone Talk/Unlock notifications are very hit and miss (mostly miss) which makes for a frustrating remote unlock experience. Quite often Talk/Unlock notifications arrive on the Android phone 5-10 minutes after the visitor has already left, which makes the whole concept of remote unlocking somewhat unattainable. I think this is most likely an Android issue (my phone is Android 10) but any improvements here would be most welcome.Audio quality from the Ring Intercom to the phone could also be improved, it sounds like a very low bitrate audio codec is being used even when the phone is on the same LAN as the Ring Intercom.After 17 days, the battery has only reduced from 92% to 87%, which isn't too shabby (this includes a couple of days initial mucking about which accounted for 2% depletion).On the whole, the Ring Intercom works as promised - if you've got a compatible intercom. Android phone Talk/Unlock notifications need to be reliable and they are most certainly not right now. The Ring Android app is a bit meh, it requires a lot of clicks to access the battery level etc.I wish I could say if Amazon Auto-Verify was working but the truth is I've no idea. There's no evidence of it being active on my Amazon account, and if any Amazon delivery drivers are using it to gain access to my building there is no evidence of this in the Ring app Event History which I think is essential, if not for security reasons then just to know that it's actually working (the apartments in my building do not conform to a simple street address numbering scheme - I live in what Ring refers to as a "complex building" as far as street addresses are concerned!)I received this pre-order Ring Intercom with the Charging Station and spare battery. The Charging Station (which appears to have a code of 22040001 on the base - maybe a date code 22/04?) turned out to be faulty - it would lock up, showing a pair of static LEDs and needs to be power cycled before it can charge a battery. I contacted Ring Customer Support and they agreed to send me a new one - the replacement Charging Station (code 220600001, possible date code 22/06?) appears to be working perfectly so far.

Set up to work with my flat's old analogue door entry system. The day after installing I was able to speak to and let a courier into the lobby with a package that would normally have gone back to the depot otherwise. However, I do find that it can sometimes take a while to unlock my phone, get to the app or notification and open it, then speak to the person before it has decided the call is still active. If you have answered the intercom, the option to open the door requires a touch and hold that seems to take an inordinately long time, so when I'm at home it's literally quicker to get up and get to the front door and buzz the person in. That said, I'm sure the app will improve with time, as will my ability to interact with it efficiently.

So easy to install, took me less than 30 minutes from opening the box to opening the door.A fantastic innovation - I'm disabled and often confined to my bed, unable to get to the intercom that controls the entry door to my flat. As a result I sometimes failed to get deliveries because I couldn't get to the intercom.No longer do I have this problem thanks to Ring Intercom - now, when the doorbell is pressed I get instant notification on my phone and can speak to the delivery person and unlock the outer door so they can bring the parcel to my flat door. It's a life-changing device that has improved my quality of life considerably.I can even unlock the door using Alexa. Coupled with my Ring doorbell, it's a fantastic solution that's changed my life, enabling me to answer the door and talk to visitors/carers even when I can't leave my bed.