Pre-roll buffer

Across reviews the built in pre roll buffer captures several seconds of footage before motion is detected, and this tester measured roughly six seconds of lead in video and praised how the combination of pre roll and long event clips virtually eliminates missed doorstep activity even without full 24 7 recording.

Color Pre-Roll continuously buffers several seconds of footage and attaches it to the start of each clip, giving owners a short lead in that shows visitors as they approach the door rather than only when they are already standing in front of it.

The wired dual camera version adds a short pre roll buffer of around three seconds before motion is detected so recordings start slightly earlier, helping capture visitors as they walk up instead of cutting in midway through an event.

Pre-roll recording captures a few seconds before motion so clips show what led up to visitors or events at the door, helping owners understand context that typical motion recordings can miss.

Advanced Pre-Roll records about six seconds before motion so the Pro 2 is more likely to capture a visitor’s face and the start of a porch-pirate incident instead of only the person walking away.

The Pro 2’s pre roll buffer records several seconds of video before motion is officially detected, so clips include the lead up to an event and are less likely to miss crucial action compared with cameras that only start recording the moment motion triggers.

Color pre-roll records a few seconds of low-resolution video before motion is detected, and reviewers find this especially useful on a battery doorbell for seeing how visitors or porch pirates approached the door even when the main clip starts later.

Full color pre roll captures several seconds before motion so you see the whole approach, but current firmware makes exported clips choppy because clips inherit the low pre roll frame rate.

When the C31 is wired with a jumper installed it enables a roughly five second pre roll buffer so clips include the moments leading up to motion or a button press, a feature that is not available in pure battery mode or when relying solely on HomeBase 3 for recording.

Unlike the newer wired Nest doorbell, the battery model does not offer a pre-roll buffer, so recordings generally start at the moment of detection, and reviewers note that this can occasionally miss a few seconds of context before someone approaches the door or interacts with a package.

Unlike some other Ring models, the Battery Doorbell Plus lacks a color pre roll buffer, so recordings begin when motion is detected rather than a few seconds earlier, and reviewers note this can make porch pirate or fast walk up clips feel a bit delayed compared with true wired models that always capture more of the approach.

This Battery Plus model does not provide pre-roll video, so motion events generally start recording at the moment of detection rather than being buffered with a few seconds of early footage.

Unlike some top competitors, the Circle View Doorbell does not offer a pre-roll buffer, so recordings start when motion is detected rather than including the few seconds leading up to an event, though reviewers generally find it starts quickly enough to capture most activity.