Ring Wired Doorbell Elite (2nd Gen) Review: 4K Over Power on Ethernet, Built for Permanent Installs
Retinal 4K with 10x zoom, native PoE+ and a relay that can open a gate, held back by subscription gates and no local storage.
The Ring Wired Doorbell Elite (2nd Gen) is the top of Ring's doorbell range and the only one with native Power over Ethernet, so video and power ride the same Cat5e run instead of competing with your Wi-Fi. It pairs Retinal 4K with up to 10x Enhanced Zoom, a square 140 degree field of view that shows visitors head to toe, Low-Light Sight colour night vision and radar-based 3D Motion Detection, plus a configurable relay that can drive a traditional chime or a gate release. The trade-offs are the Ring ones: video history and people or package alerts need a subscription, there is no microSD slot or internal storage, and it works with Alexa but not with Google Home, Apple Home, SmartThings or Matter. It suits a planned, wired installation far more than a quick DIY swap.
- PoE and structured wiring installs
- Gated entrances
- Large properties and long driveways
- Alexa households
Pros
- Native Power over Ethernet (PoE+) for power and data on one cable
- Retinal 4K video with up to 10x Enhanced Zoom
- Square 140 degree field of view shows visitors head to toe
- Low-Light Sight colour night vision, black and white in total darkness
- Radar-based 3D Motion Detection with customizable motion zones
- Configurable relay can release a gate or drive a traditional chime
- Wi-Fi on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz as a fallback link
- IP55 weather resistance and four premium finishes
Cons
- Video event history and people or package alerts need a subscription
- No microSD slot and no internal storage, cloud only
- No 24/7 continuous video history
- No Google Home, Apple Home, SmartThings or Matter support
- No RTSP output for a local NVR
- PoE+ switch or injector and Cat5e cable not included
- The single relay does chime or gate access, not both
- Professional installation recommended, and the chime is sold separately
Who is the Ring Wired Doorbell Elite (2nd Gen) for?
This is the doorbell for a home or business that already has, or is willing to run, an Ethernet drop to the front door. Native Power over Ethernet (PoE+, IEEE 802.3at) delivers power and data on one cable, which keeps a 4K stream stable in places where Wi-Fi at the doorframe is marginal, and the doorbell can also fall back to Wi-Fi on 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz if you only use PoE for power. It flush-mounts into a standard electrical box with a surface mount option, and Ring recommends professional installation, so it fits new builds, renovations and gated entries rather than a ten-minute replacement of an existing button.
What stands out on paper
Retinal 4K with up to 10x Enhanced Zoom is the headline: four times the detail of 1080p, which is what makes a licence plate at the end of a driveway or a label on a parcel readable. The 140 degree horizontal by 140 degree vertical field of view is square rather than letterboxed, so a visitor appears head to toe and a package on the step stays in frame. Low-Light Sight keeps colour in near darkness and switches to black and white only in total darkness. 3D Motion Detection uses radar to place motion on your property, and Camera Motion Zones let you exclude the pavement or a public street so alerts stay relevant. The relay is the feature the rest of the range does not have: it can be wired to a traditional in-home chime or to an access control system to release a gate from the Ring app. It is IP55 rated for -20.5 to 48 degrees Celsius, comes in four finishes, and carries a one year limited warranty.
What to know before you buy
The install is the first hurdle: a PoE+ switch or injector and Cat5e cable are not included, and the single relay must be configured for either chime support or access control, never both at once. Storage is cloud only. There is no microSD slot and no internal storage, so recorded video event history and the smarter people and package alerts require a subscription, and there is no 24/7 continuous recording. Ecosystem support is narrow: Alexa works, and so do Home Assistant through its official Ring integration and IFTTT, but Google Home, Apple Home, SmartThings and Matter do not. There is no RTSP output for a local NVR, no animal or vehicle alerts, and the chime is sold separately.
Is the Ring Wired Doorbell Elite (2nd Gen) worth it?
At the top of Ring's price ladder, what you are paying for is the wired connection and the gate relay, not just the sensor: the same Retinal 4K and 10x zoom appear on cheaper Ring doorbells that run on Wi-Fi or battery. If the door is already on structured cabling, or you want the doorbell to double as a gate intercom, nothing else in the range does it and the reliability of a dedicated wired link is the whole point. If the front door is easy to reach on Wi-Fi and there is no gate, a wired or battery Pro model gets you the same picture for far less. If you specifically want local recording or a non-Alexa ecosystem, this is not the doorbell to buy.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Ring Wired Doorbell Elite (2nd Gen) need a subscription?
Live View, two-way talk and real-time notifications work without one. Saving and rewatching video event history, and the people and package alerts, require a subscription, and since the doorbell has no microSD slot or internal storage there is no local alternative.
How is the Ring Wired Doorbell Elite (2nd Gen) powered?
By Power over Ethernet: a PoE+ (IEEE 802.3at) switch or injector with Cat5e or better cable, neither of which is included. It can also be connected to standard doorbell wiring of 16 to 24 VAC, 10 to 40 VA. There is no battery.
Does it work with Google Home, Apple Home or Matter?
No. It works with Alexa, with Home Assistant through the official Ring integration, and with IFTTT. Google Home, Apple Home, SmartThings and Matter are not supported.
Can it open a gate?
Yes. It includes a relay that can be wired to an access control system so you can release a gate from the Ring app. The same relay can instead drive a traditional in-home chime, but it has to be configured for one or the other, not both.
Does it record locally to a memory card?
No. There is no microSD card slot and no internal storage, and RTSP is not supported, so recordings live in the cloud with a subscription.
How wide is the camera view?
140 degrees horizontal by 140 degrees vertical, a 1:1 aspect ratio, which shows a visitor from head to toe and keeps a parcel on the doorstep inside the frame.

