Knock knock, who’s there? Actually, don’t bother answering that, we can already see you. So, despite ruining one of the finest joke telling mechanics, smart doorbells are revolutionary. Packed with a wide-angle camera, Wi-Fi connection and in-app alerts, you’ll always know who is at your door.
And they're not just useful for scouting out whether you want to answer your best friend or hide under the sofa from door-to-door salesman. Thanks to motion tracking and the power of the Cloud, your smart bell can alert your smartphone, as long as you have signal, to warn you of any activity. This makes it much more than a novelty, being seen by many as one of the best home-security devices on the market.
Whatever the reason you’re looking to invest in a shiny new video doorbell, we can all agree that you can never take too many security measures, and with the rise in prominence, these options are as useful as a deterrent for opportunistic crime as they are handy to make sure you never miss your weekday parcel again.
The best Smart doorbells
1 of 6Ring Doorbell 3
The Ring Doorbell is the one that started it all off, and now it's on version 3. The Ring 3 allows you to check out goings on with high resolution Full HD 1080p video. A built-in microphone and speaker system allows you to talk to your visitor - great to deter shady characters, or redirect your signed for delivery. It can be hardwired, or powered by battery, and has Alexa compatibility. The wide-angle lens gives you 160 degrees of capture, and motion detection keeps you ahead of the game.
2 of 6Google Nest Hello
Nest's alternative to Ring's video doorbell also features a 160-degree field of view and high definition video recording. It even comes with night vision and HDR to get the most from your footage, regardless the scene. Thanks to Google's Cloud services, you can record 24/7, and the smart motion detection can differentiate between people and objects. As you'd expect, you can communicate two-way via the HD audio, and alerts comes straight to your phone in the case of any questionable visitors.
3 of 6Ring Door View Cam
Much like the previous Ring door cam, this offers you glorious high definition 1080p video, two-way audio communication and motion detection for maximum security. It can send alerts to your Ring app if it detects anyone within its 155-degree field of view, and record gins are saved up-to 30 days after subscribing to Ring Protect. Finally, you can even integrate it with Alexa for the ultimate convenience. What's the difference you ask? Simple. this is designed to sit on the inside your door and monitor through the peephole, should you have one.
4 of 6Byron WiFi Video Doorbell
More of a budget option, the Byron is a solid entry to the world of video doorbells. It features 1080p Full HD video recording with a 160-degree field-of-view, smartphone alerts and motion detection - none too shabby so far. You can enable two-way communication to deter or advise your guests, and the infrared night vision allows the camera to capture subjects in the dark up-to 3 meters away, and records direct to an SD card.
5 of 6Ring Floodlight Cam
OK, you got us, it's not technically a doorbell… However, the big daddy of the Ring world, this Micky Mouse-looking contraption is part video monitor, part floodlight. You still get 1080p Full HD video and two-way communication. Ring Protect gives you 30 days of saved footage, and you'll get alerts straight to your smartphone. Where this differs is that it includes a beastly 110 decibel siren, two ultra-bright LED floodlights and motion sensors with a 270 degree field-of-view and object and facial detection. You can even use the smart zoom to get close to the alarm causing issue and separate that detestable burglar, from your neighbour Dodgy Dave… Get out of my bin Dave!Features:• 1080p HD video with live view• Motion-activated alerts • Two-way talk• Remotely activated siren Review: "Love my Ring doorbell but really didn't expect this product to be as good as it is. Amazing quality - arrived well packaged and with clear instructions. It has the added back up of a remotely activated siren if required along with the excellent video recording which can viewed historically or in live mode. The light is really powerful and lights up our patio and into garden. Makes my home feel very safe and protected. Highly recommended - amazing product for a reasonable price."
6 of 6Arlo Audio Doorbell (AAD1001)
Another off-tangent bend, the Arlo Audio Doorbell is, as its name suggests, an audio-only doorbell. Not in the traditional sense, clearly. Although you won't find a live video stream, it does pair up with Arlo's range of wireless cameras, which means you can create more dynamic angles than others on this list. You'll also get alerts to your smartphone when someone activates the doorbell, as well as two-way audio and the ability for visitors to leave a voice message when you're unavailable. It's not as tech-savvy as the others on this list, but it's a great budget option with room for expansion.
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Kirk Schwarz is one of our resident tech experts. A tech-addicted photographer with more than a decade's experience, Kirk's used to putting new gear through extreme field-testing.
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