Feel Safer at Home With the Best Smart Doorbell
In today’s community, you no longer have to answer a knock or rely on a fisheye lens to see who’s in front of your door – a smart home device can help. You may be concerned about people taking packages off your front porch or you just don’t want to open up the door to a stranger. A video doorbell is an easy way to give yourself some peace of mind by offering you live viewing. These devices can function as mini security cameras to help you improve your home security. When used alongside other smart devices, your home will be as intelligent as possible.
With lots of brands of doorbell cameras entering the market, it might be hard for you to make the final decision. From a classic Ring video doorbell to the ieGeek Wireless Security Camera, there are so many options to choose from. See the highest-rated smart doorbells available today by reading up on our top picks below.
Buying Guide to Smart Doorbells
Smart doorbells have gained a lot of popularity and are now the must-have smart home devices among home security options. A smart doorbell camera allow you to see clearly out your front door without even opening it up. This is true whether you’re protecting your home from porch pirates or just want more peace of mind from your door frame. Many of the best video doorbells can work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa through your internet connection to improve your smart home status.
Doorbell cameras can offer a bird’s eye view of your doorstep and beyond as simple security systems. With so many smart devices hitting the market, choosing the ideal one for your home can be a tough experience. In this buying guide, we will cover everything you need to know about the best video doorbells and help you narrow down which options and features you need.
What To Consider When Buying a Smart Doorbell?
Doorbell installation
Before you even start looking at all the options for smart doorbells, be sure to check out your current doorbell setup. You’ll need to know what the voltage is and whether you have a wired doorbell chime or not. If you don’t have a doorbell installed yet, you will need to look for a battery powered model. A wireless video doorbell can be much more convenient.
Resolution & night vision
The higher the video resolution, the easier it will be to identify people at your door. Video doorbell footage can appear from as low as 480p and max out at 1080p resolution. Some of the best video doorbells even have night vision. This means you will be able to see what is happening in front of your door even at night.
Field of view
The field of view refers to how wide the camera can see. The best field of view for a video doorbell camera is 180 degrees, which means that the camera will be able to capture everything in front of it and to the sides. A 90-degree camera will show only what’s in front of the camera and a little bit to the sides. The field of view you choose will impact overall video quality.
In general, you should be looking for a video doorbell that has a wide field of view so you can capture every moment.
How Much Does a Smart Doorbell Cost?
The cost of a video doorbell will vary depending on the type of camera you choose and what features and options come with it. Usually, you should expect to pay from as low as $80 and all up to $300 and even more. Be sure to set your budget before you go straight up shopping for a smart video doorbell. This will eliminate video doorbells that aren’t in your price range.
How Did We Choose the Best Smart Doorbells?
When choosing the highest-rated video doorbells, we have put a couple of factors, including brand, customer reviews, value, quality, features, and durability. We estimated the design of the video doorbell, features of the app, ease of setup, and how well the doorbell and the app kept us notified. We also considered the compatability of video doorbells with virtual helpers like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
What Are the Most Important Features To Have in a Smart Doorbell?
Person detection
Some of the video doorbells available use AI and computer vision motion sensors to recognize people by their appearances. Motion detection can assist you in determining who is at your door and how to interact with them.
Two-way audio
One of the best benefits of a smart doorbell is being able to communicate through it. The two-way audio lets you speak with whoever is at the door. The person at the door speaks into the doorbell’s microphone, and you can respond through your doorbell app.
Cloud storage
For security reasons, considering video doorbells with a cloud storage option can be really helpful. After recording video, you’ll be able to store footage of any motion alerts for up to 30 days. So, in the event of someone stealing from your house, you’ll have some video storage available as evidence.
Built-in alarm
A video doorbell with an alarm can be a great way to prevent unwelcome visitors who you spot on camera or alert you to a potential break-in.
Conclusion
A video doorbell provides a safe, reliable way to monitor what happens at your front door. There are a lot of uses for your smart doorbell, but the right one will fit all your needs. We hope that our guide has helped you in any way!
Doorbell cameras can be great additions to already intelligent homes. For some more automation ideas to make every day more convenient, check out this video from Everything Smart Home:
The Highest-Rated Smart Doorbells
Ring Video Doorbell
– Best OverallThe Ring Video Doorbell is one of the best models from Ring – the company that started it all. It is super easy to install, has full HD 1080p recording in both directions, excellent video quality, two-way audio, and voice control via Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. For extra protection, this video doorbell has a clever feature that records four seconds of video automatically before the detection of a “motion event.” And you shouldn’t worry about doorbell wiring, because the Ring Video Doorbell features a removable rechargeable battery. Its excellent battery life lasts for six months before you need to recharge it – which is done quickly through a phone charger. The user-friendly features and tried-and-true nature of the Ring Video Doorbell earn it the top spot on our list as best overall.
- The Ring Video Doorbell has a sharp 1080p HD video quality, so you will clearly see who is in front of your door
- Two-way audio features so that you can both communicate through the Ring doorbell
- DIY installation with hardwired or battery powered options
- The Ring doorbell can be used with the Ring app through WiFi, and can connect with other Ring devices
- Subscription (Ring Protect Plan) needed to be able to review recorded video and access other premium features of Ring doorbells
eufy Video Doorbell
– Most DurableLooking for a video doorbell that can withstand any type of weather condition outside? Then the eufy Video Doorbell is the way to go. This is a great battery powered device with 2K HD video and an easy installation. This wireless video doorbell is it the perfect option for anyone looking for a simple, no-fuss setup. The camera automatically detects body shape and face pattern, and we also liked the fact that it will store all of your recordings locally. So, you won’t have to pay for expensive subscriptions. Alongside its excellent video recording capabilities, this video doorbell also works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
- This doorbell creates high definition videos
- It uses a 4:3 aspect ratio to cover a bigger viewable area
- It is a lot more affordable when compared to other advanced models
- You will need to unmount the camera to recharge the battery every 6 months
SimpliSafe Doorbell
– Highest-Quality ImagingThe SimpliSafe Pro gives you total command over the doorbell’s point of view with zooming and panning controls. It offers 1080p HD images with included HDR, which helps decrease glare. The 160 degrees field of vision is wide enough to see anyone or anything around your door. Simplisafe Video Doorbell also comes with person detection that can recognize between people, cars, and animals. Connect it with the SimpliSafe home security system and watch the front of your house without leaving your seat.
- The camera has crisp and clear 1080p video quality
- The person detection and heat sensor features reduce unwanted false alarms
- It has a simple DIY setup so that most are able to install it in a couple of minutes
- There isn’t any battery powered option
Arlo Video Doorbell
– Best Video-Calling CapabilityThe Arlo Video Doorbell is the only doorbell on this list to offer a 180-degree field of view. With this doorbell, you will be able to see a person from head to toe or a box on the ground in 1080p HD Resolution. It also includes person detection, night vision, and a motion-triggered recording. Whenever someone presses your doorbell button, this device ensures that you don’t miss out on anything. Whenever someone is at the door, you will receive a video call to your phone to talk to the visitor through the two-way audio feature. And best of all, you will get seven days of local video storage absolutely for free. It can work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
- It has an amazing 180-degree field of view to help you see the whole area in front of your door
- You will be able to connect it directly to your WiFi
- It will be able to detect a person, pet, or package with the use of Arlo Smart
- It has a night mode which makes it easier to see who’s at the door at night
- Requires existing doorbell and chime setup with electrical wiring
Amcrest Video Doorbell
– Best Video Saving CapabilityThe Amcrest Smart Doorbell provides a rich 1080p resolution. You won’t need to strain your eyes or lean in close to see who’s there or keep up with package deliveries. It supports WiFi networks with 2.4Ghz only. Amcrest Smart Home Cloud was built to ensure that you won’t miss anything, no matter where you are. Regardless of how far you are from home, through the Amcrest Smart app, you will be able to instantly access the video footage on your smartphone. These doorbell cameras can also save all the video recordings to a MicroSD card. And Amcrest also includes a 1-year warranty and lifetime technical support.
- This doorbell camera has a 1-year US warranty and lifetime technical support
- You can access it through the Amcrest Smart Home app
- You will be able to put a MicroSD card and record up to 128GB of video footage
- It does not support 5Ghz WiFi networks
People Also Asked
A: Most of these cameras have a two-way audio feature that will let you have a conversation with visitors on your doorstep, whether you're home or not.
A: If you are looking for live streaming and motion-activated notifications, then those doorbell cameras will require a WiFi connection. You can also connect Google Assistant and other virtual helpers to your video doorbells in this way as well. However, if you're fine with just viewing locally-stored footage, then you can get a video doorbell that doesn't have a WiFi feature.
A: Most doorbell cameras do not record all the time. Rather, they either record when the video doorbell itself is touched or when the camera finds any motion detection, depending on its artificial intelligence.
A: The normal field of vision for humans is around 100° laterally. If you are looking for a video doorbell that shows your doorstep the way you see it, look for a field of view with at least 120°. Or, if you want to record everything literally in front of your home, then be sure to get a 180° doorbell camera.
