The 10 Best Doorbell Cameras You Can Buy Right Now
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There are so many reasons you should get a video doorbell, not only to increase the overall security of your home, but also to add convenience to your busy life.
One of the biggest reasons people invest in video doorbells is to deter package theft, which has become a huge issue in recent years. Sure, you can usually file a claim with the company you ordered something from and receive a new order free of charge, but who has the time and energy for all that? Video doorbells don't deter all package thieves, but they certainly do more to drive thieves away than a traditional doorbell does.
Even if you don't have a problem with package thieves, a video doorbell can help you vet strangers at the door before you open it, monitor your home while you're away on vacation, and provide proof for the police if someone ever did steal packages or try to break into your home. Plus, sometimes you'll catch some pretty cute moments on camera, often starring your kids, your pets, or the local wildlife.
What to look for in a doorbell camera
Not all doorbell cameras are created equally. Although price is a huge factor for many people, it's not always an indicator of how many features a doorbell cam has. Instead, here's what you should look at when deciding which doorbell camera to buy.
Doorbell cameras are powered with a battery, hard wiring, or occasionally there's an option of both, like with Wyze's video doorbell. A wireless doorbell camera is powered with an internal battery, which is great if you're renting your home or you don't want to mess with your home's wiring, but you will have to change out or charge the battery regularly. If you opt for a wired option, you won't have to worry about swapping out the battery, but you will have to take on the daunting task of reconfiguring your home's existing doorbell wiring.
Once that major decision is out of the way, there are a few smaller choices you'll need to make. Doorbell cams offer local storage, cloud storage, or both. Local storage is more private than cloud storage, but it's also easier to physically steal and run away with. Cloud storage is convenient because it's online and accessible at any time, but you often have to pay a subscription fee for access.
Some doorbell camera brands also hide other features behind a subscription paywall, so also pay attention to whether the camera you're looking at can be used without a subscription, or what the various subscription options are, if any. Typically, subscriptions for doorbell cameras offer extra storage time for cloud files, more specific movement detection, and more alerts.
Arlo Essential Wired Video Doorbell
As long as your home has existing doorbell wiring — and you don't mind reconfiguring it on your own – Arlo's Essential Wired doorbell is the best you can buy. At only $149.99, this video doorbell is a bit pricier than some other options out there, but it provides you with lots of security features and a stunningly crisp picture for photos and videos.
With the Essential Wired video doorbell, videos will be filmed in either 1536x1536, 1080x1080, or 720x720 pixels, with a 1:1 ratio, a wide 180-degree diagonal field of view, 12x digital zoom, and HDR customizability. At night, there are high-powered infrared LEDs to help capture the littlest details and a built-in siren that can be triggered manually from your phone or automatically via a motion sensor, all to protect yourself from unwanted guests when it's dark outside.
When motion is detected, you'll receive instant alerts on your smartphone via the Android or iOS app. Through the app, you can also receive video calls when your doorbell is pressed, listen remotely, view live video feeds, and use voice commands with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit.
Arlo offers a few different monthly subscription plans, starting at $6.99 per month for a single camera on the Arlo Secure plan. With this plan, you'll receive smarter alerts that discern the difference between people, packages, vehicles, and animals when motion is detected. Then, you can also limit unwanted notifications by customizing your activity zones and look back on up to 30 days' worth of video history in the cloud.
Ring Video Doorbell Wired
Ring's most basic wired option is one of the most budget-friendly video doorbells you can get that works with your doorbell's existing wiring. With a low retail price of $64.99 and three simple steps, you'll be on your way to setting up your Ring doorbell without breaking the bank in the process. The company is sure to list the instructions everywhere — on the website and in the manual, most notably — because they're so easy to follow, even if you've never messed with your home's internal wiring.
For the setup process, you will need the Ring mobile app, available on both Android and iOS. After your wired video doorbell from Ring is set up, you'll be able to use the app to communicate with anyone at your door via two-way audio, receive real-time notifications, or see a current live view of your camera. Or, you can rely on Amazon Alexa to handle voice commands.
When you purchase a smart security device from Ring, you usually get a 30-day free trial of Ring Protect, which gives you rich notifications with AI details of what or who is being detected instead of simply detecting motion and flexible security and privacy options. After that free trial, plans start at $3.99 per month. No matter what, though, your videos will film in 1080-pixel resolution, with a 155-horizontal field of view, a 90-degree vertical field of view, and night mode.
Nest Doorbell (Wired)
Google's Nest Doorbell comes in two options: wired and battery-powered. Both video doorbells are the same price, retailing at $179.99, and offer many of the same features. If you're after a wired option from a larger company, but you're trying to avoid Ring, the Nest Doorbell is a fantastic choice.
The Nest Doorbell is equipped with a mighty little camera, with a 1.3-inch, 1.3-megapixel color sensor that's capable of 6x digital zoom. It'll film videos in 960x1280 resolution up to 30 frames per second, with a 3:4 aspect ratio and a 145-degree diagonal field of view. At night, the doorbell can see up to 10 feet away, assisted by 10 850-nanometer infrared LEDs with an IR cut filter.
To use Google's Nest Doorbell, you'll need a Google account along with the Google Home app, available on both Android and iOS devices. Through the app or with voice commands through Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, you can speak with anyone at the door with two-way audio, view up to three hours of event video history, or monitor a live view feed.
While it's not necessary, you can invest in a Nest Aware plan for $6 per month or a Nest Aware Plus plan for $12 per month. With a Nest Aware subscription, your doorbell can capture and store up to 30 days of event video history rather than only three hours — or up to 60 days of event video history with Nest Aware Plus. This more expensive Plus plan also gives you access to up to 10 days of 24/7 video history to look through in case something bad ever happens.
Nest Doorbell (Battery)
If you want to forego the wires, but love the features and the aesthetic of Google's Nest Doorbell, go for the battery-powered option. It's still priced at $179.99, but instead of using your doorbell's existing wiring, there's a built-in battery you'll need to charge every so often. This battery-powered version also has a magnetometer and a motion and proximity sensor, whereas the wired version has no sensors.
Just like its wired counterpart, the battery-powered Nest Doorbell features a 1.3-inch, 1.3-megapixel color sensor to film videos in 960x1280 resolution at up to 30 frames per second, with a 3:4 aspect ratio and a 145-degree diagonal field of view. At night, you're all set with four 850-nanometer infrared LEDs with an IR cut filter, though this is six fewer LEDs than the wired Nest Doorbell.
As with many Google products, you'll need a Google account to use the Nest Doorbell, as well as the Google Home app, which you can find on Android and iOS devices. Once you've satisfied these two requirements, you can view video clips and pictures of notable activity in the past three hours, using either the app or voice commands via Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa to navigate.
If you want to view up to 30 days of event video history, you'll need to invest in a Nest Aware subscription plan for only $6 per month. With a Nest Aware Plus plan for $12 per month, you'll be able to view up to 60 days of video history. It's important to note that with either Nest Aware plan, the battery-powered Nest Doorbell is not capable of continuously recording 24/7 video history.
Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro Gen 2
Vivint's Pro Gen 2 doorbell camera is wired, which means you'll never have to worry about swapping out or charging batteries. Unfortunately, there's no estimated price for the video doorbell — at least, not until you call Vivint. The company offers full-fledged home security systems, and the video doorbell is just a part of that, so Vivint will likely want you to purchase more than just a single video doorbell.
On top of that, Vivint security packages start at $29.99 per month. The reason this monthly subscription fee is so high is because Vivint offers professional monitoring, which means that instead of you getting notifications and checking on your camera, Vivint will do that for you. Ultimately, professional monitoring gives you peace of mind that even if you're not making sure your home is secure, someone else is doing it for you.
Videos are recorded in 1664-pixel resolution with HDR, a 180-degree field of view, and powerful infrared for videos at night. Then, videos are stored on a built-in SD card locally even if your Wi-Fi goes down during a power outage, and backed up on Vivint's cloud servers.
You can customize surveillance zones within the Vivint app (available on both Android and iOS) if there are specific areas you want the Pro Gen 2 camera to monitor. The camera can distinguish between people, packages, passing cars, and so on, and only deliver the most important notifications to you. If the camera spots someone trying to take your package, it'll turn on a bright LED ring and sound off a 90 dB speaker to hopefully scare off the potential thief.
Wyze Video Doorbell Pro
Wyze offers a wide variety of affordable tech that actually delivers, including a battery-powered video doorbell for only $93.99. If you want to hardwire the video doorbell for continuous power, you can do so, or just charge the battery every three to six months.
On the Wyze Doorbell Pro, videos record in 1440x1440 resolution, with a 1:1 aspect ratio and a 150-degree ultra-wide field of view. With this camera setup, you can capture a person at your door from head to toe and any packages resting on your doorstep. Then, there are six infrared lights to help the video come through clearly when it's dark outside.
If you want the latest AI features that can detect a difference between people, packages, vehicles, and pets, you'll need to sign up for a subscription to Cam Plus for only $1.99 per month. If you have any Amazon Echo smart speakers, you can use these as extra doorbell chimes throughout your home, and pull up a live video feed on an Echo Show or Google Home device, or through the Wyze mobile app on Android or iOS. Then, you can respond to anyone at your door with built-in two-way audio.
Kangaroo Doorbell Camera
This doorbell camera from Kangaroo may not offer the best video resolution or all-encompassing features, but at only $39.99, it's incredibly affordable and records with enough detail to give you peace of mind when someone's knocking at the door. The camera can record video during the daytime and at night in 640x380 resolution with a 70-degree horizontal field of view and a 60-degree camera viewing angle.
You won't have to worry about hardwiring Kangaroo's doorbell to your existing one. Instead, three AA batteries — which are included — power your doorbell, and overall battery life can be extended by using Kangaroo's Indoor Chime device, which is also included. When someone's at the door, you'll be alerted by the Chime device or through the Kangaroo mobile app, available on Android or iOS. Then, you can access photos in the cloud for 24 hours or for up to 30 days with one of Kangaroo's subscription plans, which start at $1.99 per month.
Logitech Circle View Doorbell
If Apple HomeKit is your go-to smart home system, the Logitech Circle View doorbell is the best option — only if you have existing doorbell wiring that you can use to connect it. Local storage isn't supported, but you can get plenty of cloud storage through a supported iCloud plan, which many Apple users likely already have.
Retailing at $199.95, Logitech's Circle View doorbell offers a lot of useful features. It combines Logitech TrueView Video and HomeKit Secure Video for a stunning picture and strong security measures, including end-to-end encryption for any recordings.
The stunning picture produced in videos and photos is made possible by the 5 MP camera sensor that records in 1200x1600 resolution with HDR, a 3:4 aspect ratio, and a 160-degree field of view that spans head to toe. With color night vision that's automatically triggered by an internal sensor, recording at night is no issue. Then, you'll receive rich notifications across all your Apple devices, with the ability to communicate with anyone at the door via two-way audio.
Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2
The Pro 2 from Ring is the best of the best in the world of video doorbells. It does require DIY wired installation, but the steps are clearly laid out for you and the entire setup process takes mere minutes. You'll need existing doorbell wiring in order to use Ring's Pro 2 doorbell. Retailing at $259.99, the Pro 2 comes with a 30-day free trial of Ring Protect. After that trial period, plans start at $3.99 per month and offer features like person or package alerts, rich notifications, and the ability to record videos and capture photos.
With a 1536p resolution and a 150-degree horizontal field of view, there's not much this video doorbell doesn't capture. You can see people head to toe, which means you'll also have visibility of any packages at your doorstep. Ring's 3D motion detection uses radar-powered precision to accurately detect movement as soon as someone steps onto your property.
Alexa is built-in and able to answer the door for you, even giving delivery drivers instructions for where to leave your packages and recording detailed video messages when needed. Or, if you're home or notice someone's at the door via the Ring app — available on Android and iOS — you can communicate with them via two-way audio.
Blink Video Doorbell
Because Ring products are so popular, many people know that Amazon bought the Ring company to expand its smart home security product line. But before the company purchased Ring, Amazon also bought Blink, a start-up at the time. At a glance, the Ring products are more full-featured and often at a higher price point, while Blink devices are more affordable and offer basic security features.
Blink's video doorbell retails for $49.99, though if you also purchase the Sync Module 2 to go with it for the best experience, that'll add $34.99 to your total. Paired with a USB drive — purchased separately — the Sync Module 2 makes local storage possible, though you can also access cloud storage via a Blink Subscription Plan. After a 30-day free trial, the Basic Plan costs $3 per month and the Plus Plan costs $10 per month. If you have local storage through the Sync Module 2, cloud storage via a subscription plan isn't necessary — it's just convenient.
You can use two AA batteries to power the Blink doorbell cam, or opt for connecting it to your existing doorbell wiring for a more permanent experience. This doorbell works with Alexa and the Blink mobile app (available on Android and iOS), and records in 1080p resolution day and night, with the assistance of infrared. Alerts are sent straight to your phone when motion is detected or your doorbell is pressed. Then, you can communicate with whoever's at the door with two-way audio.