Sky Smart Home vs Ring: how much can you save with Sky's new smart doorbell bundle? | Tech Radar

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Sky has mastered all things TVs and broadband, and now it’s stepping into the world of smart home with its latest venture, Sky Smart Home — a service that could challenge rivals such as Ring and Blink.

The Smart Home Plan is Sky’s entry-level package, which unlocks advanced features including cloud storage for recordings, Smart Alerts, Activity Zones, and more. There’s also the new Smart Home Plan+ that allows you to add extra devices including the Indoor Camera, Leak Pack, or Motion Pack — taking your smart home ecosystem to the next level.

Sounds quite similar to Ring’s way of things, right? That’s pretty much what Sky is trying to do here, as it declared that this service will save you over £100 vs if you were to opt for Ring. But how does it compare to one of the best video doorbells out there?

The top 3 Ring alternative video doorbells I recommend, with local storage for your videos

The top 3 subscription-free video doorbells, recommended by a home tech editor

The main thing we need to address is the price point. Sky’s Smart Home Plan gets you a video doorbell and a chime for an upfront cost of £15, and then requires a £5 monthly subscription fee which gives you access to its slew of additional functions. This is required for a minimum term of 24 months, so if you want to cancel your commitment before the end of your contract you’ll be issued early termination fees.

As for its rival, a Ring video doorbell subscription will cost you the same amount (Ring Solo covers one device for £4.99 a month, or £49.99 for a year) and there’s no maximum commitment period, but the upfront costs are significantly more expensive. For example, the standard Ring Battery Video Doorbell is priced at £99.99, while its more advanced models such as the Ring Video Doorbell Pro can reach a price point as high as £179.99 but has improved features such as color night vision.

When it comes to the roster of features for both models, there’s a difference in scope and quality for sure, but if you’re a video doorbell newbie or you’re just after a simple model that will do the job, this shouldn’t matter too much.

As mentioned, Sky’s video doorbell package offers just-below surface-level features from 1080p full HD (1920 × 1080) with HDR video recording to clip sharing, to custom Activity Zones and 30 days of cloud storage. Additionally, you can access two-way talk through the Smart Home app and night vision with an infrared sensor of up to 10 metres.

Its rival does have the upper-hand on the features front, allowing you to access basic features such as live video footage without the need for a subscription. While its best features are locked behind the paywall, but some are slightly better than Sky, such as 1,440 x 1,440 video footage resolution, a staggering 180 days of cloud storage, and color night vision viewing to say the least.

With all things considered, Sky's video doorbell would cost you £135 (including the £15 up-front cost and £5 monthly fee) if you were to stick out the full 24 months, whereas Ring would be £219.75 once you've factored in the £99.99 up-front cost and £4.99 monthly subscription for 24 months. If you were to purchase two annual subscriptions however (£49.99 a year), that would bring the total down to just under £200 for two years.

If you're sticking to a budget and can live without all the bells and whistles, the Sky Smart Home Plan is the clear winner — if you know you won't change your mind and are committed to the 24-month agreement.

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Rowan is an Editorial Associate and Apprentice Writer for Tech Radar. A recent addition to the news team, he is involved in generating stories for topics that spread across Tech Radar's categories. His interests in audio tech and knowledge in entertainment culture help bring the latest updates in tech news to our readers.

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