The Best Smart Doorbell Cameras
Smart doorbells (also called connected or video doorbells) let you see who’s at your front door even when you’re not home. They connect to your Wi-Fi and notify you when someone presses the doorbell or motion is detected.
The best smart doorbells have excellent data privacy, fast response time to alerts and loading live feeds, and useful features, such as monitoring zones, facial recognition, and HDR video.
1. Ring Pro 2
The Ring Pro 2 is the company’s latest doorbell and a top-choice among smart doorbell cameras. It has a few unique features like 3D motion detection that uses radar to track the path someone takes near your door and a bird’s eye view feature that gives best smart doorbell you a wider look. It also works well with other Ring devices, including the Stick Up Cam hallway camera and the company’s alarm system. The Linked Devices feature in the Ring app lets you set them up to react to one another.
Cassy used the Ring Pro 2 to bolster her home security and to communicate with delivery people and workers who came by to do work on her house. She found it to be effective for both purposes and a great addition to her home tech arsenal. However, it’s important to note that competitors with higher resolution and better viewing angles are available for a similar price. That said, if you’re deep in the Ring and Amazon Alexa ecosystem, this is definitely the smart doorbell for you.
2. Nest Video Doorbell (Wired)
The second-generation Nest Doorbell offers a few updates to the first-generation model we reviewed in 2018, including smart alerts and the ability to watch live video in your browser. It also includes 10 infrared LEDs compared to eight on the previous model, so it should see better at night. This wired model has the same camera setup as its battery-powered sibling, with a 960 x 1280 pixel resolution, a 1.3-megapixel color sensor, and a 145-degree field of view.
It has on-device processing for quicker person, package, vehicle, and animal alerts, and can detect a visitor’s face using its Familiar Faces feature. It stores three hours of event-triggered video free of charge, but the subscription-based Nest Aware plan adds 60 days of video history plus 24/7 continuous recording.
If you already have a smart speaker or display from Google or Alexa, this doorbell works well with those devices and other third-party apps. It’s also a good option for homes with existing wired doorbells that can’t be replaced with battery-powered models. It’s one of the most attractive smart doorbells on the market, with a long, thin body and four different colors that should match most home exterior colors.
3. Eufy Video Doorbell Dual
Most video doorbells have a front-facing camera that shows you who’s at the door, but this model from best smart doorbell Eufy adds a second camera to focus on packages and alert you if a porch pirate tries to steal them. Like other smart doorbells, it can trigger notifications on compatible Alexa or Google Assistant devices and supports two-way audio streaming.
It has a 2K front-facing camera with a 160-degree field of view and a downward-facing lens to monitor your doorstep. You can see both cameras at once on the app and set up customized alerts based on your preferences, including loitering detection. It also offers premium features such as Human Face Detection, which is typically available with a monthly subscription from other manufacturers.
The eufy security smart wi-fi video doorbell comes with the Homebase base station that lets you store local footage without a monthly fee. It can be configured to connect with your smart home system, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, and you can control the device from the eufy app on Android and iOS. Image quality is great during the day and night, with HDR ensuring that faces are recognizable in all but the brightest backlighting.
4. Nooie
The Nooie doorbell cam isn’t the best at alerting you to someone at your doorstep, but it does the job well enough and offers essential security features without requiring a subscription. It also forgoes the annoying synthesized ringtones found in many competitors, allowing you to choose one of four available and create an optional custom quick response (limited to ten characters).
It’s easy to view live video on your phone or tablet with the Nooie app and receive customizable, instant mobile notifications when motion or sound detection occur. The app also keeps track of activity with an easily readable log and provides the option to pay for Nooie cloud storage (7 days for $1 a month or $10 a year).
Installing the camera is simple with Nooie’s comprehensive set of accessories. It includes a flat and angled wall mount, screws, anchors, and a mount foam sticker for visual reference when planning your placement ahead of time. A helpful instruction booklet and video tutorials are also on hand. However, Nooie falls short of the competition in terms of integration, as it doesn’t support Apple HomeKit gear.
5. Arlo Smart Doorbell
Arlo has jumped into the smart doorbell game a little late but has brought some serious power to the table. Its Essential Video Doorbell Wire-Free is a wire-free option that doesn’t require much work to install and can be powered by battery. It offers rich notifications, speedy live view, and a powerful built-in siren. It also integrates with your other Arlo cameras to provide more advanced features like E911 and call-a-friend, but you’ll need a subscription for those options.
The Arlo app is one of the best out there and most people will be able to figure out how it works pretty quickly. However, the doorbell’s live view can be a bit confusing. It looks very different from the rest of your home feed and can be difficult to navigate if you’re not used to it.
The Arlo’s biggest selling point is that it offers the ability to connect directly with visitors via voice and video calls. It can also notify you of a guest’s presence and play pre-programmed greeting messages if you aren’t at home. It also has a built-in siren that can activate with the press of a button, but it’s not as loud as some other models on this list.
