Doorbell

With a smart video doorbell, your front door’s communication skills go from 1980s landline to a modern smartphone. Combining a motion-activated camera with a microphone, speaker, and buzzer, a doorbell camera sends alerts to your phone, allowing you to see who’s at the door without needing to open it or even be at home. Whether you’re curled up on the couch, hard at work in your office, or sunning on a beach in the Bahamas, a video doorbell keeps you in touch with what’s happening on your doorstep.

What I’m looking for

A nice design

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This is on your front door, and it needs to look good and / or blend in.

Affordable (or free) video recording

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All video doorbells should offer a live feed from the camera, but in order to see visitors you missed a cloud or local storage option for video recordings is important. Some companies offer free local storage, and some have free cloud storage, but most require a monthly fee.

Good motion detection and alerts

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Fast and accurate motion detection is essential to know when someone is at the door. Smart alerts for people, animal, and vehicles are helpful to cut down on nuisance notification. The option to add custom motion zones helps with this, too. Some doorbells offer package detection, which is an important feature if porch pirates are an issue.

Good video quality

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At least 1080p HD video with the option of HDR will help you see faces clearer if your doorway is backlit. Color night vision is a bonus, but not that important if you have a porch light.

Head-to-toe aspect ratio

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If you’re concerned about keeping an eye on packages, a head-to-toe view will let you see the space in front of your door from top to bottom. Other aspect ratios have uses, though. Read my FAQ for more on this.

Useful smart home integrations

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Compatibility with the major smart home platforms adds features like having lights turn on on your porch when motion is detected or unlocking your front door while viewing a live feed from your doorbell. Doorbells that work with smart displays like an Echo Show or Google Nest and smart TVs like an Apple TV or Fire TV can automatically show a live feed when someone rings the bell, a handy feature.

An indoor chime

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It’s important to have some way of alerting you to the doorbell ringing inside your house (not just through your smartphone), either through being compatible with your existing doorbell chime or through a smart speaker or separate plug-in chime.

Wired power option or removable batteries

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I always recommend using existing doorbell wires if you have them; you’ll never have to worry about charging your doorbell (see my FAQ for more on this). Battery-powered options will do if there’s no way to wire; removable or replaceable batteries are important here — taking your entire doorbell down to charge it every three months is a pain.

I’ve tested more than 35 video doorbells, and while there’s no one-size-fits-all, like a smartphone, it’s a personal choice, I have thoughts on which are the best of the best and which work well for specific use cases.

My top advice is to use the existing doorbell wires if you have them. Wired doorbells are generally cheaper, work better, and are more compact, so they tend to look nicer.

If you don’t have wires and don’t want to pay for an electrician to run them, try using an AC power adapter (Ring and Google Nest sell their own; you can also find generic ones). But if all else fails, I’ve got recommendations for good battery-powered buzzers. Just plan to pick up an extra battery when you purchase, or factor in removing it from your door every few months to charge it for a few hours.

$180

With 24/7 recording, facial recognition, reliable smart alerts, and some free video recording, Google’s wired doorbell is the best option for most people.

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Video quality: 960 x 1280p, 6x zoom, HDR / Smart alerts: Person, package, animal, vehicle, and facial recognition ($) Aspect ratio: 3:4 / Field of view: 145 degrees diagonal / Power options: Wired / Wi-Fi: 2.4GHz and 5GHz / Storage: Cloud and local / Subscription fee: $10 a month / Works with: Alexa, Google, SmartThings

The Nest Doorbell Wired (2nd-gen) is one of only two video doorbells in this list that can record 24/7. Scrolling through a continuous timeline view of everything that’s happened at your front door is super helpful and means you won’t miss anything. This, along with a good price, great video quality, the ability to tell you what and who is at your door, and some free recorded video, make it the best doorbell for most people.

The Nest Wired is also the best video doorbell that works with Google Home, and the best for protecting your packages. Its proactive package watch feature tells you when a package arrives and sends another alert when it’s gone. In my testing, it worked very well.

Unlike many competitors — such as Ring and Arlo — Google doesn’t charge for smart notifications. The Nest Wired will tell you if it’s a person, package, animal, or vehicle at your door for free. You also get free activity zones to cut down on unwanted notifications, and three free hours of event-based recordings, thanks to local storage and local processing.

You can, in theory, use this doorbell without paying a subscription

But three hours isn’t enough to be particularly useful, and to get recorded video, you need a Nest Aware plan (starting at $10 per month, $100 per year). This does cover all your Google Nest cameras, though, and it adds Nest’s excellent Familiar Faces feature, which tells you who is at your door.

If you want 24/7 recording, you need Nest Aware Plus ($20 per month, $200 a year), but again, this subscription applies to all Google Nest cameras you have.

The Nest wired has four color options and more discreet branding than most doorbells. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

On paper, the Nest doesn’t have the best specs; the Ring Wired Pro is technically better. But it does deliver a 960 x 1280 pixel resolution with a 6x digital zoom, and video quality is very good, thanks to some digital trickery. Its 3:4 portrait aspect ratio and 145-degree field of view are very good, and I could see my porch from top to bottom and a fair amount from side to side.

On-device AI makes the Nest speedy with notifications, and it delivers rich alerts to both your phone and watch. These are interactive, allowing you to press and hold the video to see a clip and activate one of the three preset quick responses. It’s also quick to call up live video.

Nest’s doorbells and cameras work with Nest and Amazon Alexa smart displays for viewing a live feed. Google also now lets you have a live stream pull up automatically on your Google TV when someone rings the doorbell — a super handy feature.

There are a few quirks. There’s no reliable way to snooze notifications from the doorbell, and if you use multiple Nest speakers or displays, they’ll all announce your visitors. Not great if you have a Nest Mini in your kid’s nursery.

Google is gradually rolling out a search and description feature to its cameras, including video doorbells that will send an alert describing exactly what’s happening in a clip, giving you more context before opening the app. You’ll also be able to search through footage for specific events — like kids on bikes. The search and description feature will require a subscription.

Read my full Nest Doorbell wired review.

Best battery-powered doorbell camera

$150

This is a great battery-powered buzzer with excellent video quality, a good head-to-toe view, and very speedy response times for a battery doorbell. It integrates well with Amazon Alexa and can record locally to a Ring Alarm Pro, but the battery only lasts about two months unless you turn on battery-saving features.

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Video quality: 1536 x 1536p, HDR, color night vision / Smart Alerts: Person, package ($) Aspect ratio: 1:1 / Field of view: 150 degrees horizontal, 150 degrees vertical / Power options: Battery, wired trickle charge, solar / Wi-Fi: 2.4GHz / Storage: Cloud and local (with Ring Alarm Pro) / Subscription fee: $4.99 a month / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings

If you really want a battery-powered buzzer, the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus is the way to go. At $149.99, it’s cheaper than the Ring Battery Pro, while still offering a head-to-toe view and high-quality video resolution to provide a clear picture of what’s happening at your door.

Unlike the $100 Ring Battery Doorbell, the Plus uses removable, rechargeable batteries, making it easier to keep your doorbell charged. Just have a second on hand charged and ready to swap in when you get low. Most other doorbells require you to take them down to recharge.

The Plus also has color night vision and was more responsive than any other non-Ring battery doorbell I’ve tested. It pulled up a live view in under four seconds, compared with upwards of 10 seconds for most others.

As with other battery-powered doorbells, there’s no preroll. If catching people as they approach your door — not just at your door — is crucial, consider the Battery Doorbell Pro ($229.99). That model adds preroll and improved motion detection using radar, which significantly cuts down on nuisance alerts.

It’s only really worth spending the extra $80 if you have lots of trees or passing cars in front of your door and/or you want to make sure you see the whole event when someone approaches your door. The Pro is also compatible with 5GHz Wi-Fi, which could mean faster responses if your front door is close enough to your router. The Plus is 2.4GHz only.

The Ring Plus and the previous Ring 4 look identical, but the Plus has some pluses. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Battery life isn’t great on either doorbell. They last around two months with all the features turned on except for extra-long recordings (the default is 30 seconds, but it can go up to 120). You can tweak settings to reduce power consumption, but then you have to give up features like HDR (which makes it easier to see faces) and snapshot capture, which takes a picture every five minutes to give you a better idea of what’s been happening at your door.

As with all Ring doorbells, there are no animal or vehicle alerts, only people and packages. These require a Ring Home plan starting at $4.99 a month, or $49.99 per year, which also includes 180 days of recorded video.

An AI-powered search feature introduced in 2024 lets you search recorded footage for things like animals, vehicles, and even the color of the coat you wore when you left the house. It’s handy for understanding what’s been going on around your home, but you still can’t get an alert when your cat is sitting on your porch.

Other free features include pre-recorded quick replies, the option to set a motion alert schedule, live view, and two-way audio. The Plus can announce visitors on Echo speakers and automatically initiate a two-way audio/video call on an Echo Show. It won’t work with your existing chime unless you wire it (which also trickle-charges the battery), but Ring sells a plug-in chime.

The Ring Battery Plus uses a removable, rechargeable battery. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

The Plus also works with Ring Edge, a local storage and processing option that requires a Ring Alarm Pro smart hub and a Ring Home Premium subscription ($20 a month, $200 per year). This adds cellular backup through its built-in Eero Wifi system, so it can keep your doorbell online if both the power and internet go out.

Best budget doorbell camera

$60

Blink’s buzzer is the best if you’re looking for a budget-friendly option with motion-activated recording and alerts, night vision, two-way audio, and up to two years of battery life.

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Video quality: 1080p / Smart alerts: None / Aspect ratio: 16:9 / Field of view: 135 degrees horizontal, 80 degrees vertical / Power options: Wired or battery / Wi-Fi: 2.4GHz / Storage: Cloud or local with a Sync Module / Subscription fee: $3 a month / Works with: Amazon Alexa

The Blink Video Doorbell is the best cheap doorbell with a no-subscription option. And while it works as a wired doorbell, it’s also a good option for a battery-powered buzzer, as it can go up to two years on two AAs. I don’t love this doorbell, as video and audio quality are not great, but it’s cheap, it gets the job done, and that battery life is phenomenal.

The Blink doesn’t have smart alerts or quick replies, and it only records 1080p video at a standard 16:9 aspect ratio). But the basics are here: motion-activated recording (with a max of 30 seconds), alerts, live view (with caveats), night vision, motion zones, and two-way audio.

If you want to pay $50 (often less) to have a camera at your door and be done with it, get the Blink. Cloud storage is also a bargain at $3 a month ($30 a year), or you can do local storage with the Sync Module 2 and a USB stick. You need the Sync Module to initiate a live view through the camera in the app (or you have to pay for the subscription). Without it, you can only see video if there’s a motion event or someone rings the doorbell.

The Sync Module is sold with the doorbell as a “doorbell system” for $70, and should pay for itself compared to a monthly subscription.

Uniquely for a battery-powered doorbell, the Blink can also be a true hardwired doorbell

The biggest selling point for Blink is the feature that makes its similarly inexpensive security cameras so attractive: up to two years of battery life on two AA lithium batteries. The company has developed a super energy-efficient chip that will power its cameras longer than any other doorbell I’ve tested. (I managed almost a year with very heavy use).

Uniquely for a battery-powered doorbell, the Blink can also be a true hardwired doorbell. When wired, it will activate an existing chime (something neither the sub-$100 Ring nor Wyze doorbells can do) and provide constant power — not just trickle charge. This means it can wake up faster than a battery-powered buzzer and catch your visitor as they arrive. Wiring also adds on-demand two-way audio and live view (otherwise, you can only see the stream if there’s a motion event at the doorbell or someone presses the buzzer.)

The Blink comes in white or black and, because it uses just two AA batteries, isn’t as huge as most battery-powered doorbells, making it a more discreet option. However, it is a giant pain in the neck to install; make sure to follow the video instructions Blink provides closely to save a lot of frustration.

The biggest drawbacks are lower video quality and poor audio quality (it can be staticky, and it’s push-to-talk — not full duplex), short recording length, and no smart alerts. The app is also a bit tricky to navigate. It doesn’t work with Google Home, but it works great with Alexa, and you can see a live view on Echo Show devices and use any Echo speaker as an indoor chime.

Note: Blink recently launched a second-generation video doorbell with higher image resolution, a head-to-toe view, and person detection for the same price. I plan to test this soon. You can read more details here.

Best doorbell camera without a subscription

$89

At under $100, this feature-packed, subscription-free doorbell offers a lot of value, including free local recording, 24/7 recording, and smart alerts, plus a robust smart home ecosystem. It’s big, you need a microSD card for recording, and there’s no HDR, but it’s a solid choice.

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Video quality: 2K HD (no HDR) / Smart alerts: People, packages, pets, vehicles (free) Aspect ratio: 4:3 / Field of view: 180 degrees horizontal / Power options: Battery, wired trickle charge / Wi-Fi: 2.4GHz / Storage: microSD card or cloud / Subscription fee: $2.79 a month / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home

You can use any doorbell on this list without a subscription, but you may sacrifice features like smart alerts, recorded video, and 24/7 continuous recording. If you want these but don’t want to pay a monthly fee, TP-Link’s Tapo D225 is an excellent choice.

A wired and battery-powered doorbell, the D225 offers free smart alerts for people, packages, pets, and vehicles and can record locally to a microSD card (purchased separately) without paying a subscription. There is an optional cloud service if you want to store your video offsite that also adds rich notifications (where a clip or image shows in the notification), but no other features are locked behind a paywall.

It is a chunky doorbell and may not meet the spousal approval factor

To get the free recording of motion-activated events, you just need to insert a microSD card (up to 512GB) into the doorbell. While it can run on its built-in 10,000mAh battery, you will need to wire it up for continuous 24/7 recording. This will also trickle charge the battery, and the doorbell will still work and record video, even if your power and Wi-Fi go out.

There are a few hoops to jump through to get 24/7 recording working, which can be a bit confusing in the slightly cluttered Tapo app. However, once set up, it will capture everything that happens. This is a great option, considering Nest charges $15 a month for 24/7 recording.

The D225 also provides good video quality, a decent zoom, and a nice 4:3 aspect ratio that clearly shows your entire porch from top to bottom and a good view from side to side. There is no HDR imaging, though, so if your porch is covered, it can be hard to make out faces in some lights.

1/3Daytime footage from the Tapo D225 is clear enough, but my face is in shadow.

The doorbell can work with your existing chime (although, oddly, not if you enable 24/7 recording) but also comes with a plug-in chime. If you don’t wire it, you’ll have to remove it to charge, but the large battery can last up to eight months. The downside is that it is a huge, chunky doorbell, which may not meet the spousal approval factor for a good-looking doorbell.

Another neat feature of the Tapo is doorbell calling. When someone rings your doorbell, the alert comes in like a phone call, making it less likely that you’ll miss it. This is something first offered on Arlo buzzers, and Ring says it’s bringing it to its line.

As Tapo also offers a wide range of smart home products — including security cameras, smart lights, and robot vacuum cleaners — you can tie your doorbell into smart home routines.

If you have lots of devices, the Tapo app can get a bit cluttered. But it’s easy enough to use and packed with features, including quick replies, a privacy mode that turns the camera off, and the ability to schedule notifications, set detection zones, and specify the type of alert you want to get from each one (e.g., only notify me if you see people in this zone and packages in this zone).

Read my full Tapo D225 review.

More expensive, but more flexible

$120

The Reolink is sleeker than the Tapo, with very good video quality and HDR support but no 24/7 recording. It can record local video on a microSD card, Reolink Hub, or FTP server and connect to a platform like Home Assistant. But its battery doesn’t last as long as Tapo’s, the app can be confusing, and the smart alerts are spotty. It works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

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Best wired video doorbell that works with Amazon Alexa and Ring

$230

The flagship Ring doorbell has the best video quality, good connectivity, and excellent motion detection. It works smoothly with Amazon Alexa but is expensive, requires a subscription for most features, and doesn’t offer 24/7 recording.

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Video quality: 1536 x 1536p, HDR / Smart alerts: Person, package ($) Aspect ratio: 1:1 / Field of view: 150 degrees horizontal, 150 degrees vertical / Power options: Wired / Wi-Fi: 2.4GHz and 5GHz / Storage: Cloud and local (with Ring Alarm Pro) / Subscription fee: $4.99 a month / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings

The Ring Wired Doorbell Pro (formerly Ring Doorbell Pro 2) — previously my top pick — is the best wired doorbell camera that works with Amazon Alexa and integrates with Ring Alarm and other Ring cameras. It’s more expensive than the Nest Wired — which also works with Alexa — but its video is higher quality and much brighter.

It has an ideal square aspect ratio for a full front porch view, speedy notifications, and impressively accurate motion detection using three separate sensors — radar, video analysis, and passive infrared. It also has a nice slim design and multiple faceplate options to fit your decor.

But there’s no free video recording, no option for 24/7 recording (yet), and the smart alerts are limited to people and packages. However, you can now search for things like vehicles and animals after the fact with Ring’s Smart Video Search feature. This makes tracking down my cat or checking which delivery driver came by a little easier.

The Ring Pro also works with Samsung SmartThings, and while it doesn’t support Apple Home, it can be integrated with extra hardware. There’s no support for Google Home.

The Ring Wired Doorbell Pro has a compact design and the option of swappable faceplates for a different look. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

A true wired doorbell, the Ring Pro is one of the most responsive doorbells I’ve tested, delivering notifications immediately. It also has the best range and connectivity, and built-in, full-color preroll helps ensure you don’t miss any crucial action.

The Pro has good color night vision, dual-band Wi-Fi, and smart responses (which let your doorbell talk to your visitor for you). The Ring app is best in class, and there are pages of settings you can tinker with. Plus, the timeline view for scrolling through your recordings is very good.

The Pro will work with your existing doorbell chime, plus Ring sells a plug-in Chime and Chime Wi-Fi extender that can help boost connectivity while providing a selection of fun doorbell tones.

Ring doorbell cameras can stream to Amazon Echo Show smart displays and show the feed automatically if someone presses the doorbell. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

As with most doorbell cameras, the Pro can use Echo smart speakers to announce when someone is at the door. As a Ring doorbell, it can also automatically pull up a live feed of your front door on an Echo Show or Fire TV-enabled television when someone presses the doorbell.

The downside is that the Pro is expensive. Its subscription fee starts at $4.99 a month (or $49.99 a year). This adds recorded footage, smart alerts, and an extra six seconds of preroll video, which, in lieu of 24/7 recording, provides plenty of time around motion events to catch all the action.

The Pro works with Ring Edge for local storage and video processing, plus the option of cellular backup. But you need a Ring Alarm Pro and Ring Home Premium subscription for this, which costs $20 a month and no longer includes professional monitoring of your alarm (that’s now a $10 add-on).

Ring added 24/7 recording to some wired cameras, a feature that’s included in the $20-a-month Ring Home Premium plan. While this isn’t coming to the wired doorbells at launch, Ring has said the feature will expand to more devices soon.

Read our Ring Wired Doorbell Pro review.

A battery-powered alternative

$230

If you like the sound of the Wired Pro but don’t have wires, the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro has almost all of the same features — including head-to-toe view, excellent video, dual-band Wi-Fi, color preroll, color night vision, and noise-canceling audio — in a battery package. It also features radar motion detection, which cuts down on nuisance notifications, and is a great alternative to the Pro 2.

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A great wired doorbell camera for Ecobee users

$120

This is the only video doorbell that can use an Ecobee thermostat as a video intercom, making it a no-brainer for Ecobee households, as long as you can hook it to your doorbell wiring.

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Video quality: 1080p, 8x zoom, color and IR night vision / Smart Alerts: Person, package Aspect ratio: 3:4 portrait / Field of view: 187 degrees diagonal / Power options: Wired / Wi-Fi: 2.4GHz, 5GHz / Storage: Cloud / Subscription fee: $5 a month or $50 a year / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home

The Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera is a great wired doorbell camera and the only one that can use an Ecobee thermostat as a video intercom — a neat feature. It sends fast, accurate alerts for people and packages, and thanks to radar detection and computer vision motion detection, it never once sent me a false alert.

The Ecobee has a comprehensive 187-degree diagonal field of view that lets you see top to bottom and side to side and offers decent 1080p HD video. A subscription is required for viewing recorded video, $5 a month / $50 a year, but alerts for people and packages are free. In 2024, Ecobee introduced the ability to control your Yale or August Wi-Fi-enabled door lock directly from its app, so you can more easily unlock the door for someone from afar.

You can view your Ecobee doorbell feed from your Ecobee thermostat. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

One quirk is that while the Ecobee records all motion (if you subscribe), it only alerts you if it sees people or packages. This does cut down on the number of alerts you get, but I’d like the option to turn motion alerts on, mainly so I can know when my dog has gotten out and is sitting at my front door (especially because there are no animal or vehicle alerts). The doorbell does record all motion events for up to two minutes, so you can go back and view them, but you won’t get notified.

The Ecobee works with Apple Home and can ring a HomePod as a chime (as well as your existing chime), plus pull up a live view on your Apple TV. But it doesn’t support HomeKit Secure Video, so you have to pay Ecobee’s subscription fee if you want recorded videos. It also works with Amazon Alexa and recently added support for Google Home. If you have an Ecobee thermostat in a convenient location, this is an excellent option.

Read my full Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera review.

Best video doorbell camera for Apple HomeKit Secure Video

$90

The Aqara G4 is an inexpensive HomeKit Secure Video doorbell that also works with Alexa and Google Home. It’s powered by batteries, wires or both, and offers 24/7 local recording. But a 16:9 aspect ratio and poorer video quality let it down.

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Video quality: 1080p / Smart Alerts: Person, facial recognition and person, facial recognition, packages with HSV, / Aspect ratio: 16:9 / Field of view: 162 degrees horizontal / Power options: Wired or battery / Wi-Fi: 2.4GHz / Storage: Cloud and local / Subscription fee: Seven days of free cloud storage or 99 cents a month with iCloud / Works with: Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home

Aqara’s G4 is currently the best video doorbell for Apple Home users, especially if you want 24/7 video recording. It’s also the only battery-powered doorbell that’s compatible with Apple Home, and it works with HomeKit Secure Video.

It runs on six standard AA batteries and can be hardwired to support 24/7 video recording (through Aqara’s app, though, not in Apple Home). It’s jam-packed with features, but it’s probably best suited for those who live in apartments as its landscape aspect ratio means it can’t really see packages at the doorstep, and it’s not very weather-resistant.

At $120, it’s the least expensive HomeKit option and pairs with the Aqara U100 smart lock (which also works with Apple Home and Home Key) for a nice, fully Apple Home-compatible setup on your front door. As a bonus, you can easily unlock the door from the same screen as viewing your doorbell footage.

The G4 can be powered by wires as a true wired doorbell, or by six AA batteries, or both! Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Downsides include a 16:9 aspect ratio (a problem if you want to see packages on your porch), no HDR imaging, which delivers pretty bad video quality, and a finicky chime box that has to be plugged in inside and near the doorbell. That chime also houses a microSD card, which is required for 24/7 recording. Unfortunately, the G4 can’t ring an existing electronic chime, but the chime box is plenty loud, and you can customize the heck out of the sounds.

The G4 has smart alerts for people, packages, animals, and vehicles, facial recognition, and the option to announce who is at the door on a connected HomePod or HomePod Mini (you need an Apple Home hub to use this in HomeKit).

It responded quickly to doorbell rings and motion alerts, but I had some connectivity issues. Plus, occasionally, I got an overheating warning while testing in May 2024 — and that was before the heatwave we experienced in South Carolina this summer.

Aqara has its own app, which has a ton of innovative features, including custom ringtones for different people, a voice changer, and the option to have your smart home devices react depending on who is at the front door.

The Aqara app adds access to 24/7 video, a nice feature to have, especially for free. The implementation is spotty, and video quality is not great, but it will do in a pinch. In addition to Apple Home, the Aqara doorbell works with Google Home and Amazon Alexa.

Note: Aqara announced the Aqara Doorbell Camera Hub G410 earlier this year, which adds 2K video quality, a 4:3 aspect ratio, and end-to-end encryption of video. You can read more details here. I’ll be testing it soon.

Read my full Aqara Video Doorbell G4 review.

Best video doorbell door lock

$340

Eufy FamiLock S3 Max Palm Vein Recognition Wi-Fi Smart Lock

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Video quality: 2K HD / Smart Alerts: Person, motion, / Aspect ratio: 16:9 / Field of view: 150 degrees horizontal / Power options: Battery / Wi-Fi: 2.4GHz, 5GHz / Storage: Local / Subscription fee: N/A / Works with: Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home

Eufy’s FamiLock S3 Max is a two-in-one video doorbell and smart lock that manages to handle both functions pretty well. Its $399 price tag may cause sticker shock at first but is easier to accept when you consider the price of a smart door lock and video doorbell together.

The FamiLock S3 Max has a 4-inch screen that shows a live video feed of what’s captured by the front camera, so you can check it at a glance without opening your phone. The screen also allows other people in your household to check who’s at the door without having Eufy’s app installed, which is especially helpful for kids and guests.

You can unlock the FamiLock S3 Max using an app, PIN code, key, or palm recognition, which works by using infrared light to scan the vascular patterns beneath the palm of your hand. Using palm recognition doesn’t require you to physically touch the door lock and can be more reliable than a fingerprint reader for older folks whose fingerprints have degraded over time. It took a little time to get used to unlocking my door this way, but it worked reliably once I did. To lock the door, you’ll need to push a button on the lock, or enable auto-lock within Eufy’s app.

Running both a video doorbell and smart lock takes a lot of power, and in our tests, the FamiLock S3 Max’s battery was down to 41 percent after one month. It does have four AAA batteries to keep basic functions operational while you charge the lock’s main battery. You can also pick up a spare battery from Eufy for $37 if you want to have a fully charged backup at all times.

In our tests, the FamiLock S3 Max recorded clear video both day and night, though a protruding door frame blocked part of the camera. You can save video footage for free within Eufy’s app because it’s stored locally rather than in the cloud. You’ll receive an alert when people or motion are detected, but the video doorbell can’t recognized specific events, like package recognition. Hooking it up to Eufy’s HomeBase 3 enables some smart alerts, including pet and vehicle detection and facial recognition, but will set you back $150.

You can view a live feed from the camera on an Amazon Alexa or Google Home smart speaker with a screen, but I found it easier to just check the display built into the smart lock. Apple Home support is available on the smart lock portion of the FamiLock S3 Max, but not the video doorbell. Still, if you want both a smart lock and video doorbell without having to install and manage two separate devices, Eufy’s FamiLock S3 Max is a compelling choice.

Read my full Eufy FamiLock S3 Max review.

Other doorbell cameras I tested

Doorbells, doorbells, doorbells, and more doorbells! Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

• The Reolink Video Doorbell (starting at $119) is a wired version of Reolink’s battery model mentioned above. It’s worth considering if you can use Power over Ethernet (there’s also a Wi-Fi version). There’s also the option of dual-band Wi-Fi, local storage to a microSD card or FTP server, and 24/7 recording with compatible hardware. I tested the black Wi-Fi version ($119.99), which streams good 2K video but only supports person detection (which is fairly inaccurate) and has a more horizontal field of view. The white model has package detection and a more vertical field of view. The battery Reolink adds animal and vehicle alerts and has a better field of view, so it’s the better choice unless you want PoE.
• The Tapo D210 ($59.99) is a battery-powered doorbell with a similar design to the D225, but there’s no wiring option, so it can’t record 24/7. It does have free local recording with a microSD card and free alerts for people, pets, and vehicles, but there’s no package detection. Its rectangular 16:9 aspect ratio shows less of my porch, and it’s only available in white. While it has a few more features than the similarly priced Blink, it is very big and bulky, has a shorter battery life, and can’t be wired to trickle-charge or ring your existing chime (it does come with a plug-in chime).
• The Ring Battery Doorbell ($99.99) suffers badly from the back-of-the-head problem common with battery-powered buzzers. Other than that, it’s a fine basic buzzer, but it doesn’t have removable batteries. While the redesigned quick-release system makes it easier to remove the doorbell to charge, the Plus is worth the extra money for the added convenience and better video resolution. The one thing this Ring has going for it is its slim profile, which makes it a good option if you want something more discreet.
• The Google Nest Doorbell (battery) is worth considering if you are in a Google household and can’t wire your doorbell, but it is big and bulky. Plus, you have to remove it to charge. Specs and price-wise, it’s the same as my top pick, the Nest Doorbell (wired), but it can’t record 24/7, which the wired Nest can. It’s also twice the size of the wired model.
• The Eufy Video Doorbell Dual is a previous pick that doesn’t require any monthly fees and records footage locally. But at $250, it’s very expensive, and there are now better, cheaper options. It’s still great thanks to its dual camera feature that lets you see your porch and your visitor with a wide view, plus free smart alerts, including facial recognition and a neat uncollected package alert. It’s worth considering if you already have a Eufy HomeBase. You can read my full review here.
• The Wyze Video Doorbell Pro is a battery buzzer with impressive features for its price, and if you hardwire it, you get preroll video. However, a five-minute cooldown period between recordings, unless you pay for a subscription, is an inexcusable amount of time that negates its offer of “free recording.” Plus, Wyze has had some major security issues in the past.
• The Ring Video Doorbell Wired is a budget buzzer at just $60, but it won’t work with your existing chime and doesn’t draw the same amount of power from those wires as the Ring Pro 2, making it generally less reliable. Without HDR, its video quality is spotty.
• The Logitech Circle View Wired is another Apple HomeKit Secure video option I tested, which, while fast, is expensive, only works with Apple Home, and frequently dropped off my Wi-Fi network.
• In addition to Eufy’s FamiLock S3 Max, I’ve also tested the Lockly Vision Elite and the Eufy Security S330 Video Smart Lock. Both are very expensive and work better as door locks than doorbells. But if you have a specific need for this device (e.g., you have nowhere else to put a doorbell camera), then they are useful for at least seeing up the nose of whoever is at your door, if not much beyond that.

Doorbell cameras I plan to test

Somewhat uniquely, Arlo’s newest doorbell doesn’t feature any branding. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

• Blink launched an upgraded version of its doorbell in May. The Blink Video Doorbell (newest model) is the same price as the current model ($69.99) but adds a head-to-toe view of your porch, 1440p x 1440p image resolution, and person detection. It requires a Sync Module to work, which the current version doesn’t.
• The Aqara Doorbell Camera Hub G410 is an upgrade to the G4. It offers 2K video quality, a 4:3 aspect ratio, and end-to-end encryption, along with a mmWave sensor for more accurate person detection. Uniquely, it uses dual-band Wi-Fi and is a Zigbee, Thread, and Matter smart home hub for Aqara’s wide smart home system.
• The Arlo Video Doorbell (wired / wireless) is the second generation of the excellent Arlo Essential wired, which was a former pick in this guide. It doesn’t have the option of wiring only; instead, it’s a battery doorbell you can wire to trickle-charge. There’s a choice between 1080p ($79.99) and 2K ($129.99) resolutions, and it features a 180-degree field of view and an integrated siren. Recording and smart alerts require a $10 per month subscription ($8 if paying annually), and there’s no local storage or 24/7 recording, but there are AI-powered features (including facial recognition).
• Switchbot’s first video doorbell comes with an in-home display/chime to give you a quick way of seeing who is at the door. No price, release date, or further details are known yet.
• The $50 Kasa Smart Doorbell (KD110) from TP-Link comes with a plug-in chime, 2K video quality, free person detection, and the option of local storage to a microSD card. It’s a wired doorbell with a 160-degree viewing angle and works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
• I plan to test several subscription-free doorbells from Eufy, including the Eufy Doorbell E3340, C210, and S220.

• Signify announced the Hue Secure video doorbell at IFA 2025. It launches in October for $169. It features a 2K image sensor, has a built-in Zigbee radio to communicate with Hue lights and other home automation devices, and can record videos in a square aspect ratio. Its built-in chime can be integrated into a Hue security system and used as a siren when it’s triggered. Signify’s CEO George Yianni confirmed to The Verge that the video doorbell lets you view video clips captured by the video doorbell over the previous 24 hours without paying a subscription fee. The Hue Secure video doorbell won’t support Matter at launch, but is slated to arrive this fall when Matter 1.5 is released. Similarly, Apple Home support will be added after it ships.
• Android Authority spotted the third-generation Nest Video Doorbell within the Google Home app’s new device setup screen. It’s no longer visible from this menu — Google likely fixed the secret-spoiling error — but it suggests an announcement for the updated video doorbell could happen soon. Relatedly, a photo posted on the Nest subreddit shows an unannounced third-generation Nest Video Doorbell behind a locked case at a Home Depot store, along with other Nest hardware.

FAQ: Smart doorbell cameras

Do I need a subscription with my video doorbell camera?

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A subscription generally covers cloud storage, processing, and smart notifications and is essentially a convenience fee. It’s arguably the easiest way to ensure you can see videos of your visitors and get alerts for specific things like people, packages, and pets.If you don’t want to pay monthly but do want to see recorded video, you’ll likely need to buy additional hardware (like a hub or microSD card) and/or spend some time setting up your own local storage solution. Local storage is also a good option if you don’t like the idea of a company storing your video for you. In most cases, you’ll lose some features, such as rich notifications, but you’ll keep full control over your footage.If you choose a subscription, your videos will be stored in the company’s cloud. All the companies whose products we recommend here say they protect your footage by encrypting it “in transit and at rest.” They then process it in the cloud to provide features like smart alerts. Some — such as Ring — offer the more secure option of end-to-end encryption, where there is no processing as the company has no access to your footage at all.The simplest and cheapest solution is to just use a video doorbell for a live view and not record any footage or audio. While you can’t check back to see a visitor, you can still monitor your front door through alerts. All our picks allow you to do that without a subscription, and some offer smart alerts for free.

Wired versus wireless doorbell cameras: what’s the difference?

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Wired video doorbells use existing doorbell wiring attached to a doorbell transformer and chime box to provide continuous power, so they don’t need to be recharged. Most won’t work when the power goes out, but some have small batteries to keep them going for a few minutes in the event of a power outage. If you don’t have existing wiring, you can use an AC power adapter (Ring and Nest sell their own; you can also find generic ones). Battery-powered doorbells, also known as wireless doorbells, are powered by a rechargeable battery. Because they don’t have continuous power, they have to wake up first when they detect motion before starting to record. This often results in a clip only catching the back of the person’s head as they walk away, which is not super helpful if you’re concerned about porch pirates. True wired doorbells don’t have this problem, and most will reliably catch all the action.Many doorbells that advertise themselves as wireless and run on a battery can also be hard-wired to your existing doorbell wiring. But these are not “true” wired doorbells. Your home’s electrical power isn’t powering them. Instead, in almost all cases (Blink being the only exception), the battery is being “trickle charged” by the power from the doorbell wiring. This means that without any extra features, they simply don’t react as quickly as true wired doorbells. It’s science, people.

What is aspect ratio on a doorbell camera, and why is it important?

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Aspect ratio is arguably more important than video resolution when it comes to video doorbells. This spec tells you what shape of video you will get, whether it’s top-to-bottom or side-to-side, whether you’ll see your doorstep and the whole of the visitor or just a head-and-shoulders shot. Common aspect ratios include 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, and 1:1.Aspect ratios are always written with the horizontal number first. If the first number is smaller than the second number, then the image will be taller than it is wide, or “portrait orientation.” If the first number is larger than the second (as in 16:9), then the image will be wider than it is tall, or “landscape orientation.” If both numbers are the same, as in 1:1, it will be a square view.My recommendation is to go for a square view when possible, but if you have a wide porch area — and would like to see people approaching from the left or right, as well as straight on — a 4:3 or 16:9 might suit you better.

How to install a video doorbell camera

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Battery-powered doorbells are easy to install and generally just require screwing the mounting bracket to the area around your door. Some come with the option of tape strips, so you don’t even need to get out the screwdriver. Wired doorbells require a bit more effort. And while you can choose to pay around $100 for a professional to install it, if you have existing doorbell wiring, it’s a simple job.I’ve written a step-by-step guide to installing Ring video doorbells, but the steps for any wired doorbell generally involve the following:Turn off the power to your doorbell wiring.Locate your indoor chime and connect the chime power connector that came with the doorbell (this helps to facilitate power to the new doorbell).Remove your old doorbell.Attach the mount for your new doorbell using screws or double-sided tape (some have the option of an angled wedge to get a better view of the person in front of the door).Attach the doorbell wires to the connector screws on the doorbell.Attach the doorbell to the mount, either with screws or by snapping it on.Turn the power back on.Pro tip: Before installing any doorbell, download the manufacturer’s app and check the instructions — some cameras need to be paired to the app before mounting.

Photos by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Update, September 8th: Adjusted pricing and availability throughout and included information about the upcoming Hue Secure video doorbell and leaks surrounding the third-generation Nest Video Doorbell. Brandt Ranj also contributed to this article.

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