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We are investigating a security incident with Wyze cameras that may affect our recommendation. For now, Wyze-device owners may want to limit their use to non-personal spaces. We will post an update soon. Floor Scrubber-Sweeper Cleaning Machine
A smart doorbell camera allows you to see who’s on the other side of your door—even when you aren’t home—so you can weed out guests who don’t come bearing Girl Scout cookies.
We recommend the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wired because it delivers fewer false alerts than any video doorbell we tested, and it has a subscription plan that lets it distinguish among people, animals, cars, and packages.
If you don’t have existing doorbell wiring, the Eufy Security Video Doorbell 2K (Battery-Powered) is an easy-to-use option with a great image, and its battery can deliver about four months of service on a full charge.
Storing video on a memory card is convenient and free. But for security’s sake, we prefer models that save footage in the cloud.
Look for models that capture video at 1080p resolution or greater; 2K provides even more detail.
Wired doorbells are lower-maintenance, since battery-operated models need to be recharged every few weeks or months.
All cameras respond to movement, but some can distinguish among people, pets, passing vehicles, and package deliveries.
This slick doorbell can alert you to packages on your porch, as well as to people, animals, and cars going by. Its wide, 180-degree field of view and square aspect ratio reduce blind spots so you can see people and packages.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit (with a compatible base station, such as the Arlo SmartHub), Google Assistant, IFTTT, Samsung SmartThings
The Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wired is our top pick because—along with its great hardware and fast response times—it can accurately distinguish among people, animals, vehicles, or packages. This means it also keeps false alerts (a problem with many other models) to a minimum. For that advanced sensing and the ability to capture video clips up to five minutes long, you need a $4-per-month Arlo Secure subscription (which is going up to $5 per month starting in February 2023). But we find these features to be essential, and the price is fair (otherwise you’re restricted to motion/bell alerts and live video streaming). The Arlo doorbell camera also captures crisp video, with a 1536×1536 resolution and a wide, 180-degree viewing angle in a square format; this provides a comprehensive vertical and horizontal view of what’s going on in front of your door, whether it’s deliveries or visiting raccoons.
This affordable smart doorbell packs a lot of complex features, including a 2K image, person detection, local storage, customizable responses, and a separate wireless chime.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
The Eufy Security Video Doorbell 2K (Wired) has a lot of included features that most other companies charge for, including enough internal memory to store up to 30 days’ worth of video and the ability to distinguish between people and other motion, such as from birds or swaying branches. (The Arlo, however, was a little more accurate in this area.) The wired Eufy doesn’t have as wide a viewing angle as the Arlo, but it creates clear recordings (as long as it detects motion) for up to five minutes. It stores those clips in its 4 gigabytes of built-in memory or Eufy’s cloud service (which offers 30 days of history for $3 per month per camera, or $30 per year per camera). Although this Eufy model draws power from your existing doorbell wires, it doesn’t work with your existing chime. But it does come with its own wireless plug-in chime, so that isn’t really a problem.
Similar to our runner-up model, this doorbell offers a clear 2K image and options for cloud and local storage. However, it doesn’t need doorbell wiring because it has a battery that can operate for up to four months on a full charge.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
Just because you don’t have doorbell wiring doesn’t mean you can’t have a video doorbell. We like the Eufy Security Video Doorbell 2K (Battery-Powered) because it combines solid performance with a strong battery that lasts about four months. It can store up to six months’ worth of footage on the included base station, or you can opt for Eufy’s cloud service, which offers 30 days of video history for $3 per month per camera (or $30 per year per camera). It also delivers a bright 2K image and clear two-way audio. Unlike with its hardwired counterpart, with this model recording is limited to 60-second clips. And, as with many battery-operated models, this one may leave a small gap in between those events if motion continues. However, this model’s performance and flexibility make it the best option for people who need to go wire-free.
This compact doorbell camera doesn’t have the same perks as our other picks, but it’s cheap and easy to install, and it delivers solid performance.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, works with Ring
The Ring Video Doorbell Wired is the solid sub-$100 doorbell camera we’ve been waiting for. It’s smaller than most Ring doorbells (and cheaper, too), it captures clear 1080p images, and it delivers accurate motion and person alerts. However, it needs to be hardwired, it works only with Amazon Alexa, and it doesn’t offer detailed alerts or local storage, as some of our other picks do. And even though it’s inexpensive, it requires a Ring Protect Basic plan (which starts at $4 per month or $40 per year) to record motion events.
An outdoor security camera can alert you to prowlers, package deliveries, and visitors, as well as animals in your trash and things that go bump in the night.
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This slick doorbell can alert you to packages on your porch, as well as to people, animals, and cars going by. Its wide, 180-degree field of view and square aspect ratio reduce blind spots so you can see people and packages.
This affordable smart doorbell packs a lot of complex features, including a 2K image, person detection, local storage, customizable responses, and a separate wireless chime.
Similar to our runner-up model, this doorbell offers a clear 2K image and options for cloud and local storage. However, it doesn’t need doorbell wiring because it has a battery that can operate for up to four months on a full charge.
This compact doorbell camera doesn’t have the same perks as our other picks, but it’s cheap and easy to install, and it delivers solid performance.
I first started testing smart-home devices more than 20 years ago, back when the only smart-home devices were X10. Since 2016, I’ve covered smart-home gear for Wirecutter, and I’ve had my hands on everything from in-wall light switches, smart bulbs, and water-leak sensors to indoor security cameras, in-wall smart outlets, and security systems. I’ve also written tech articles for The New York Times, Wired, and Men’s Health, among others.
Smart doorbell cameras are for people who want to be able to screen their visitors the way they do phone calls using caller ID. They allow you to monitor who is at the door and decide whether you want to answer it—if you’re busy cooking, have mobility issues, want to continue social distancing, or just aren’t home. These cameras also serve a valuable security function by recording video of whoever (or whatever) comes to your door or crosses your walkway, whether it’s FedEx or UPS dropping off packages or the types of miscreants who like to pilfer them.
These devices replace your existing doorbell with one that bundles a ringer button, a camera, a microphone, a speaker, and several sensors. When a smart doorbell camera is triggered by motion or the push of a button, it notifies you via an audible chime and a smartphone notification. And it streams live audio and video to your phone or tablet so you can hear and see your visitors in real time. You can even talk with those visitors or, in the case of solicitors, send them on their way.
Doorbell cameras also serve a valuable security function by recording video of whoever or whatever comes to your door or crosses your walkway.
In most homes with a powered doorbell, you can simply swap out your old doorbell button for a smart one and use the existing wiring; a few models can also run on rechargeable batteries. One practical issue some homeowners face is not having an adequate power transformer (a device that reduces your home’s 120-volt electrical service to a lower, and safer, voltage), as required by many smart doorbells. Though the majority of smart doorbells claim to work with the standard 16-volt transformer found in most homes with a wired doorbell, some are rated for 16 to 24 volts and may require installation of a power transformer to work properly. If you install a smart doorbell and hear humming, or if the doorbell chime doesn’t sound right, your existing transformer is likely the issue. If you’re not comfortable with or knowledgeable about home wiring, it’s best to hire an electrician.
Installing an all-seeing eye on your front door necessarily raises issues of privacy—both yours and that of your unwitting neighbors. Many people assume that the companies that make these cameras have free access to your recordings, though that shouldn’t be the case. We provide a few scenarios and suggestions in How to Keep Unwanted Eyes From Spying on Your Security Cameras. But it’s incumbent upon you to take a few minutes to understand companies’ terms of service and privacy policies. We also consider these issues when making recommendations (see Security, privacy, and smart doorbell cameras). Also, keep in mind that some neighbors, postal workers, pizza-delivery drivers, and other guests may not appreciate being recorded—and may be protected by local or state laws. For more about these issues, see our post Security Cameras, Ethics, and the Law.
We focused exclusively on smart doorbell cameras you can install yourself, rather than on higher-end models that are part of a larger security system. That eliminated options from ADT and Vivint, which require additional equipment and sometimes hefty subscription fees.
When they detect motion, all smart doorbells deliver a remote live view and smartphone alerts. Those smartphone alerts are especially handy for package drop-offs, but they also allow the doorbell to double as a security camera for your entryway, even if no one rings the bell. Some cameras let you tweak the motion-detection area and sensitivity so that you aren’t constantly alerted to every person passing by your home. Some can even distinguish humans from a moving car or a leaf that’s blowing by.
We also looked for features that make doorbell cameras easier to use, including the following:
The average cost of a smart doorbell has dropped over the years. Most doorbells can be had for $150 or less, although some battery-operated models and those with advanced motion sensing and facial recognition cost around $200.
In every round of testing, we mount each of our test subjects to a homemade rig that houses up to four doorbells. The rig includes standard doorbell wiring and an indoor switch so we can flip power to operate one doorbell at a time. During our testing, we compare the quality of live and recorded audio and video. We also time how long each doorbell takes to send motion and bell notifications, as well as to establish a video and voice connection, and we take note of video recording times. We then repeat these tests over both Wi-Fi and our phone’s LTE connection, using Android and iOS devices. When issues come up (such as too many or too few alerts), we try to tweak the settings to see what works best for each doorbell.
Since video doorbells (and all smart cameras) have more potential for privacy and security issues than any other smart-home device, we monitor the practices of each company, review issues that come up in the news, and keep tabs on how each company responds to those incidents. During testing, we also connect devices to Firewalla Blue, a firewall device that monitors the communications of all devices on a network and reports which devices are sending out data and to what country. Once we narrow down final candidates, we review privacy policies and send our own questions to the company behind each candidate, specifically looking for clauses or activities that are outside normal practice in this category. (See Security, privacy, and smart doorbell cameras, below.)
Wirecutter takes security and privacy issues seriously and investigates as much as possible how the companies whose products we recommend deal with customer data. As part of our vetting process for smart doorbell cameras, we looked at all of the security and data-privacy practices behind our picks. Wirecutter long-term tests all of its picks. This includes keeping track of app, firmware, and policy updates, as well as hardware and software incidents. Should any privacy or security issues be found with any of our selected products, we’ll report that here and, if necessary, update or alter our recommendations.
Each of these devices comes with a privacy policy that, as you may have experienced, is difficult for the layperson to parse. During our testing, we read each of the privacy policies for our picks, specifically looking for sections that strayed from what we consider to be standard in the category. However, there are some common important points that everyone should understand. For instance, most camera companies say that in certain circumstances they will cooperate with police and may turn over your camera footage with or without your permission.
Ring has a built-in portal that enables law enforcement to request user footage, a partnership program with thousands of agencies around the country, and a neighborhood watch feature, called Neighbors, built into its app; all of these have drawn criticism due to perceived and real concerns over potential abuses of privacy, among other issues. It’s important to note that although all of these features are turned on by default when you install a Ring doorbell, you can opt out of Neighbors, law enforcement requests, or both by adjusting the Neighbors Settings in the Ring app.
Out of our four picks, only Ring provides the ability to create Privacy Zones, which can shield areas (such as a neighbor’s property) from being recorded. However, Ring is also the only company that doesn’t provide additional mounting hardware, so you can physically angle the doorbell to restrict its viewing area. All of our picks offer scheduling and geofencing features. Scheduling allows you to set the time of day when the doorbell will or won’t record, whereas geofencing can control when the doorbell records based on your smartphone’s location. (To use the latter feature, you need to enable Location Services in your smartphone settings, as well as all the smartphones of all the people in your household whom you want to be included.)
A bigger concern is whether a doorbell camera can be hacked by outside sources, or whether your video is adequately secured against misuse by the companies that sell them. All of the companies behind our top picks provided answers to our detailed questions about their privacy and security policies (see Privacy and security: How our picks compare, for a complete look at their answers). And though Arlo and Eufy claim not to share data with third parties, Ring said they do provide information to additional services but offer ways for customers to opt out.
On May 31, 2023, the Federal Trade Commissions announced a $5.8 million settlement with Ring addressing privacy violations dating back to 2017. The FTC had accused Ring of failing to properly protect customers from hacking incidents, noting that some employees and contractors had repeatedly accessed customer videos without permission. The report stems from incidents prior to Amazon's acquisition of Ring in 2018, but the order requires Ring to delete all algorithms and data collected from unlawfully viewed videos. The company must also create a new privacy and security program that will include "safeguards on human review of videos," unless required by law.
Following the release of a July 2022 report from Senator Edward J. Markey, which criticized Ring for giving police emergency access to user videos without user permission, Consumer Reports published an article claiming that several other major camera companies have the same policy in place, including Google Nest, SimpliSafe, Eufy, D-Link, and TP-Link. The article notes that the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) is a law that allows (but doesn’t mandate) that companies can disclose user data such as video or audio in emergency situations, such as when injury or death might occur, without obtaining user permission or a court order, if timeliness is a factor. The companies listed above specifically note in their company policies that they may opt to share footage in those limited circumstances. Device owners who prefer to prevent their videos from being shared without prior permission have a few options. When possible, they can enable end-to-end encryption in their device settings menu—devices that use HomeKit automatically have it enabled. They can also opt to store videos locally if their camera has a built-in hard drive or, like many Eufy devices, has a slot for mini SD cards.
In November 2022, a series of potential security vulnerabilities with Eufy cameras surfaced. Information security consultant Paul Moore posted a series of Tweets stating that Eufy’s local storage solution was pushing thumbnail images as well as user-specific data to a cloud server whenever his Eufy doorbell camera was triggered by a motion event—which means content was viewable in the user’s web portal and not being kept completely local, as advertised (notably, login credentials are required to access those images unless the owner chooses to share them). We have repeatedly attempted to replicate Moore’s results without success. A Eufy spokesperson confirmed that the company does use an AWS-based cloud server to deliver push notifications with a thumbnail preview image, claiming they are temporarily stored in the cloud. Eufy has since changed the language in the app and marketing materials to be more clear that opting to enable thumbnail notifications requires passing data to the cloud. Thumbnail-enhanced smartphone alerts are an option that can be turned off by going into your camera’s Settings, clicking Notification, and choosing an option for how you want to receive those notifications.
An additional post said it was possible to view live, unencrypted video streams of Eufy cameras without needing to authenticate with a password first. Eufy told The Verge that the problem has been fixed, and that video coming from the web portal would now include end-to-end encryption.
This slick doorbell can alert you to packages on your porch, as well as to people, animals, and cars going by. Its wide, 180-degree field of view and square aspect ratio reduce blind spots so you can see people and packages.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit (with a compatible base station, such as the Arlo SmartHub), Google Assistant, IFTTT, Samsung SmartThings
The Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wired delivers the most accurate smartphone alerts of any doorbell we’ve tested. When the doorbell detects movement, it can distinguish whether the source is a person, an animal, a vehicle, or a package, and it records crisp video for up to five minutes at a time with crystal-clear two-way audio. The Arlo doorbell camera’s image is also more comprehensive than that of any of our other picks because it combines a 180-degree viewing angle with a square aspect ratio. That gives you a head-to-toe view, so you can see whether it’s the paper or a package on your stoop. Like many of the doorbells on our list, this model requires a monthly subscription fee to enable the specialized alerts and the storage; Arlo Secure costs $4 per month, but that’s going up to $5 per month as of February 2023.
In addition to video, motion detection is one of the main things that make the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell worth the upgrade over a standard doorbell. People don’t always ring the bell; they may knock or even just peer into the window. It’s important that motion detection be accurate because, as with any security camera, recording can often be falsely triggered by a passing car, a bird, or a tree. We found the Arlo to be accurate, sending alerts when relevant motion occurred and tagging people and vehicles clearly. Other video doorbells typically picked up every car that drove by the house. But the Arlo—due to the system’s intuitive sensitivity-range settings—managed to limit alerts to cars pulling into our driveway.
In our testing, both live and recorded images were always clear, during the day and at night. Although the 2K image from the Eufy doorbell cameras slightly edged out the Arlo’s 1536×1536–resolution image in clarity, the Arlo provided a 180-degree viewing angle and a square 1:1 aspect ratio, which produces more imagery around your doorframe. That makes the Arlo adept at keeping an eye on critters and packages.
With a subscription, the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell can distinguish among people, animals, vehicles, packages, and general motion.
We typically received smartphone alerts (which included a thumbnail photo) within six seconds. Once you expand that notification, it shows a bigger picture with motion highlighted in a box, as well as options to mute notifications or—if something untoward is happening—to trigger a built-in siren. One neat feature we especially liked was the ability to receive a video call when someone rang the doorbell, instead of getting only a smartphone notification (which for some people can go unnoticed). You can stop the calls by enabling Silent Mode. But that also silences rings from the bell, so you get nothing (see Flaws but not dealbreakers, below). You can also enable a prerecorded greeting that offers visitors a chance to leave a message if the doorbell goes unanswered after 20 seconds.
In addition to video, motion detection is one of the main things that make the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell worth the upgrade over a standard doorbell.
Arlo offers the option of local storage, so you can record to an Arlo SmartHub or Base Station, as long as it’s one of these models: VMB5000, VMB4540, or VMB4500. We used the VMB5000 with a microSD card. This is a cheap way to store video, but it eliminates some of the features we love, including specialized alerts, thumbnails on notifications, access via the web client, and the ability to grant access to other users.
The Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wired currently works with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit (when paired with a compatible base station, such as the Arlo SmartHub), and Google Assistant. We successfully set up Alexa Routines that responded to motion or button presses by turning on a Wyze bulb and Wyze Plug. We also used the Alexa app to enable notifications on our Alexa devices when the doorbell was pushed.
The Arlo app is the same one that works with all Arlo devices, including the Arlo Pro 4 (one of our outdoor camera picks). In-app features include the ability to set or adjust motion sensitivity, Activity Zones, and the recording times. As with all Arlo cameras, with this one you can program recordings to last a set amount of time, between 10 and 120 seconds. We prefer the option to record as long as there’s motion; it stops recording when a motion event ends, for up to five minutes. If motion continues beyond that, the Arlo doorbell camera makes a new clip. But in our tests it regularly left a negligible, two-second gap in between recordings.
The Arlo Essential Video Doorbell offers a few security features. It has two-factor authentication and allows only one user or device to be logged in at a time on the same username and password. That means if you’re logged in to your iPad, for example, your iPhone will be logged out. If you want to have multiple users, you can grant an unlimited number of guests access and also manage and limit what they’re allowed to do.
The Arlo has several anti-theft features, as well. First, it has a built-in siren, which you can set to trigger automatically or manually in the app. We measured the siren at 90 dB from a foot away (about the same level as from a lawn mower); it’s not exactly terrifying, but it could startle a few porch pirates or trash pandas. Also, if the power is cut, the Arlo app will send a tamper notification with a thumbnail photo. We typically received this kind of alert within three seconds of cutting the power. And finally, the Arlo has an internal battery that provides about five minutes of backup power, enough to give you a live view, send alerts, and record whatever is going on outside your house.
The Arlo app requires a bit of a learning curve. Answering the doorbell, live viewing, and accessing recorded clips are all easy to figure out, but some of the settings could be streamlined to make them easier to use. Most of the device settings can be found by clicking the cog symbol next to your doorbell from the app’s home page. However, other crucial settings—such as those that allow you to arm, disarm, schedule, and set geofencing for the doorbell—are instead found under the Mode tab at the bottom of the app. We find it unnecessarily confusing and a problem, since that’s the way you tell the camera how to respond to motion and tune motion sensitivity. (Each of those settings requires you to click on a little pencil next to the setting to edit it. It’s not as user-friendly as some other apps, but once you know, you know.)
Also, even though the Arlo doorbell allows you to pick whether you want to receive alerts of people, packages, vehicles, or animals, it does record everything. But you can filter out what you’re looking for by clicking the Library tab and then the Filter button at the top of that screen. And when you enable Silent Mode (so that doorbell rings are muted), there’s no option to still receive a smartphone notification, which we think would be a useful feature.
This affordable smart doorbell packs a lot of complex features, including a 2K image, person detection, local storage, customizable responses, and a separate wireless chime.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
The Eufy Security Video Doorbell 2K (Wired) captures detailed 2K video and clear two-way audio, and it offers the option of recording video clips to the cloud or storing them internally. Unlike our battery-operated pick, this model is hardwired, so it can record longer clips (up to five minutes, as long as it detects motion) without gaps in between recordings. Capturing recordings locally to built-in storage frees you from monthly fees and worries over hackers possibly accessing your data sitting in the cloud. (It also prevents concerns about inadvertently draining your monthly data allotment, if you have satellite internet.) However, local storage also means your clips will be inaccessible if your power or Wi-Fi goes out, or if someone swipes your doorbell (the latter event being one of the reasons we recommend getting cloud storage).
The wired Eufy doorbell camera captures very high-quality video to its internal 4 GB hard drive in 2560×1920 resolution, which in our tests was sharp enough for us to see faces at the door, license plates in the driveway, and movement on the sidewalk 60 feet away. We tweaked sensitivity and adjusted Activity Zones so that it wouldn’t alert us to every person, car, or school bus that went by.
This version of the Eufy Security Video Doorbell 2K requires doorbell wiring, since it doesn’t have a battery or any type of backup power. If you have an existing doorbell, installing the wired Eufy is an easy swap, but your old chime will become a piece of wall art (this model doesn’t work with mechanical or digital chimes, only the included plug-in chime, which has eight doorbell sounds to choose from).
During testing, we found that the Eufy doorbell triggered smartphone alerts within three seconds of motion (a little faster than our top pick, the Arlo); you can opt to receive these alerts on your smartphone with or without a thumbnail photo. The camera can distinguish between humans and general motion (such as trees blowing in the wind or cars driving by), and we found this greatly reduced the number of nuisance alerts. In our long-term testing, there were a handful of instances where it tagged car tires and trees as “human.” But overall we found that alerts worked pretty well, considering that the makers of most other smart doorbells charge for this feature (or don’t include it in their models at all). We found that tweaking motion sensitivity and Activity Zones to focus on a specific area of our porch helped a bit. The doorbell also comes with a wedge mount, which you can install to angle the doorbell on the door frame, to better capture the faces of visitors.
Motion alerts can direct you to the recorded event or a live view, based on your settings. There’s also an option to trigger pre-recorded responses, or you can add up to three of your own. (We input a “sad trombone” sound just because we could.) The Eufy doorbell camera records motion continuously, for up to five minutes straight. If motion continues beyond that, the camera creates a new clip, yet it doesn’t miss a second of action, in contrast with the Arlo.
The Eufy Security app is useful and easy to navigate. Through the app settings you can adjust motion detection, Activity Zones, streaming quality, and recording quality. The last item is important, because if your phone is more than a few years old and doesn’t support 2K video playback, you’ll only be able to access live video—no 2K recordings. (The iPhone 7 and newer, as well as Android devices with Quad-HD displays, support 2K video.) The app also gives you options to tweak the volume for the doorbell and the ringtone; the chime volume, however, is a manual setting on the plug-in device itself.
You can integrate the Eufy doorbell with Amazon Alexa. In our tests, whenever someone pressed its button, we got a quick response on Amazon Alexa devices; this variously included bringing up a live video on our Echo Show 5 and issuing a customized doorbell sound on other Echo devices (we tried the dog bark, crowd cheers, and other sounds). The Eufy doorbell camera is also compatible with Google Assistant devices, but it’s currently limited to live streaming on a Nest smart display or Google Chromecast.
The Eufy Security Video Doorbell 2K offers the option of local storage, or you can pay for Eufy Cloud (which provides 30 days of video storage for $3 per month per camera, or $30 per year). The 4 GB of built-in memory is enough to store up to 30 days’ worth of recordings (based on 30 videos a day, each 30 seconds long; your mileage may vary, but we think it’s a decent amount of storage). Eufy employs the same type of encryption as the US government does (AES 256, to be specific), and only the user and invited guests can access live video and recordings. Eufy claims the system is so secure that even the company doesn’t have access to your recordings. Having the storage embedded is more secure than using a removable SD card, which is easily swiped. The trade-offs: You can access recordings only through the app (only a live view is possible on the web browser), and you need to keep the doorbell connected to both electrical power and your home’s Wi-Fi. If the power goes down while you’re on vacation, for example, you won’t be able to access prior local recordings, which is something you can do with video uploaded to the cloud. (For a list of potential problems and solutions involving cloud storage of video, read our blog post How to Keep Unwanted Eyes From Spying on Your Security Cameras.)
Similar to our runner-up model, this doorbell offers a clear 2K image and options for cloud and local storage. However, it doesn’t need doorbell wiring because it has a battery that can operate for up to four months on a full charge.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
If you don’t have doorbell wiring, adding it can be a daunting (and expensive) task. The Eufy Security Video Doorbell 2K (Battery-Powered) puts a video doorbell anywhere within range of your Wi-Fi signal. Of the battery-operated doorbells we tested, this model is the complete package: It captures 2K images, it can store them in the cloud (with a subscription fee) or locally to the included base station, and it delivers reliable alerts. It also includes an internal battery, which Eufy says should provide about 180 days of use when fully charged (and we found it came close, since we got about four months in between charges).
The best thing about the battery-powered Eufy doorbell is that setup doesn’t require any wiring, and its battery can last several months. Many of the non-wired doorbells we tested were dead within days or weeks. By contrast, the Eufy delivered about four months of power on a full charge at a home, with fairly frequent deliveries and people using the front door several times a day. If you live on a busy street, your mileage may vary (and you should tweak your settings to remedy any problems). Unlike other doorbells with a removable battery, this Eufy model has an internal battery, so you have to remove the entire doorbell to charge it. This also means that if the internal battery dies, so does the doorbell. (We long-term test all of our picks and will report back if this happens to ours. So far, it’s been going for two years without dying.) Removing the doorbell is easy enough to do with the included doorbell pin, although a paper clip should work, too. Charging takes about four hours, so you should plan to do that while you’re at home. If you have doorbell wiring, this model can be hardwired. But in that situation, we recommend getting the Arlo or the wired Eufy, since both of those models are slimmer, less expensive, and capable of recording longer clips.
This doorbell delivers bright images with a 2560×1920 resolution, which translates to 2K, and footage is twice as good as the footage from a 1080p model. When you’re reviewing doorbell footage, that little bump in quality could be the difference in being able to identify who’s been stealing packages off your porch. The Eufy’s 160-degree field of view is slightly smaller than that of the Arlo, but it still captures a generous view of the surrounding area. Audio is easy to understand in recorded video, as well as while you’re speaking live through the app to the person at your door. You can also opt to have the doorbell deliver a prerecorded message; the app includes a few standard selections (“We will be right there”), or you can record up to three of your own.
In our testing, the Eufy battery-operated doorbell delivered smartphone alerts within seven seconds of motion. If you find that you’re getting too many notifications of pedestrians or cars going by, you can tweak motion sensitivity or create an activity zone to capture motion only in a specific area. As with all video doorbells, these features cut down on useless notifications. But in this case they can also help to preserve the battery life of the doorbell: The less activity there is, the longer the battery will last. Eufy also offers the option to filter out random motion by setting the doorbell to specifically capture people. Like the hardwired version, in our tests this battery model sometimes misidentified a tire as a human. However, we found these settings to be helpful in narrowing down nuisance alerts.
Because this Eufy model uses a battery, it can’t record lengthy clips like the Arlo can. Instead, it limits recordings to 60 seconds, about average for a battery-operated doorbell. If motion continues beyond that time, a new clip starts recording. But we did find that the system left a gap in between, which averaged about eight seconds in our testing. Some people may consider that to be a dealbreaker, but we think the performance and battery life make for a reasonable trade-off. You can store recordings locally on the included base station, called the Home Base, which connects to your router inside. The Home Base has a 16 GB hard drive, which Eufy says can hold about six months’ worth of 2K clips (based on an average of five minutes of recording per day). It also provides a strong connection to the doorbell and sounds when the bell is pushed (instead of requiring a separate plug-in unit, as the hardwired model does). The doorbell can integrate with Amazon Alexa so that an Echo device produces a chime, or you can connect it to an existing mechanical chime (but not a digital one). You can also opt for Eufy cloud storage, which starts at $3 per month per camera, or $30 per year. This service adds to the cost but stores clips offsite, so you’ll be able to access them if your power or Wi-Fi goes down.
This compact doorbell camera doesn’t have the same perks as our other picks, but it’s cheap and easy to install, and it delivers solid performance.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Works with Ring
The Ring Video Doorbell Wired is the best budget doorbell we’ve tested. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of our other picks, but it does respond reliably, and it looks good on a door frame. The 1080p image isn’t as vibrant as the footage from our other picks (or even the newer Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2), and the viewing angle is 155 degrees horizontal and 90 degrees vertical. But if you have a smaller area to monitor, it will give you clear video and audio. Like many of the other doorbells on our list, this one requires a monthly subscription fee to record anything. Yet we think the $4 per month (or $40 per year) is a bargain for 60 days of video storage and some of the other included options.
During our testing, smartphone notifications typically came within two seconds of the camera detecting motion, on a par with the speed of our runner-up. Alerts include a thumbnail image of the action, which can be helpful for quickly screening visitors. The doorbell can capture clips up to two minutes long. And for events when the action continues beyond that, a new clip is created (and we didn’t find gaps in between recordings). Because this doorbell requires a Ring Protect Basic subscription to store and access recordings, over time it will be more expensive to operate than either of the Eufy cameras (if you skip their subscription services). The plan is decently priced: For $4 a month (or $40 a year), Ring stores recordings for up to 60 days. That subscription also enables the People Only mode, which you can use to eliminate notifications of vehicles, animals, or trees. In our testing it performed accurately, but you should know that you are limited to enabling either general motion or person detection—you can’t have both at the same time. As a result, if you have motion turned on, the doorbell will identify everything (including people) as motion. If you have People Only turned on, all notifications will identify that a person has been detected, and it should be an actual person. If you have issues, Motion Zones will work on either setting.
Although Ring is known for battery-operated cameras, the Ring Video Doorbell Wired needs to be hardwired and doesn’t offer any type of backup. However, the lack of a battery means this model is also a lot smaller than the average Ring doorbell, measuring just 1.8 by 0.88 by 3.98 inches (versus the flagship Ring Video Doorbell’s 2.4 by 1.1 by 4.98 inches). Unlike most other doorbells, this one doesn’t come with a mount. Instead, it screws right to the wall and has a frame that snaps on to hide the hardware (additional frames are available in other colors). Not having to install a mount makes the process a few seconds quicker, but it also means you can’t angle the installation unless you buy a separate mount. This Ring doorbell doesn’t work with existing chimes, so you need to pair it with an Amazon Alexa device, the Ring Chime, or the Ring Chime Pro. We tested the last one, a plug-in that provides 16 chime options for motion detection and button presses, offers a night-light, and acts as a Wi-Fi extender. If all of that starts to feel expensive, you can get a bundle of the doorbell and the standard chime.
The Ring app is easy to use, offering access to the doorbell right on the home page. Our one complaint is that tapping on the doorbell in the app brings up another screen where you need to tap again for a live view. Also, we experienced a lot of frustration when scrolling through the timeline on the doorbell’s page. (Tip: If you prefer to see your clips as a list with dates, times, and one-touch access to recordings, head straight to History under the hamburger/three-lines icon in the upper-left corner of the app.)
Like all Ring devices, this doorbell camera includes access to the company’s Neighbors service, an app-based neighborhood-watch feature that alerts you to crime and safety events in a radius of up to 5 miles around your home. We understand that there is a lot of controversy surrounding Ring, its Neighbors service (which you can read more about in our blog post), and its decision to develop partnerships with law enforcement agencies around the country. We do not take this topic lightly, and we believe it’s important for potential buyers to understand what Neighbors is all about before choosing to invest in a Ring video device. We also know that Ring has taken steps to right some of its previous wrongs: In early 2020, the company added the Control Center menu to its app; this includes security features, such as the ability to enable two-factor authentication and adjust video-encryption settings. It also provides settings to add and remove shared users, devices, and third-party services. Although all Ring users are automatically added to Neighbors, you can now disable the feature completely—not just hide it, as was previously the case. (To disable it, go to the Control Center under the menu icon—three horizontal lines—tap Neighbors, and use the toggle to disable the service.) According to Ring, doing this completely removes you from the Neighbors pool of users, and you will no longer receive any information or notifications about the service. More recently, the company discontinued allowing private Video Requests from law enforcement agencies; it now labels these interactions as Requests for Assistance, which are instead posted to a timeline within Neighbors. These posts are public, verified, and logged within the agency’s public profile. They are also completely voluntary. (To remove those but stay in Neighbors, go to your Neighbors settings and tap Customize Neighbors. From there, you can choose which announcements you want to see in your timeline.) As we do with all of our picks, we will continue to monitor Ring and its services and report back on any changes.
We’ve begun testing the Eufy Security Video Doorbell Dual, the Abode Wireless Video Doorbell, and the Google Nest Doorbell (Wired, 2nd Gen). We’ll update this guide with our results soon.
We’re also planning to test:
For a cheaper battery-powered option: Like our top pick, the Wyze Video Doorbell Pro delivers a head-to-toe view, supports dual-band Wi-Fi, and includes a wireless chime, all for a modest $80 (at the time of writing). The 1440x1440 image wasn’t as sharp as that of any of our picks, but we think it’s decent enough if you require a budget model. Just know that you have to remove the entire doorbell to charge it (which takes about four hours). Based on our testing, though, you should get about three to four months of normal use on a full charge.
We would love to recommend a HomeKit-specific smart doorbell, but we’re not sold on the Logitech Circle View Wired Doorbell, the Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell, or the Wemo Smart Video Doorbell. The Logitech model was the most problematic. We had issues with nighttime images, network connectivity, and the camera missing action. Also, there have been reports about the doorbell overheating. The Netatmo was the most expensive doorbell we’ve ever tested—but it didn’t have the performance to justify the hefty price tag. The Wemo was probably the best of the bunch, but it still missed a handful of events during our testing and doesn’t play well (or at all) with mesh networks. We are going to keep testing the Wemo, and we will update this guide, if needed.
The Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 delivers excellent images and accurate alerts, but it doesn’t include anything that makes it better than any of our picks—or worth its $260 price tag (at the time of writing). The Ring Video Doorbell 4 is slightly less expensive and has a battery option, but it has a narrow vertical view and delivered more false alerts than any other Ring doorbell we’ve tested. Also, both doorbells are limited to Alexa support, and they can distinguish only between people and motion but can’t do both at the same time.
We have mixed feelings about the Eufy Security Video Doorbell 2K Pro, a version of our runner-up that’s exclusive to Best Buy. It adds the option for 24-hour local recording, which it can store for free for up to five days. However, we noticed that this version triggered more false alerts than our runner-up and even missed multiple events—which were picked up in the continuous recording but not noted in the app’s Events tab or on the timeline. That means the only way you’d see the event is if you were scrolling through your entire video feed.
The Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wire-Free delivers audio and video just as effectively as our top pick. However, it wasn’t as accurate as the hardwired model. And it doesn’t sync with the optional Base Station, which takes away Arlo Secure features but improves connectivity and enables free storage. Also, this model is more expensive and much thicker than the original Arlo because it has a removable battery—which, as our testing shows, needs to be charged about once a month.
The Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) works only with the Google Home app and can’t record 24/7. Plus the lower, 960x1280 resolution and narrow, 145-degree angle aren’t compatible with the $180 price tag (at the time of writing). An internal battery is convenient, but it means you’ll have to remove it to charge it every one to two months (based on our testing). To save the battery, you can tweak recording length to anywhere between 10 seconds and 3 minutes. We don’t recommend the latter because it will drain the battery. But anything less and you may miss action, since the doorbell has a lengthy refresh time (we stopped counting after 3 minutes).
We understand the love for the Blink Video Doorbell: It uses two AA batteries that promise up to two years of use, has options for free local storage and cloud storage, and is a very enticing $50 (at the time of writing). However, recordings max out at 30 seconds (missing an average of 12 seconds in between clips). And motion detection was hit or miss—sometimes it would record when nothing was happening or miss action altogether. Also, Blink still doesn’t offer two-factor authentication.
The Ezviz DB1 doesn’t offer motion-sensitivity settings, and control over Activity Zones is limited. It does deliver decent images, local storage via a microSD card, three hours of free cloud storage, and 2.4 GHz/5 GHz connectivity. But we think our picks’ ability to distinguish between people and general motion and their extra settings are worth their added cost. The newer Ezviz DB1C drops the free cloud storage in exchange for motion detection and better Activity Zones, but we still got too many nuisance alerts to recommend this model over any of our picks. We also didn’t find the Ezviz app to be user-friendly.
The wired Lorex 2K QHD Video Doorbell is the only doorbell on our list that doesn’t offer cloud storage. In our tests, every motion event produced multiple overlapping recordings, and the video’s distorted “funhouse mirror” effect made it a hard pass.
The Ring Video Doorbell is probably one of the most popular, best-selling doorbells, but it was the worst of all the Ring models we tested. The hook is the battery, which lasts a long time. But it can record up to 60 seconds only—and in our tests, it left huge gaps of over 40 seconds in between clips. (We also hardwired it and got the same result.) In addition, it missed a lot of random action, including every one of our nighttime tests. That’s not to say it didn’t record at night—just not when we wanted it to.
We don’t recommend the Toucan Wireless Video Doorbell for busy streets. It doesn’t offer Activity Zones, so we had to endure a painful amount of smartphone notifications—even with the motion sensitivity set to low. And since it doesn’t come with an angled bracket, there’s no way to tweak the positioning. We also experienced two incidents where the doorbell completely missed visitors.
During long-term testing, we had a lot of connectivity issues with the Blue by ADT Doorbell Camera. When the $200 doorbell was working, we received too many alerts, and the app wasn’t user-friendly enough for us to navigate them all.
Measuring 6.6 by 2.36 by 1.73 inches, the Nooie Cam Doorbell is bigger than any doorbell we’ve tested. It looked like the first incarnation of a cell phone hanging off our door frame. That would have been fine, but it recorded only 15-second clips without audio—and those killed the battery in less than a week.
The Wyze Video Doorbell missed a lot of action both during the day and at night. It also sent too many false alerts, so we would get notifications and recordings when nothing was happening.
Typically running about $100 or so, the Remo+ RemoBell S is an inexpensive option that includes three days of free cloud storage. However, the installation was more difficult than that of most of the models we tested, the camera’s night vision wasn’t great, and its motion detection was too easily triggered. Also, after a month of use, the bell corroded, developing a rusty look.
The SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro is the only doorbell that works with SimpliSafe’s security system. If you don’t have that, you should skip this doorbell. Recordings and video storage are available only with a $5 monthly fee (or with SimpliSafe’s Interactive monitoring plan). It includes a built-in chime (which was out of sync with our existing one), and it can’t be muted. Daytime 1080p images were fine, but faces were washed out during nighttime viewing.
The Momentum Knok has a sensitive motion detector, which in our tests often triggered in reaction to cars and people across the street, even on the low setting. Also, the 130-degree viewing angle (versus the Arlo’s 180 degrees and the Eufy cameras’ 160 degrees) limited what we could see. Daytime images were bright and clear, but nighttime images had a grainy appearance. And the Knok currently works only with Google Assistant, curbing integration possibilities.
We love that the Maximus Answer adds a second camera specifically designed to keep an eye out for package deliveries. Night vision wasn’t great, and the motion triggers drove us crazy enough that we had to shut them off. But the doorbell still recorded every person across the street, every car, and every rustling tree.
This article was edited by Jon Chase and Grant Clauser.
John R. Delaney, The Best Video Doorbells for 2022, PCMag, February 17, 2022
Mike Prospero, Best video doorbells in 2022: Top smart doorbells rated, Tom’s Guide, March 7, 2022
Erika Rawes, John Velasco and Tyler Lacoma, The best video doorbells for 2022, Digital Trends, January 21, 2022
Rachel Cericola is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter who has been covering smart-home technology since the days of X10. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Wired, Men’s Health, USA Today, and others. She hopes her neighbors read this bio because it would explain why she always has four video doorbells running simultaneously outside her home.
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