Other Video Doorbells to Consider
I’ve tested several other video doorbells. These are the ones that narrowly missed out on a place above.
Photograph: Simon Hill
SwitchBot Smart Video Doorbell for $100: I don’t love the design of this wide doorbell, but it does come with a wee display that you can use to view who’s there and answer. This could be handy for folks who don’t want to rely on a phone and it lets anyone in the house check who is calling. Video quality is decent, though the frame rate is limited to 15, and the display is low res. You can record locally, and there’s a subscription option if you want cloud storage. Sadly, I found the display was often slow to wake up, and sometimes I had trouble playing back recorded videos.
Philips Hue Secure Video Doorbell for $170: After a fiddly installation, you get a stylish doorbell offering sharp 2K resolution day or night and a wide view that takes in your whole porch. Notifications are swift and reliable, and you can sync up your Hue lights in interesting ways, but if you don’t already have a Philips Hue setup, I’d pick something from above. There’s no local storage option and you must buy a Smart Chime separately. Although you can get 24 hours of video for free, the false alerts will drive you mad. You must subscribe (from $40 a year) to get vital features, like people detection, activity zones, and back-to-back video recording.
Wyze Battery Video Doorbell for $66: Another solid budget option, you get decently sharp 1536 x 1536 resolution video with a 150-degree field of view from this doorbell. You can record locally on a microSD card and there’s good smart home connectivity, but you need a Wyze subscription, from $3 per month, to get person, package, pet, and vehicle detection, back-to-back video recording, and rich alerts (it’s not worth getting without this subscription). The indoor chime is sold separately, and if you want advanced features like facial recognition or descriptive alerts you have to pay more ($10 or $20 a month).
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Photograph: Simon Hill
Logitech Circle View Doorbell for $200: As close as you can get to an Apple video doorbell, this compact hardwired doorbell boasts a 160-degree field of view with a 3:4 portrait aspect ratio that takes in your whole porch. Video is crisp and clear, in bright or low light, and the live feed is impressively quick to load. The notification system can tell the difference between animals, people, and vehicles, and will start to recognize familiar faces over time. It works directly through the Apple Home app, though there are pros and cons to Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video. Ten days of encrypted videos are stored in your iCloud account (if you have a 50-gigabyte subscription or higher). Alerts come via Apple devices, but your regular chime will also sound when this doorbell is pressed. I love that live video pops up on the Apple Watch or Apple TV when someone rings the doorbell. The complete lack of support for Android or Alexa will turn some people off, and I encountered several issues with this doorbell cutting out and having to be rebooted at the fuse box.
Amazon Blink Doorbell for $70: One of the cheapest doorbells worth considering, (wait for one of Amazon’s frequent discounts to save even more) the Blink Video Doorbell only needs two AA batteries to run for months. But you need a subscription unless you buy with the Sync module (I recommend it). The Blink Basic subscription is $3 a month or $30 a year. Video quality is 1080p with a limited field of view (135 degrees horizontal and only 80 degrees vertical). The lack of HDR shows in mixed light, with bright areas blowing out and shaded areas losing detail. If you have a person at the door with light behind them, it can be tough to see their face. Notifications lacked images or video and were slightly slower than some of the competition, but they always came through. The two-way audio is passable.
Nest Doorbell (Battery) for $180: If you can’t hardwire your doorbell, the battery version of our top pick is still a great doorbell. I tested it alongside several competitors, and it consistently outperformed them. Alerts are swift, and notifications include animated previews that make it easy to decide whether you need to act. While the resolution isn’t the sharpest (960 x 1280 pixels), and the field of view is 145 degrees, Google compensates with HDR video at up to 30 frames per second.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Doro Hemma Doorbell for £150: A simplified smart doorbell for seniors is a solid idea, and Swedish maker Doro gets plenty right with the Hemma. It is a battery-powered doorbell that’s easy to install and use, offering a 1440 x 1440-pixel resolution with a decent frame rate (30 fps), local recording via microSD card, and a plug-in ringer that gets loud enough to hear throughout the home. It worked reliably during testing, and the mobile app is deliberately straightforward, with a handy option to pass calls off to a trusted friend or family member (they’ll need the app too). The two-way audio works well, there’s a handy zoom function when you livestream, and there’s a siren to scare folks away. It is simplified, so there are no privacy zones or package alerts, and it may be too sensitive for busy front doors, though you can set it to alert just for doorbell rings. Battery life is decent, though the battery is not removable, so you need to take the doorbell off to charge or use a portable charger. Sadly, it is only available in the UK and Europe.
SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro for $170: If you’re looking for a solid security system, SimpliSafe is likely on your radar, and for folks with a SimpliSafe setup, the Video Doorbell Pro fits in neatly. Former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano found it sensitive at first, but, after an update, she says it worked nearly perfectly, sending swift alerts and offering a good, clear view of her porch. Footage maxes out at 1080p, but the camera supports HDR to banish glare and has a 162-degree field of view. It does have to be wired, and you need a subscription from $5 per month to record videos, but SimpliSafe also offers the option of professional monitoring (from $32 per month), which is a rarity for doorbells and might make sense if you have a complete security system with them.
TP-Link Tapo (D230S1) Smart Battery Video Doorbell for $106: For folks seeking a local storage option that doesn’t require a monthly fee, Tapo’s smart video doorbell is worth a look. Notifications come through swiftly and include a still image; video quality is excellent, even at night, and the indoor hub takes a microSD card and doubles as a chime. On the downside, it is chunky, and the onboard AI (which is supposed to recognize people, pets, vehicles, and packages) is flaky.
Tough to Recommend
We didn’t like every video doorbell we tested. These are the ones we don’t recommend.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Imou Doorbell 2S Kit: Aside from being large and ugly, the Imou doorbell offers crisp video recording up to 2K with a 166-degree field of view, and it has a unique trick: the lens can rotate through 30 degrees to track subjects. The large size allows for a big battery, but this doorbell can also be hardwired. The kit includes a plug-in chime with a microSD card slot for local storage. Unfortunately, testing side by side with the Arlo, it failed to pick up some events. I also had major connection issues after changing my router, despite retaining the same network name and password. I had to reset the chime, which temporarily deleted the doorbell. It’s only available in the UK.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Reolink Video Doorbell (Battery): We liked Reolink’s wired doorbell, listed above, so I was excited to try its first battery-powered model, but it was a disappointment. It offers up to 2K footage with a 1:1 aspect ratio that gives you a complete view of the porch, but you must turn HDR on in the settings, and it has a relatively low frame rate (15 fps). I like the option to go subscription-free, but it means putting a microSD card in the doorbell itself, and this is a relatively easy doorbell to remove. Reolink suggests up to five months of battery life, but my first review unit died after less than two and refused to recharge. Reolink sent me a replacement, which is performing better, but when it does run out, the rechargeable battery inside cannot be removed, so you have to take the doorbell off to recharge it. Factor in the slightly confusing app, relatively slow loading times, and connection glitches, and this is impossible to recommend.
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Ezviz EP3x Pro: This is a far better-looking doorbell than Ezviz’s previous models, and it’s nice to see solar panels as an option for doorbells, though you will need a porch capable of catching some rays. The video quality is good, and you get a split view (like the Eufy above) that includes packages or waiting cats on your doorstep. The distortion correction works well, and there is optional color night vision with a built-in light, though it only works at very close range. I appreciate the 2FA, with fingerprint login, and 32 GB of onboard storage (cloud storage is an optional extra). Sadly, if you use the solar panel, you can’t connect to your wired chime. The lack of HDR is disappointing, human detection was a bit off (it frequently said I was a cat), and I had issues with alerts failing to come through on some Android phones. (Even after following Ezviz’s instructions, they never worked reliably on my Xiaomi 14 Ultra.) This model is not yet available in the US.
Botslab Video Doorbell 2 Pro: The flaky setup procedure required a couple of restarts, and physical installation was no better, as the screws supplied were so cheap that one of the heads broke off. The camera has a fisheye effect, but you can correct it with different views. I liked the VR mode, which provides a 180-degree view of your front porch. It comes with a handy plug-in chime, alerts seem reliable, there is an HDR option, and you can record locally (32 GB included) or in the cloud. You can also set a detection range, which could be handy for street-facing cameras. But the app is confusing, with an AI tab that lists various skills available for purchase. There is a login history and a limit of two devices signed in at once, but no 2FA, which makes this impossible to recommend. It is versatile but also relatively expensive.
Swann SwannBuddy Video Doorbell: This doorbell comes with a wireless battery-powered chime and the option of local storage, but the positives end there. The video quality is poor, the app is painfully slow to load and glitchy, and the doorbell frequently fails to register motion. I found the battery life disappointing. I must also question the decision to provide local storage via a microSD card inserted in the doorbell (the chime would make more sense and be more secure).
What Features Should I Look for in a Video Doorbell?
Here are a few factors that you might want to think about when shopping for a new video doorbell.
Resolution and HDR: The higher the resolution, the clearer the picture you get, but consider that higher-resolution video also requires more bandwidth to stream and takes up more storage space. If your front porch is in direct sunlight or strong shade, I strongly recommend opting for a video doorbell with HDR support, as it helps to prevent bright areas from appearing blown out or shadowy areas from being too dark to see.
Field of view and aspect ratio: If you want a head-to-toe view of the person at your front door, then think about the field of view and aspect ratio offered by your prospective pick. A wider field of view will take more in but can cause a fish-eye effect. Rather than a traditional landscape aspect ratio, you may prefer a square or portrait view to ensure you can see a visitor’s face and any packages that might be on your porch.
Local or cloud storage: If you don’t want to sign up for a subscription service and upload video clips to the cloud, ensure your chosen doorbell offers local storage. Some video doorbells have microSD card slots, while others record video to a hub device inside your home. You can expect to pay somewhere around $3 to $10 per month for 30 days of storage for a video doorbell.
Advanced features: The best doorbell cameras offer features like package detection and person recognition. These features can be handy for filtering alerts, so you only get useful notifications. Bear in mind that you may need a subscription to gain access to advanced features.
Security: A couple of things I recommend looking for are two-factor authentication (2FA) to ensure that someone with your username and password cannot log into your doorbell, and encryption to ensure that anyone accessing the manufacturer’s servers cannot see your Wi-Fi login details or watch uploaded videos.
Which Is Better, a Wired or Wireless Video Doorbell?
Smart doorbells require more power than traditional doorbells. If you opt for a wired video doorbell, you may need a new transformer, and you will likely want to hire an electrician for safe installation. The main advantages of wired doorbells are that you shouldn’t need to touch them again after installation, and they will ring your existing doorbell chime. Wired doorbells are usually a bit cheaper and slimmer than models with batteries, too.
Battery-powered smart doorbells are easy to install yourself and can be mounted wherever you like. The main downside is that you must remove and charge the battery every few weeks or months, which means some downtime unless you buy a spare battery to switch in. Remember also that your regular doorbell chime won’t work with a battery-powered smart doorbell, so you will probably need to buy a wireless chime device to plug in somewhere in your home, though you can also configure smart speakers to act as doorbell chimes.
Most battery-powered video doorbells can also be wired, which may be the best solution if you have concerns about power outages. Wired doorbells are generally faster to alert and more reliable than battery-powered doorbells.
How Well Do Video Doorbells Perform?
All smart doorbells need a strong Wi-Fi signal to perform well. Some come with hubs that double as Wi-Fi repeaters for a better connection. Remember that performance away from home when you access the video doorbell on your phone will be heavily impacted by the quality of your phone’s internet connection. Every video doorbell I’ve tested has a slight lag, but you should be able to see the live feed in close to real time and carry on a two-way conversation. While feeds should load within two to three seconds, occasional delays in loading the live feed are common, and I have yet to find a flawless doorbell. Video doorbells tend to load fastest in their native app.
What Is the Best Video Doorbell Brand?
While Google’s Nest Doorbell is our top pick, it might not be the best video doorbell for you. If you already have a security camera system or plan on getting one, it makes a lot of sense to stick with the same brand for your doorbell. That way, you can access everything in the same app and get a single subscription if required. If you have a lot of smart home devices, check that the doorbell is compatible with your preferred ecosystem and voice assistant.
Why We Hesitate to Recommend Ring
I’ve been testing video doorbells for several years now. I install every video doorbell I test and use it for at least two weeks, but usually longer, as our main doorbell. I check the responsiveness when at home and away, test all the features in the app, and explore the smart home integration options. After the initial test, I install the doorbell alongside other doorbells (usually at least our top pick) and directly compare the response time and accuracy of alerts.
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