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Best video doorbell: Smart front door solutions compared

Best Video Doorbells
© Ring

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A smart video doorbell increases the security coverage and convenience in your smart home. Modern models from Ring, Eufy or Tmezon are able to recognize people or packages and send you a notification on your cell phone. However, there are a few things you need to keep in mind when installing the device and its compatibility within your smart home configuration.

In the following table, we have selected popular smart video doorbells that are available online and highlighted various features. However, since we are just getting started with the topic of smart doorbells, we have not reviewed any of the models listed below. If you are interested in reviews, let us know in the comments.

Smart doorbells compared
Product Ring Video Doorbell Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 Arlo Essential eufy Security Video Doorbell XTU Doorbell Camera Tmezon Video Doorbell Product
Image Die Ring Video Doorbell. Die Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 Die Arlo Video Doorbell Die Eufy Video Doorbell Die XTU Video Doorbell Die Tmezon Video Doorbell Image
Integrated camera
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
Integrated camera
Alexa compatible?
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • No
  • No
Alexa compatible?
Google Home compatible?
  • No
  • No
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • No
  • No
Google Home compatible?
HomeKit compatible?
  • No
  • No
  • Yes
  • No
  • No
  • No
HomeKit compatible?
Battery powered?
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • No
Battery operation?
Cable operation?
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • No
  • Yes
Cable service?
Subscription
  • Yes, from $3/month
  • Yes, from $3/month
  • Yes, from $2.99/month
  • Yes, from $3/month
  • No
  • No
Subscription
Cloud connection
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • No
  • Yes
  • No
Cloud connection
Alarm included
  • No
  • No
  • No
  • Yes
  • Yes
  • Yes
Alarm included
Price
  • $64.99
  • $259.99
  • $123.89
  • $84.99
  • $99.00
  • $159.99
Price
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Jump to:

What are smart video doorbells and how do I use them?

To kick off our buying guide, here are a few principles to take note of. Based on our idea of what smart doorbells should be like, they must be able to inform you of visitors via the smart home ecosystem or smartphone. For this purpose, the unit located at your front door is usually connected to your home Wi-Fi.

However, there are many solutions on the market when it comes to smart doorbells. They range from simple models that simply notify you of visitors via an app, while there are models that support multiple switches or automatically notify you whenever there is a package left at the door. For this reason, we'll take a closer look at details you should consider when buying a smart doorbell.

These are the differences you should look out for when buying smart doorbells

With or without a chime

When I reviewed my first smart video doorbell in 2018, I was surprised by one feature: many models make do without a doorbell that informs you when the button is pressed, even without having a smartphone or smart speaker around. This is a problem, especially in households with several people. If you are on the road and have configured your smartphone as the only device connected to the doorbell, no signal will reach the house.

Eine Ring Video Doorbell mit Chime-Klingel.
The Ring Chime functions as both an audio signal and a WLAN repeater / © Ring

To hear a beep in the house, there are two options. First, there are models like the Ring Video Doorbell, which comes bundled with a WLAN repeater that acts as a chime. Apart from that, you can connect selected models to an existing doorbell via your home automation system. Whichever method you prefer is, of course, up to you and the circumstances of your living situation.

Two-way intercom audio

With all the models mentioned above, you have the option of communicating with the person at your front door. For this purpose, manufacturers integrate two-way audio into their doorbells, which work either via your smartphone, your smart monitor or included solutions. When purchasing solutions outside of this article, make sure you choose a model with intercom functionality.

Battery-powered or wired?

Speaking of existing cables and installation options. Every smart doorbell requires a power source. Once again, you can adapt it based on your requirements. If you want to install the smart variant in addition to the existing doorbell or in a house with multiple families, a battery-powered model may be the better choice.

Die Ring Video Doorbell mit dazugehörigem Lieferumfang.
The appropriate screws and cables are included with models like the Ring Video Doorbell. / © Shutterstock: Hadrian

But if the necessary cables are available, you can also choose a model with a permanent power source. In Germany, doorbells usually work with an 8-volt power source. So when buying, make sure that the voltage is enough for your desired model. Because there are also models that work with the mains adapter and socket, which can be a problem, especially outside the house.

With or without a subscription?

The trend toward subscription models has not stopped at smart doorbells. Unfortunately, manufacturers such as Ring or eufy sometimes hide really practical functions behind a monthly subscription. Ring doorbells, for example, which belong to Amazon, offer a useful function for recognizing packages and people. But this is only available if you're willing to pay at least $3 a month or $36 annually.

Die Protect-Pläne bei Ring
With the Protect plans, you can unlock additional functions on Ring. / © Ring / Screenshot: NextPit

So when buying a smart video doorbell, be sure to find out which features you'll have access to when paying a monthly subscription. At the same time, you should consider just how sensitive the video data at your front door is, but more on that in the next paragraph.

Cloud or local?

Many smart doorbells rely on cloud storage to offer a range of practical functions. While on the one hand you can look at your entryway from all over the world and store video footage as evidence in case of break-ins, there is the risk of you entrusting sensitive data to a company that could potentially be hacked or use your data for itself.

In the table at the beginning of this article, you will find a row that informs you about the cloud connection of the respective doorbells. This way, you can decide for yourself whether you want to head in the direction of data protection or functionality when buying.

Problem: Door opener

There is one problem with many smart video doorbells: You can see who is at your door from anywhere in the house, but you still have to get up from the sofa to open the door. This is because most solutions cannot be connected to an electric door opener. If you want to implement such a solution in your home, there are two options yet again.

First, you can opt for a more expensive model that is permanently installed as a digital intercom. However, the installation is a bit more complex and you may have to do more remodeling than initially thought. Moreover, if the intercom in your home is placed at the front door, you will still have to get up from the sofa.

Das Nuki Smart-Lock mit dazugehöriger App.
Purchasing a smart lock makes your front door completely operable remotely. / © NextPit

Alternatively, you can combine smart video doorbells with smart door locks. In the NextPit editorial office, we use a Nuki smart lock and could even open the door for a parcel carrier from a distance. The door lock connects to the Wi-Fi network, which allows you to lock and unlock it via app with your smartphone. You can read how it works in our Nuki Smart Lock review.

Other features

Since video doorbells are already rather functional by themselves, we did not consider the video resolution of the models in this article. Whether you see the person at your door in Full HD or 2K is less relevant in our opinion. This is especially so as the video quality also strongly depends on the connection quality and the resolution during transmission.

Das Vacos Babyphone mit Video
Full HD resolutions are sufficient for recognizing people in everyday use. / © NextPit.

Other comfort features, of which we will not go into in detail, are night vision modes, recognition features for packages or people, and the selection of different ringtones.

Alternatives to smart video doorbells

If the price of a smart doorbell is too high for you, there is a particularly cost-effective alternative. This is because you can program the equivalent notification of a smart doorbell via a smart assistant routine. This function in Alexa, Siri and others is known as noise detection, and you can set it up as a detection for doorbells by doing so.

You can then determine the routines that are triggered when a doorbell is detected. For example, you can have a lamp switched on via smart sockets if you have a hearing impairment, or you can be notified on your cell phone.

What do you think of smart video doorbells? Have you already switched to such a system or do you still use analog doorbells?

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Benjamin Lucks

Benjamin Lucks
Head of Editorial DE

Ben has been working in tech journalism since 2018, was a freelancer in the middle of the CoVid-crisis and has been full-time at NextPit since November '20. Since then he has tries to find the right mix between professional competence, humor and fresh perspectives in reviews and texts.

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  • 49
    storm May 8, 2022 Link to comment

    I think you're rating cloud connection in the wrong way. I should be able to live stream and look at past video without a cloud intermediary collecting the data for me. Cutting out the cloud is better for security and cheaper in the long run. The whole point of having an internet connection at home is that it can do the job itself. People need to wake up to the power and utility actually available without the middle men.

    The whole proposal by Google, Apple and Microsoft to do away with passwords is that they are perpetrating a Man-In-The-Middle attack on your security but now doing so as an ongoing service. It's a nightmare sold to us as a benefit. It puts all your security in hands separate from yours that have shown a willingness to give law enforcement what they want without warrants.

    The Cloud part of a video doorbell is the same kind of man in the middle nonsense.