Best Video Doorbells in 2024: Spruce Up Your Smart Home
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Are you looking for a connected smart video doorbell to monitor your entrance from your smartphone? Ring, Blink, Eufy, and even Xiaomi offer a range of video doorbell models. We have written this comprehensive buying guide to show you how to choose the model best suited to your needs and which smart video doorbell you should buy for your smart home.
In the following table, we've selected the most popular connected smart video doorbells on the internet and highlighted their various features. As we haven't reviewed any of the listed models, this buying guide is based on technical specifications and curated reviews from the web.
Best smart video doorbells in 2024
| Editor's choice | Best value for money | Best value for money | Best design | Best video quality | Best digital peephole | |
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Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4
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XTU J7 2K wireless Video Doorbell
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Xiaomi Smart Doorbell 3
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Google Nest Video Doorbell
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eufy Security Video Doorbell E340
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EZVIZ DP2C
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| IP certification |
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| Chime included |
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Table of Contents:
- What is a smart video doorbell, and how does it work?
- Buying advice: Things to consider before choosing a smart video doorbell
- Smart video doorbell alternatives
- The best smart video doorbells in 2024
What is a smart video doorbell, and how does it work?
To kick off our buying guide, here are a few principles to take note of. Based on our idea of what smart video 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 video doorbell.
Buying advice: Things to consider before choosing a smart video doorbell
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.
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 function
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 this article, make sure you choose a model with intercom functionality.
Battery or wired operation?
Speaking of existing cables and installation options, every smart video 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 at a house where multiple families live, a battery-powered model may be the better choice.
However, if the necessary cables are available, you can also decide for a model with a permanent power source. In the USA, doorbells usually work with an 8-volt to 24-volt power source. So when making your purchase, make sure that the voltage is enough for your desired model. This is because there are also models that need to be plugged into the mains adapter and socket, which can be a problem, especially outside the house.
Do I need a subscription?
The trend toward subscription models has not stopped at smart video 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.
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 storage?
Many smart doorbells rely on cloud storage to offer a range of practical functions. On the one hand, you can view your entryway from all over the world and store video footage as evidence in case of break-ins. However, you run the risk of entrusting sensitive data to a company that could potentially be hacked or use such data for itself.
However, more and more models offer the option of storing images locally on a USB key or even a NAS, or even come with built-in storage.
In the table at the beginning of this article, you will notice a row that informs you about the cloud connection of the respective video doorbells. This way, you can decide for yourself whether you want to head in the direction of data protection or functionality when buying.
Other features
As connected doorbells are quite functional, we haven't factored in the resolution count in this article. Whether you see the person at your front door in Full HD or 2K is, in our opinion, less important. All the more so as the quality is also heavily dependent on the connection quality and the transmission resolution.
Connected doorbells also offer other convenience features, which we won't go into in detail, such as night vision modes, package or person detection functions, and a choice of different ringtones.
The best connected doorbells to choose in 2024
Editor's pick: Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4
The Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4 is the best choice among smart video doorbells in 2024. It's a doorbell with a practical, all-purpose design that's easy to install. It comes with a chime that doubles up as a repeater thanks to WPA3 Wi-Fi support. The G4 films in Full-HD resolution at 1080p with a 162° field of view.
Aqara's video doorbell stands out first and foremost for its support of the majority of connected home ecosystems such as Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, IFTT, and even Matter. It also offers local facial recognition, two-way communication, 7-days of free cloud storage without a subscription, and the option of using an SD card for 24/7 monitoring.
You can power it either with AA batteries for up to 4 months' battery life, or connect it to an existing doorbell for continuous power. Finally, the Smart Video Doorbell G4 is IP-certified to withstand all weather conditions.
Best value for money: XTU J7 2K wireless Video Doorbell
Are you looking for a doorbell with a good compromise between functionality and budget? The J7 2K wireless Video Doorbell is a good choice. This smart video doorbell offers many features that are normally found in more expensive models, at a reasonable price. It films in 2K resolution with a 166° field of view. It is sold without a chime, but most retailers often offer a bundle with one.
Features include PIR motion detection, two-way audio, night vision, and a siren with anti-theft alert. You'll also be able to adjust the sensitivity, use the voice changer, or respond with a message that will be read back to you. You won't have to pay a subscription fee, and you can store your images on a micro SD card.
The XTU J7 2K doesn't offer the option of continuous power supply, but does incorporate a 5,700 mAh USB rechargeable battery that will last anywhere from 3 to 5 months. IP65 certification provides reassurance of the doorbell's ability to withstand water and dust.
The best cheap doorbell: Xiaomi Smart Doorbell 3
As with many other products, Xiaomi often offers the best deals. This is once again the case with the Xiaomi Smart Doorbell 3, which provides you with access to smart video doorbells without having to break the bank. You'll find the same advantages as more expensive doorbells, such as 2K video quality with a 107° field of view, an included chime, and AI facial recognition of humans, pets, and objects.
It can also act as a surveillance camera and features two-way communication, a voice modifier, the ability to pre-record greetings, and night vision. Xiaomi offers free 72-hour continuous cloud storage of motion-triggered video sequences.
The Smart Doorbell 3 incorporates a 500 mAh battery that gives it 4 months of battery life. You'll have to be careful where you place it, as it doesn't have any kind of water and/or dust resistance certification.
What do you think of this list of smart video doorbells? Have you already installed a similar system, or are you happy with an analog doorbell?
Article updated in April 2024 with new suggestions. Comments prior to the update were preserved and may seem out of context.
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.