App view from Lorex doorbell on phone.
Does it work with smart home platforms? If so, do the smart features work well together?
Today, a smart home the device is expected to work with at least one major smart home platform. Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant again Apple HomeKit they are the main ones you need to look for. Apple support is hard to come by but if the rumors are right Apple will be releasing its own security camera before too long and support should be more common.
Note that Matter’s home standard, which allows for cross-platform functionality and other tricks, is not necessarily available for video doorbells. The Matter Standard is too slow to add video functionality and isn’t ready for home cameras of any kind yet.
Privacy and security
Video doorbells capture many daily moments and many of them store that video in the cloud. One of my priorities is to assess the brand’s track record with privacy practices, digital preservation and overall security.
You will see me discuss topics such as how easy it is doorbell maker offers video to authorities or how they have responded to data breaches in the past. This is also the reason why other doorbells do not appear on my list: Wyze, with repeated security flaws recently the September 2023 video storage issue that allowed others to view strangers’ doorbells, didn’t make the cut.
This doorbell model has an insane number of features but you will need to enable most of them.
Video storage and subscription
Video storage is essential for doorbell notification. Since most videos are captured automatically, I focus on how that video is uploaded, its storage limitations and how easy it is to access or share the video. Saving videos is especially important if you want to report a porch burglar to the police or save a similar unpleasant event for later action. (But sometimes you just think animals are cute.)
Video storage varies greatly across all doorbell devices. Some allow a certain amount of free online video storage but many require a monthly subscription to store video in the cloud or greatly expand storage options with a subscription. That’s great for people who want a history of video events to access and don’t want to handle the video a little. It is also the only option that works with video chat search like Google Gemini offers.
Some doorbells have the option to use local storage via a microSD card, a less expensive option that requires manual video management. I’d like to see as many free and easy-to-use options as possible for video doorbells, assuming you have enough of a home tech subscription as is.
AI recognition and alerts
AI and video doorbells are a useful — and increasingly common — combination. I’m looking for AI software that can accurately recognize packages, pets or even the faces of people in your contact list and send you very accurate alerts about what’s going on (and if a package disappears unexpectedly). On the other hand, I’d also like to see smart motion detection that can easily ignore passing cars or falling leaves reduce unnecessary warnings.
Blink video doorbell with two-way audio.
Wired vs. wireless
Wired versus wireless is often a matter of choice but it is an important preference. Wired doorbells are always durable and can often be attached to an existing door chime. Wireless models are more flexible in terms of placement but you’ll need to charge them every few months and they won’t connect to a hardware chime. One is not necessarily better than the other and most doorbells offer both options but it is important to think about how you would choose to use them.
The delay
If your smart doorbell camera takes too long to send a notification after someone rings your doorbell, you could be in danger of missing your guest altogether. You also need to make sure you get notifications if something sets off the motion detector, as you can set up a multi-video motion sensor on your doorbell to alert you of activity around your door, even if no one is ringing. If you have latency issues, start with your Wi-Fi connection. If it’s not tight where the doorbell is installed, you might consider moving it (or, more simply, getting a Wi-Fi range extender). Sometimes it’s a software problem, that’s why the quality of the app is an important part to review.
Live view quality
Door frames are often exposed to direct sunlight but many others are placed under decks, near shade trees and in all sorts of other settings. It’s important that the camera has night vision and can handle any of these situations so that you don’t get stuck with an ineffective product that can’t see faces under the porch.
Sound quality
If the doorbell’s microphone and speaker aren’t working properly, you’ll have a hard time communicating with anyone there. I’ve tested this multiple times to see how the doorbell sound sounds on our phones, narrowing down the best video doorbell camera options for the chat.
