Ring Video Doorbell 4

REVISED 7/12/2023 and Amended from 1 star to 3 stars.. The Why's and Wherefores: The anemic battery life is grossly disappointing and uncalled for. It makes you wonder if they did this so you'd purchase an extra product such as their solar panel ($49.99) or additional batteries ($39.99) or an A/C adapter ($29.99). The Ring 1 and Ring 2 batteries' life is 6 months when brand new. After 4 years they still have a charge that lasts 2 1/2 months. The new Rings have 4 to 6 weeks battery life at best. Where's Jeff? I have a complaint. This isn't innovation at its best. Jeff Bezos it's time to return to work. 1) Camera quality is only slightly better than its predecessor, also, not a ringing endorsement for an "upgrade." The camera doesn't show "long range" detail any better than the Ring 1 it replaced, or only as well as when it comes to viewing people at a small distance. Amazon/Ring tech Aaron states it looks about the same, however that's not a calling card of a new and improved product. Reviewing the video during playback and even the splash screen display you'll find it's grainy. 4/3/2023 UPDATE: The grainy splash screen issue seems to have cleared of it's own accord, perhaps a software update push? 2) This unit is brand new, direct from Amazon and yet the battery is at 30% after only 3 weeks. The ring 1's battery lasts 6 months when new and down to 2 1/2 months after 4 years, this makes the battery life of the new and improved ring 4 anemic and UNACCEPTABLE!!! It bears repeating, YES! Amended 4/7/2023: I charged the battery to 100% 4/2/2023 and re-installed it 4/3/2023 just before my afternoon call with Ring tech Aaron. As of the morning of 4/7/2023 the battery is down by 10% and as of the evening another 1%, this within 4 day's time. 3) There isn't any reason to change the location of the units' installation screw holes. Why? Why do we have to drill more holes into our buildings when replacing an older ring model??!! There isn't any viable reason for this that I can discern. 4) At night the camera can't tell the difference between the taillights of a pickup going by versus a person at night, this is grossly annoying. The Ring 4 states "person detected". Added and Amended 4/7/2023 5) Enhanced Wi-Fi. This works as well as the older generations, but no better in my opinion. According to tech Arron when the signal is routed through my Chime Pro it's experiencing a 49% Packet loss. When connected directly to my Wi-Fi 0% packet loss however the signal is weak, which is exactly why I purchased the Chime Pro. It is supposed to enhance connectivity. The Chime Pro appears to be giving a less than stellar performance as well. This too is not a good look for Ring. AMENDED: My Chime Pro is defective and thanks to my Ring Protect membership and especially Jess at Executive Customer Support, it has been replaced with the newer model Chime Pro. I now have 0% packet loss and "okay to excellent" signal strength. 6) No choice in the color of the face-plate cover when ordering. Sigh, really?! This unit cost me about $118.81 after receiving a 20% trade-in credit, a Ring Protect member discount of 10%, and a $10 Amazon Gift Card, All-and-All, I'd say stick with an older model such as a 1 or 2 if a longer duration of battery life is important to you and you're not willing to lay out the cash for an adapter. If you're wanting the pre-scroll (I love this feature), as well as other features, such as "package recognition" that this unit offers, then this can be the better choice, as long as you don't expect significant better video quality over its predecessors and can live with the significantly shorter battery life or the expense of an adapter or extra battery. I've found Ring Customer Support to be good. My personal thanks to Jessica for understanding my frustrations and improving my customer experience. They ensured I received the correct additional items that I needed to make this a much better purchase and experience. To those asking about the transformer, ideally you should use the power level indicated in the phot 16-24VAC/50-60Hz/40VA. A hardwired transformer is sold by Amazon/Ring for only about $24.99.