What is the best front door / Doorbell cameras?

Notta_Donkey1

Hi All, I am new to the community and it looks great. 
I have recently bought a new house and for security reasons I am looking to purchase a camera for my front door. I would love some advise on recommendations and what kind of things I should be looking for, particularily in relation to:
- Features
- Price (what should I budget)
- Security
- Durability/warranty
Thanks

Crowgrandfather

I use a Nest Hello. It's very similar to the Ring but a bit thinner. It also has a different aspect ratio. 4:3 instead of 16:9. This means it gets length not width so it has an easier time seeing people.

The main reason I recommend Nest over Ring is for full motion video. Nest constantly records, so you can go back and watch your full history. Ring only records events so if it's not in an event you don't have a way to view it.

Marc

Hi @Notta_Donkey , I use the Ring doorbell camera.  It is compatible with iOS, Android phones and tablets plus support Alexa for viewing.  The camera also has a super clear picture.   It requires a subscription to view and store older recording so keep in mind that recurring cost.

Here is another important point, if you plan on using a smart assistant for viewing the cameras output, which I do, you need to make sure whatever camera you pick is compatible with your chosen smart display device like an Echo Show or Google assistant.  Compatibility should also include interoperability with any automation you might be using.  I find Ring is pretty good with that, but you also have nest and others that have varying degrees of compatibility.  

Feel free to ask specific questions if you have them.  I'm sure others will chime in with opinions...

jpartain89

I personally have a Ring Doorbell Pro and a Ring Floodlight Cam - as well as their security system - installed (I also live with my grandmother, mutually beneficial) mostly because of the fact that I live with my grandma.... Most tech purchasing decisions are centered around "if I'm busy, will this product be easy enough for my grandma to figure out without me?" Which, yes, generally, Ring Products fall into that category.

They also provide a monthly subscription service that extends their "warranty" of their products from one year to a lifetime (as long as you pay for the subscription) that if the device gets stolen off your front porch, they will replace it, after some steps and paper work and what not.

Now, as far as "Do I like it?" Not particularly... The coding in their apps has an air of laziness - ESPECIALLY their desktop apps.... The one on macOS is an absolute joke.... Not to mention the recent stories of freely passing out videos and what not to police departments and security holes, if not for my gma, I'd never have gone ring in the first place....

I'll also admit I use a homebridge server on my network to pipe stuff that doesn't speak "Apple Homekit" into Homekit, not always "Just Working" like the old apple adage goes....

As far as other products out there? Obviously I haven't had a chance to test anything else out, sadly.... But like most everything tech, you go cheap you get cheap, it seems. Outside of Black Friday weekend sales, of course... (As of 11/9/19, Amazon is selling the Ring Pro, the Chime (a plugin doorbell ringer) and an Echo Show for $199.99). 

If you have any other questions and what not, please ask them!

Kal

It depends I am a professional CCTV installer and none of my customers would accept a camera with a black ring around the image. Also if you care about privacy read this...

Investigate Amazon's surveillance dragnet -- says. "Amazon provides law enforcement with an automated way to request and access user footage from tens of thousands of Ring surveillance doorbells, en masse without a warrant." ALSO. Romanian cybersecurity firm Bitdefender has found a venerability in Ring doorbells that allowed it to intercept the WiFi credentials of the device's network. Smh

Marc

Kal said:

It depends I am a professional CCTV installer and none of my customers would accept a camera with a black ring around the image. Also if you care about privacy read this...

Investigate Amazon's surveillance dragnet -- says. "Amazon provides law enforcement with an automated way to request and access user footage from tens of thousands of Ring surveillance doorbells, en masse without a warrant." ALSO. Romanian cybersecurity firm Bitdefender has found a venerability in Ring doorbells that allowed it to intercept the WiFi credentials of the device's network. Smh

Ring vulnerability has been fixed and as they update automatically odds are this should be a moot point soon enough, or at least until the next vulnerability exploit comes along...  Regardless, one would hard pressed to find anything that connects to the internet to not at some point be vulnerable to some exploit.  You just have to hope that the company that manufacturers whatever component it is reacts quickly.  A positive nod to the closed CCTV system that perhaps you install @Kai?

Kal

I'm not sure if you are asking me a question with the? If you are asking if I'm trying to promote the equipment we sell not only would that be a no but we only do local businesses and also why I didn't recommend a product. I do own a ring 2 doorbell and would never use it at my house personally because I think Privacy is important and believe the quality is questionable, also even though it's not much people don't expect to pay a monthly fee to access their doorbell videos that are stored on the server anyway.

Marc

A comment on the vulnerability and on the fact that nothing I can think of that hits the internet is secure.  You mentioned you were a professional and I assumed you sell secure CCTV's and that an isolated one, aka one that does not hit the internet, would be the only secure system that I can think of.  As for the questions, is that a wrong assumption and is there a connected camera that is indeed secure?

Notta_Donkey1

Thank you all for your advise. This is really really beneficial for me in my research into getting a doorbell camera. It is great to get actual user input/advise as opposed to just researching product info from websites. What I am taking from this is that although Ring doorbell is a useful product and easy to use, there are concerns around security and privacy of recordings. Hence Nest may be the way to go. I will look into this in more detail (and may be back with more  questions :P ) thanks again.

VioletChepil

Thanks for the great question @Notta_Donkey and for all the helpful responses on this thread.

Robin_Ex_Fing

Notta_Donkey said:

Hi All, I am new to the community and it looks great. 
I have recently bought a new house and for security reasons I am looking to purchase a camera for my front door. I would love some advise on recommendations and what kind of things I should be looking for, particularily in relation to:
- Features
- Price (what should I budget)
- Security
- Durability/warranty
Thanks

Hi @Notta_Donkey

As the thread have been mostly recommending Ring or NEST device. You can view the full comparison between these two devices working and then you can decide which one to go for. I have personally seen NEST hello in action and pretty much satisfied with the service. 
https://www.cnet.com/news/ring-video-doorbell-pro-vs-nest-hello/

kltaylor

I have two wireless doorbells (my dogs).   Other than those I have a Wyze camera ($20-$25) hosted on the bay window to the side of the door to capture movement.

Cybersal

Hi Taylor, does the Wyze camera come with its own security recording softwere or are you using anything specific? I like to keep my recordings local not on the cloud.

Hronos

@Cybersal, Wyze cameras have a local storage (microSD slot for up to 32Gbs card as for Wyze.com said, I am willing to test 64gbs or more xD )  It seams to record on it (if you configure it) even if the internet is not available (till the card is full, the documentation say the camera will overwrite old footage but I am not getting that behavior in mine)

Cybersal

Besides saving on the SD card would it save on my local network?

Hronos

@Cybersal, as far as my knowledge gets... No.

ArtJ

I had Ring at my Previous house and wanted to try something else at my new house so I went with Nest Hello. I have a measured 100 MB Internet connection and the WiFi Router is 10 feet from the front door with great signal strength at the doorbell.

I have had issues with both of these products. Great concept but in reality it doesn’t work like you see in the commercial. By the time the notification gets to your phone, in my case an iPhone 11 Pro, and you get to the Nest or Ring App the person at your door is gone. No carrying on a conversation with them.

Does it prevent front door package thieves? Possibly, I haven’t had any of my packages stolen, but in this area I never had a package stolen before getting a video doorbell. Do I feel better having it, Yes. Enough to subscribe to the cloud recording, Yes.

But just wanted to pass along my observations.

Sandman

I had the Ring, was an early adopter. Back then they had a "lifetime" feature, if stolen, they would replace it free of charge.

After many updates, the Ring APP on my cell phone quit notifying me, a Galaxy S10+. Ring wanted me to buy a new device to "fix" my problem. After many go-arounds, Ring did replace the device with a new unit, after I returned the original unit.

That didn't fix the problem.  So, I bought the doorbell listed below, which is run by 2 18650 batteries. I get a few months on a charge, plus I can view in real time the current video/audio. Plus, there is no yearly charge for cloud storage. It goes to a SD which one can review remotely.

I didn't buy from this place, but I did buy this doorbell.

I have a Ring for sale new in box, used once.

Haven't posted it anywhere yet.

Wireless WiFi DoorBell Smart Video Phone Door Visual Ring Intercom Secure Camera - Black  ($35.41)
Product code: NCV-PEL_03N6T4KT

https://www.chinavasion.com/china/wholesale/home-garden/security/gadgets/Wireless-WiFi-DoorBell-Smart-Video-Phone-Door-Visual-Ring-Intercom-Secure-Camera-Black

Yes

I have a Doorsafe 6600 (aka Alecto Elec IDC-25) doorbell. Probably a Chinese manufactured, but rebranded device. Back when I bought this, it was not so easy to obtain Ring overhere yet.

During daylight the picture is really bright and clear. Nightmodus quality is a bit poor, but since streetlights are near,it works ok at my location.

It has wifi and wired capabilities. I'm using it wired into my network. Although it comes with a SD card and it's own app, I hooked it up to my Synology ServeillanceStation to record events (with audio). Events are also passed through to Domoticz so additional automatons can be initiated.

AustinJerry

I have been using a Nest Hello for several years and am very pleased with it.  I chose Nest primarily because I already have Nest thermostats and Nest Aware smoke detectors around my home.  Being able to monitor all devices from the same iOS app was important for me.  I have never had an issue with my Nest devices, and support has always been excellent. 
The Nest Hello uses the wiring from my original doorbell, and connects to my home wireless network.  I have a Nest Aware subscription that provides a cloud-based 5-day video history at an annual cost of $53.

Bov

I also have the Ring Video Doorbell but was disappointed that the features are cobbled after 30 days unless you subscribe for a monthly fee. This was not up front on the box so I felt a little ripped off.

Having said that, it does still function as a video doorbell without the subscription.

The other drawback from my perspective is battery life not being great.

Marc

Petko said:

Кроугранд-отец сказал::

Я использую гнездо Привет. Он очень похож на кольцо, но немного тоньше. Он также имеет другое соотношение сторон. 4: 3 вместо 16: 9. Это означает, что он получает длину, а не ширину, поэтому ему легче видеть людей.

Основная причина, по которой я рекомендую Nest over Ring, - это полное видео движения. Nest постоянно записывает, поэтому вы можете вернуться и посмотреть свою полную историю. Кольцо только записывает события, поэтому, если это не событие, у вас нет способа его просмотреть.

Google translate is your friend here...   Hi @Petko,  I like that the model of doorbell you bought is thinner.  I have the ring but because of its width, needed to build a small platform for it to support its size on the doorframe. 

chakajon

Waiting for Netatmo’s long promised HomeKit compatible doorbell.

Unfortunately, as far as I’m aware, only Robin ProLine and (the brand new) Robin ProLine Compact Doorbells (out of The Netherlands), are the only two HomeKit-ready smart doorbell cameras.

I’m starting to wonder, if HomeKit is worth waiting for.

VioletChepil

Thanks @chakajon for the feedback. Should we start up another thread on this? "Is Homekit worth waiting for?"
This could be an interesting topic to discuss too! 

Docd

As a proffesional owner and installer, you are all missing the fact you are talking about retail products. Spend the extra money and goto a commercial grade product, we exclusively recommend alarm.com.

Marc

@Docd, could you elaborate on why a consumer would be better off buying a commercial product?  What are the benefits etc?  Thanks!

Docd

Commercial products are always built more robust, usually come with better tech support, and most often better features.

Netside

https://community.fing.com/discussion/comment/7013#Comment_7013

I agree that Nest Hello is the best doorbell camera, for various reasons. However, I feel like it's my duty to say this: Nest Hello must be wired with a doorbell transformer, at least on all models I've seen and as of this writing (process is pretty much the same as installing a real doorbell, requiring this extra step).

if you want a good alternative, Ring has a camera called the Floodlight Cam, which uses your existing front porch/door light fixture (it has two ultra bright lights and the camera, which can be configured to turn them on/off, or you can set a fixed schedule, etc.). Main point is that it's less work and has the added benefit of lighting, which for me is a big deal since night vision doesn't always work that well because the infrared LEDs never go far enough (I think this is something often ignored when comparing these two cameras). With Nest Hello, you won't have any lights besides separate ones, as far as I know.

So, if you already have a traditional wired doorbell (and thus, you'll have a transformer for one), go for Nest Hello. If you don't, maybe consider Ring's Floodlight Cam, as long as you have a traditional front porch light.

Also of note is that YOU CAN HAVE 24/7 RECORDING (PRACTICALLY) on the Floodlight Cams, by setting it to record EVERY motion event. This is how I have mine setup, but I only have one, so I miss the benefit of knowing when people actually come to the door (since it'll notify me of every little bird, etc.). HOWEVER, if your house has dual front porch light fixtures, you can have the best of both worlds by configuring one like mine and the other to only notify you of people. Unfortunately most houses aren't like this, but if yours is, you're kind of lucky in a way, in my opinion, but I can't confirm if this setup would be better or worse, or more costly or cheaper, than just going with Google/Nest Hello.

Not claiming to know everything, but just wanted to state what I've learned over the past two years, especially since I feel like I've required 24/7 recording because of a life event.

Navek

I have been using August doorbell cam for about 3 years now I started with their 1st Gen Doorbell and it was ok it had issues.

-not staying connected to my networ

-compatibility

• Needed mechanical doorbell or precisely the power supply that powers the mechanical doorbell
• Integration into Smart Home ecosystem

-audio quality from the doorbell it's self

-video quality not so great

Now takeing in to consideration I lived in Ann apt building on the 14th floor with a 100+ other apt's with their own WiFi networks I was constantly battling other networksto find a channel that was not overcrowded with traffic, I learnt alot about networking cuz of this lol

Even with dual band quite a few home devices are not 5gh compatible and most people I think are using the 2.4gh first so quickly realized I was dealing with a lot of interference that's when knew I was at war lol.

I eventually ended up getting a mesh System

Googles self repairing feature was great for everything except my doorbell I eventually upgraded thinking it might improve so I got the pro version there was improvement but dropping still happend It took me some time figure out it was not 5g compatible and figure decided it wood be in charge of deciding if device's what went on the 2 or 5 channel ugh so not being defeated I looked for another solution...

Say hello to a tplink 2. 4 GH only range Ext right on the wall opposite my door bell. And huge improvement to the amount of drop-offs. Still had some issue with dropping but tolerable, I now live our of a huge city and more on a samll populated road with 5 house's not so closely piled next to each other and now works wonders

They do have free video recording for events it picksup then after 24 hours video expires but you can download need subscription for cloud storage for longer life span. And the doorbell is your WiFi bridge otherwise you need to get their August connect small little outlet bride to connect with it via BT the 3rd ten has zwave

I like the integration of the lock in the doorbell stream so you can awnser the door and let some one in with out haveing to leave the stream and the auto unlock when you get home is nice and not supper pricey I'd say affordable video and sound improved with the pro as well.

They have an new door bell that is powerd by battery no need for power supply but I don't own one so I dying know how it composers to the 1st Gen or the pro, but overall I like it now with alll the ifttt integration I can do more with it in my smartthings ecosystem glad I didn't give up on it 😂

VioletChepil

These are great feedback about various doorbell/cam experiences. Does anyone want to start-up a poll with some of these options in devices/security category? https://community.fing.com/categories/devices 

Then we can see how many Fing Community members are using which type of cameras etc.

- August doorbell cam
- Nest Hello
- Ring
- Netatmo 
- Doorsafe 6600
- Wyze cameras 
- Other 

Notta_Donkey1

Amazing feedback, thank you all so much. Really really useful information