5 Best Doorbell Cameras (2023 Guide)

A video doorbell replaces your traditional doorbell with a device that secures your home and allows you to speak to visitors without opening the door. With a smart doorbell camera, you can monitor your doorstep with 24/7 video surveillance and communicate directly with visitors while you’re busy or away.

To help you determine the best video doorbell for your home, we researched various camera brands and compared their features, functionality, and pricing. In this roundup and review, we at the This Old House Reviews Team compare  the best doorbell cameras currently available and provide you with key information to help you monitor and secure your home.

Top 5 Doorbell Cameras

• Best Wi-Fi Connectivity: Ring Video Doorbell 3
• Best Field of Vision: Arlo Video Doorbell
• Best Motion Detection: Remo+ Video Doorbell Camera
• Best Night Vision: Google Nest Doorbell
• Best Cloud Storage: eudic Doorbell Camera

Best Wi-Fi Connectivity

Ring Video Doorbell 3

Pros & Cons

✔ Powered by a rechargeable, quick-release battery pack
✔ Supports two-way communication with noise cancellation
✔ Easy to install

✘ Ring Protect subscription required to save and review recorded videos
✘ No package detection

What Customers Are Saying

Amazon customers were impressed with this doorbell’s excellent picture quality, its effective night vision capabilities, and its two-way audio function. On the other hand, some other customers felt it had poor battery life and others had issues connecting to the Wi-Fi.

Best Field of Vision

Arlo Video Doorbell

Pros & Cons

✔ Has a built-in siren
✔ Has a 180-degree viewing angle with a 1:1 aspect ratio
✔ Allows you answer visitors with prerecorded messages

✘ Must purchase an Arlo Smart Plan to access video recordings and advanced motion detection features
✘ Professionally installed

What Customers Are Saying

This doorbell camera received positive reviews for its straightforward setup, excellent picture quality, and its useful iPhone and Android smartphone app. However, others felt that the settings were not intuitive and had issues setting personal preferences. Others claimed the alarm was triggered too easily.

Best Motion Detection

Remo+ Video Doorbell Camera

Pros & Cons

✔ Allows users to select specific areas to monitor
✔ Works with voice assistants, such as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
✔ Can share the camera’s view with up to five people

✘ Some customers said that the installation instructions were confusing
✘ Have to pay for a plan to get cloud storage that saves your data for more than three days

What Customers Are Saying

Customers liked the free three-day cloud storage that was included with their purchase and the wide angle that the camera could detect motion in. Customers who were unsatisfied said that the push notification system was faulty.

Best Night Vision

Google Nest Doorbell Camera

Pros & Cons

✔ Features talk and listen, allowing you to communicate with visitors
✔ Allows you to call emergency services right from the app when you’re not home
✔ Has 4:3 video so you can see the full image of a person at your door

✘ Not compatible with Google Home app
✘ Night vision is lacking when compared to other models

What Customers Are Saying

Customers who liked this product were pleased with its motion detection capability, night vision feature, and straightforward installation. However, others felt that the video quality was worse than they expected, and some said that they found it to struggle in extreme temperatures.

Best Cloud Storage

eudic Doorbell Camera

Pros & Cons

✔ Doesn’t require a wire connection
✔ Includes shared viewing for up to four people
✔ Provides a QR code to download the app

✘ A full charge only lasts two months
✘ The push notifications are sometimes delayed

What Customers Are Saying

Satisfied customers found that the product was both easy to use and install. Customers who were unsatisfied with their purchase said that the product didn’t detect motion like the manufacturer advertised.

Our Conclusion

Whether you’re looking for a DIY doorbell camera or one you can add to your existing home security system, these video doorbells provide simple and accessible surveillance technology to help you secure your home. Our top picks are the Ring Doorbell 3 due to its excellent recording and live view capabilities, and the Arlo Video Doorbell for its wide field of view and prerecorded audio features.

To help you determine which doorbell camera is best for you and your home, compare the video doorbells from these top providers.

What to Look For in a Video Doorbell

Before purchasing a doorbell camera, consider these important factors:

• • Wired vs. wireless: Different doorbells require certain installation requirements. Some doorbells, like the Ring Video Doorbell 3, are battery-powered and don’t require additional power. Others, like the Google Nest Hello, are wired directly into your existing doorbell system.

• • Field of view: While field of view may not seem important, it determines how wide and tall your camera records video. Measure the area around your front door. If you have a wide porch, you may want to purchase a video doorbell that has a wide field of view.

• • Storage: While some doorbell cameras, like the ADT doorbell camera, record and store video clips, other smart doorbells use local storage and don’t or require a premium subscription to receive recording services.

• • Installation: Most video doorbells require professional installation to hardwire the device into the existing doorbell system. Some doorbell cameras, like the Ring Video Doorbell 3, allow for do-it-yourself (DIY) installation and the doorbell is installed using screws and a mounting plate.

• • Video cameras vs. video doorbells: While video doorbells record video and allow communication, they are most effective for quick alerts and talking with visitors. If you’re looking for a more extensive video security solution, you may want to go with a home security camera that provides more robust storage solutions and sharper video quality. Security cameras, like Abode’s Outdoor Smart Camera, can be used anywhere, including your front door.

Other Ways to Keep Your Home Secure

Doorbell cameras are an excellent way to keep your home safe and secure by giving you the ability to monitor the outside of your home to fight off porch pirates, detect motion, and even communicate with visitors without ever having to open the door. However, there’s always more you can do to fully secure your home. In addition to adding a doorbell camera, here are some other areas in which you can help keep your home protected.

Add an Indoor Security System

While a doorbell camera can help keep the outside of your home safe, you should also consider installing an indoor security system to help protect the inside of your home. Indoor security systems can trigger an alarm if an unwanted guest makes it inside and can also put an automatic call to the authorities.

Keep Doors and Windows Locked

One of the easiest things you can do to keep would-be burglars away is to ensure your windows and doors are locked and fully closed, even when you’re at home. Over 35% of home burglaries occur due to an unlocked door or window, according to the FBI.

Be Mindful of Spare Keys

While putting a spare key under the doormat may be convenient, it’s also an invite for thieves to easily access your home. If you are using a spare key, consider putting it in a lock box or another secure location that only you can access.

Keep Lights On

Another easy way for you to scare off potential home-invaders are to simply leave lights on when you’re not home, especially for an extended period. Burglars will likely be looking to operate in darkness, so leaving lights on, especially outdoors, is likely to have them looking for a different target.

Don’t Forget Cyber Security

In the 21st century, cyber security is just as essential as keeping your home physically secure. If a bad actor gains access to your Wi-Fi network, they could disable your doorbell camera or security system, allowing them easy entry to your home. Make sure your Wi-Fi password cannot easily be guessed, and enable WPA or WPA2 encryption on your network. You should also install anti-virus protection on your computer and make sure your home’s router is fully secure.

FAQ About Doorbell Cameras

Do all doorbells have a monthly fee?

Not all video doorbells have a monthly fee. For most brands, you can self-monitor your doorbell at no additional charge. However, most video doorbells offer a premium monthly subscription that gives you access to features like video storage, facial recognition, and advanced motion detection.

If you’re looking to use your video doorbell simply to see who is on your doorstep when the doorbell rings, you most likely won’t need to pay a monthly fee.

How much does a video doorbell cost?

Video doorbells range anywhere between $100-$300. Price factors include the model purchased and whether or not the video doorbell was purchased as a standalone product or part of a security system.

Do video doorbells record all the time?

No. Most video doorbells don’t record in real time for live streaming. Typically, recording is triggered when the alarm is rang or motion is detected.

What audio feature is best for a doorbell camera?

You should look for doorbell cameras that have a two-way audio feature. This allows both you and the person at your door to talk to each other. Some video doorbells even incorporate noise cancellation technology, blocking out unnecessary sounds for better communication.

What safety features does a doorbell camera offer?

Doorbell cameras offer a variety of safety features outside of video monitoring and two-way talk. Some video doorbells link to other smart home devices, like floodlights, that can brighten your front porch when a visitor is detected at night.

Many smart doorbells are linked directly to your security system, allowing you to dispatch emergency services if there’s an intruder at your door. If you’re expecting visitors, your doorbell camera’s smart home integration can link directly to your door’s smart locks, so you can let in a friend or family member at the touch of a button.

Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team

This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.

We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.

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