Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know the importance of smart security and the comfort in knowing who is on the other side of your front door. The future of smart home security is going to evolve drastically in the next couple of years, and it’s no more just about a pack of motion sensors dotted around your house. Smart doorbells are now wi-fi enabled and they can help in visual communication with the person at your door. Now, what are the key essentials that one looks for when searching for the best smart doorbell? There are many, and we’ve kept all of them in mind while preparing the list of top 5 smart doorbells in the UK right now.
Let’s start with the best budget option in the list of top smart doorbells. Ring video doorbell offers just about everything you need in a basic smart doorbell. This is a wireless video doorbell and can be mounted anywhere easily. Equipped with adjustable motion zones and support for 5GHz networks, Ring video doorbell 3 is a value for money product. It is a battery-powered doorbell and captures videos at a resolution of 1080p. You need to pay a subscription fee after the 30-day trial if you want to take photos from the feed and talk to people at the door remotely.
Key specs:
- Camera: 1080p HD video
- Field of view: 160˚
- Battery: 5200mAh
- Connectivity: Wireless
- Storage: Cloud
The Arlo Essential Video Doorbell is the latest entry to the world of smart doorbells and it offers more versatile features for a reasonable price. This smart device features direct-to-mobile video calls using the two-way microphone and speaker, a segment-best all-weather resistance coating, and quick reply messages with pre-set responses. Arlo also included HDR and night vision and made this video doorbell a better choice than the Ring 3. Arlo also requires a paid subscription service for video storage and AI-based person detection after the 3-month trial period.
Key specs:
- Camera: 1080p HD video with HDR
- Field of view: 180˚
- Battery: Rechargeable battery with six months of battery life on one charge
- Connectivity: Needs connecting to existing mains-powered doorbell chime wiring.
- Storage: Cloud
Eufy edges over other subscription-based smart doorbells by providing 16GB of internal storage and that is why this is our favorite deviceon this list. You have the option to run it on battery or make it mains powered if you’re bothered by charging regularly. The installation is simple as screwing the mounting plate to the wall or front door frame, then clipping in the doorbell. Eufy sports a crisp 2K resolution camera which beat the likes of Ring and Arlo Smart doorbells. The human detection feature allows the device to only save video clips to storage that have people in the frame and that is quite useful to save that limited storage space.
Key specs:
- Camera: 2560 x 1920, 2K resolution with WDR (Wide Dynamic Range, a variant on HDR)
- Field of view: 160˚
- Battery: 5200mAH
- Connectivity: Wireless
- Storage: Internal (16GB)
Wired smart doorbells may seem outdated but if you’re a home-owner and willing to make wiring modifications, you have great options available. Nest Hello is the best wired smart doorbell on our list and it comes with all the glory of Google’s smart home wing Nest. Nest Hello offers crisp and clear video quality using its HDR features and also sports infrared LEDs for night vision. The Nest Hello integrates well with Google’s smart home devices and it even announces the name of the person via your Google Home smart speaker. This smart doorbell is a data-hungry device and we recommend this device only if you have an uncapped data plan. Google offers flexible subscription plans for this smart doorbell starting from £30 per year and the most premium plan will cost £200 per year. You can use Nest Hello without any subscription plan but it will lock out most of Google’s cleverest features including the option to see the continuous video recordings.
Key specs:
- Camera: 1,600 x 1,200 resolution
- Field of view: 160˚
- Battery: na
- Connectivity: Wired
- Storage: Cloud
Ring’s flagship model is sleek and smart with 1080 pixel video recording and a wide field of view. Ring has included all the possible security features to this pro model and it integrates easily with your smart home devices also. This is a wired smart doorbell and a continuous power supply means Ring pro is always watching your front door. Ring pro lets you set Motion Zones to ensure false notifications are reduced and we’ve experienced fantastic results while testing this smart doorbell. Video quality is top-notch with clear face detection day or night. The smartphone app is also very user-friendly and responsive even though there was a slight lag in connecting two-way video. The Ring Video Doorbell Pro is expensive but it is the best that the company has produced so far. Subscription plans start from £2.50 and range up to £8 depending on your requirements.
Key specs:
- Camera: 1080p HD video
- Field of view: 160˚
- Battery: na
- Connectivity: Wired
- Storage: Cloud
