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Nowadays, you can get smart doorbells with video cameras for added security or nifty wireless doorbells that you don't have to hard wire.
Of all the doorbells you can buy, the Ring Video Doorbell 2 is our top pick because it doesn't have to be hard wired and it has an excellent 1080p camera.
The humble doorbell has come a long way in the past few years. Gone are the days when all a doorbell would do is alert you to the fact that someone's at the door. These days, doorbells can connect to your Wi-Fi network to offer enhanced home security with built-in cameras and microphones. You can even interact with people at the door when you're not home. There are also many innovative wireless doorbells that don't need to be hard wired to work, making them very convenient and easy to install for renters.
Of course, there are a few things to consider when buying a doorbell. For starters, if you're buying one to have better home security, you'll want to get one with smart features, a secure app, and a high-resolution video camera. Many smart doorbells require a subscription to unlock more cloud storage for footage and other security features.
You'll also want to think about your home or apartment setup. Some smart doorbells have to be hard-wired into your home to work properly, while others can be battery-powered. Hard-wired doorbells can connect to your home's built-in chime, while battery-powered ones might need another plugin device in order to chime when you're home.
Not all smart and wireless doorbells are created equal, but that's why we've put together this guide. We've done the research so you can easily select the best doorbell for your home.
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Here are our top picks for the best streaming smart doorbells:
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The Ring Video Doorbell 2 has great motion detection, a 1080p camera with two-way audio, and it's wireless, so you won't have to hard-wire it into your home.
Ring has been building smart doorbells for a while now, and the Ring Video Doorbell 2 is still its best smart doorbell, mainly because it doesn't have to be hard-wired into your home in order to work properly.
It can be hard-wired, to be sure, but it also has a battery pack and works with the Ring Chime so you can use it wirelessly. That's a godsend for people who rent or are unable to hard wire a doorbell on their property.
Apart from the great wireless option, the Ring Video Doorbell 2 boasts a 1,080p camera with two-way audio, so you can talk to people at your door even if you're not home. The camera also has motion tracking, and you can set motion zones so that it doesn't send notifications every time someone walks past your house.
There are a few downsides to the Ring doorbell, of course. Like many of the other smart doorbells in our guide, there's no free video storage, so you have to pay to access it. Plus, the unit is a little bulky.
Still, in general, most reviewers argue that it's among the best smart doorbells out there. TechRadar and TechHive both gave the doorbell 4/5.
If you don't want all the smart features or the video feed of who's ringing your doorbell, you can get a super affordable wireless doorbell that's as simple as can be for about $20.
The SadoTech CXR Wireless Doorbell has two plugin chimes and one button, making it ideal for smaller homes or apartments. You can place the extra chime anywhere you want in your home so that you can hear your doorbell ring from afar. Both chimes have 52 tones and four volume levels, so you should be able to hear it.
The remote transmitter button is weatherproof with an IP33 rating, so you can safely use it outdoors. Set up is really easy and you don't even need batteries. You just plug the receiver into an electrical outlet.
Compared with all the complicated hard wiring and constant battery replacement you have to perform with other doorbells, setting up the Sado is a breeze. It comes with strong adhesives so you can mount it that way, or you can screw it into your wall or door frame.
The doorbell is CE, FCC, and RoHS certified, so you know it's safe to use. Of the nearly 8,000 reviews left by reviewers on Amazon, around 80% of them are for five stars and 12% are four stars. In other words, people really love this doorbell. Experts at BestReviews also recommend it as the best budget pick. — Malarie Gokey
Pros: Affordable, easy to set up, no battery, no wiring, 50 chimes
Cons: Might not be loud enough, not for large homes
The August Doorbell Cam is well designed and it has a nice app, but the best thing about it is that it boasts a great camera resolution and two-way audio.
August may be best known for its highly-popular smart lock, but locks aren't the only products the company makes. It also builds smart doorbells like the August Doorbell Cam.
There are plenty of reasons the August Doorbell Cam is a great choice for anyone who wants a smart video doorbell. For starters, the device features a nice camera with a resolution of 1,280 x 960 pixels. It also has a microphone and small speaker built in, allowing for two-way audio. That means you can have a conversation with whoever is at the door without having to actually go to the door.
One of the cool things about the August Doorbell Cam is Hindsight, a smart feature that captures around 10 seconds of video before the motion alarm is triggered. In other words, the camera is always recording, and once motion is detected, it'll show you 10 seconds before the detection, which means the video will likely be much more accurate.
The August Doorbell Cam is also compatible with a range of other smart home systems. It works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Nest, IFTTT, Wink, and even Xfinity.
There are a few downsides to the system. For starters, you can't set motion zones like you can on some other smart security cameras. It's also a bit expensive, especially when you get into cloud storage. You'll pay $4.99 per month or $49.99 for a full year to get the video stored in the cloud for 30 days.
Still, most reviewers love the August Doorbell Cam. Tom's Guide gave the device a score of 8/10, while PCMag gave it an equivalent score of 4/5.
Pros: High camera resolution, decent design, two-way audio
The SkyBell HD has a nice design, decent video quality, and it offers seven days of free video storage.
Most of the smart doorbells in our guide require a cloud storage subscription service for your stored video, but the SkyBell HD does away with that. You get seven days of cloud storage absolutely free.
That's not the only perk with this doorbell. It also boasts a wide-angle camera lens with a 1,080p resolution. One of the best things about the SkyBell HD is that its design is relatively subtle and good-looking. It's circular and has a brushed metal look. You can get it in silver or bronze, so it should fit in relatively well with most doorknobs and door hardware.
While the device does integrate with a few smart home systems, it depends on the system. It has an IFTTT channel, as well as integration with Amazon Alexa and with Nest, but it doesn't really work with Wink or Samsung SmartThings. On top of that, there's no web interface to speak of, which is one of the main downsides to using the SkyBell HD.
Pros: Well-designed, decent app, no cloud storage subscription required
Cons: No web interface, could integrate with more smart home setups
The Ring Video Doorbell Pro offers many of the perks of the standard Ring doorbell, but the best thing about it is its sleek profile that fits on a doorframe.
Ring also makes a fancier Video Doorbell Pro, which may appeal to some because of its sleek design and because it could much more easily fit onto a door frame.
The Ring Video Doorbell Pro is a little different from the Video Doorbell 2 in that it has to be hard-wired to work properly. That's part of how Ring was able to slim down the device so much – by getting rid of the battery.
The Pro's camera has a resolution of 1,080p and two-way audio, so you can talk to whoever is at the door. Like the other Ring doorbell, you can set motion zones in the app, which is very helpful.
The Video Doorbell Pro is able to integrate with other smart home systems, too. It supports IFTTT and can connect to your Amazon Echo.
Most reviewers like the Ring Video Doorbell Pro as well. Tom's Guide awarded the device a 8/10, while it scored an even-better 9/10 on PCMag.
The downsides? It's a little expensive and you have to pay for a subscription to access the video feed and other features.
The Zmodo Greet has a decent design and video quality, but the real advantage is its $70 price tag.
The smart doorbells we've looked at are all great, but they all have one thing in common. They're a little expensive. That, however, is where the Zmodo Greet steps in. The device is sleek, pretty stylish, and it costs only $80.
Now, at this price, there are some compromises, but the Zmodo Greet still delivers decent specs. The camera resolution sits in at 720p, which is a little less than the others on this list, but still perfectly fine for most people's needs.
The doorbell has an accompanying app that will alert you whenever there's motion nearby, and the camera is infrared night vision-equipped, so it'll work fine at night, too.
Unlike plenty of other smart doorbells, the Zmodo Greet offers 36 hours of free cloud storage. If you want more, you can sign up for a cloud storage plan of 7 days or 30 days.
Not many reviews are out for the device, but most people who bought it seem to like it. It comes in with a 3.8-star average on Amazon. Sure, that's not amazing, but it's pretty good for an $80 smart doorbell.
Pros: Inexpensive, some free cloud storage, nice design
Cons: Lower-quality video, must be hard-wired, little smart home compatibility
The smart home is on the rise, and there are a ton of great products to choose from. It can be overwhelming to choose which smart home gadgets to get. Thankfully, we've done the work for you, so building your smart home is as easy as adding all these products to your wish-list and connecting them to your Wi-Fi.
We've spent months testing all of the latest and greatest smart home products, and selected only the best of the best. Here's what we've found.
