Smart doorbells have become an increasingly popular addition to modern homes. With their motion detection alerts, remote access features, and integration with other smart products, it‘s easy to understand why.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explore the history of smart doorbells, detail 8 compelling reasons you should consider installing one today, and provide recommendations on some of the top options currently available.
A Brief History of Smart Doorbells
While internet-connected doorbell cameras are commonplace today, their origins can be traced back just about a decade.
In 2013, a company called Doorbot introduced one of the very first video doorbell products to market. They gained notoriety by successfully pitching their clever concept on the TV show Shark Tank.
Although they didn‘t receive an investment offer at the time, Doorbot continued refining their device. In 2014, they aptly rebranded as Ring and released the next generation of their smart doorbell hardware.
Over subsequent years, Ring led the way in bringing internet-connected doorbell cameras into the mainstream. As their products gained popularity, other technology brands took notice of the emerging market opportunity.
Leaders in smart home technology like Arlo, Nest, Eufy, and Vivint began releasing their own innovative internet-connected doorbells to compete with Ring. This kicked off the rapid rise of smart doorbell adoption over the past 5 years.
Now let‘s explore the key reasons these innovative devices can make your life easier while providing peace of mind.
Reasons to Buy a Smart Doorbell Today
Home Security
Without question, enhancing home security tops the list of reasons to install a smart video doorbell system.
Features like motion detection alerts, live video streaming, and video recording capabilities take your exterior monitoring to the next level compared to a standard doorbell.
Many smart doorbells today even utilize AI and computer vision to differentiate between people, animals, vehicles and packages. This allows them to send you more relevant alerts about activity at your front door.
Knowing exactly who or what approaches your entryway ‒ even if you‘re not home at the time ‒ brings tremendous peace of mind. It also serves as a powerful burglary deterrent when criminals scope out potential targets.
And if the unthinkable does occur, stored video evidence can greatly aid police investigations and help track down perpetrators.
Package Delivery Monitoring
With online shopping more popular than ever, smart doorbells have become especially useful for monitoring deliveries.
Instead of just guessing when that Amazon package arrived on your porch, connected cameras allow you to actually see deliveries happening in real-time.
This brings reassurance your order has safely reached your door. It also allows you to ask a family member or neighbor to retrieve a package if you‘re still at the office or store.
And speaking of packages, having video evidence has become pivotal in combatting the growing problem of "porch piracy". Unscrupulous criminals have begun following delivery trucks just to steal packages from doorsteps.
Video footage greatly raises the chance police can identify criminals. Some smart doorbell systems even offer package motion alerts and automatic voice warnings to deter potential thieves from swiping deliveries.
Two-Way Audio for Convenient Communication
One clever innovation first popularized by Ring is two-way audio communication supported by most smart doorbell systems today.
This allows you to actually speak to visitors at your doorstep directly from your smartphone ‒ whether you‘re across the house or across the country!
You can conveniently thank a mail carrier, give instructions to a food delivery driver, or just inform a suspicious stranger that they‘re being recorded ‒ all without physically opening your door.
Two-way audio brings a big boost in convenience and safety. And senior citizens or those with limited mobility find it especially useful.
Simple Do-It-Yourself Installation
While the idea of wiring a connected camera doorbell yourself may sound complex, most systems available today make installation quite straightforward even if you‘re not highly technical.
Many models like the Arlo Essential offer simple wired setups that only require securing the device in place and connecting two wires to get up and running.
Meanwhile, battery-powered options like the Ring Video Doorbell 4 remove the need to touch any wiring at all. You simply mount the WiFi-enabled camera and connect it to your home network.
Doorbell installation tutorials are also readily available from a variety of reliable online sources like YouTube. The ability to conveniently set up one of these systems yourself with basic tools is a major selling point for many homeowners.
Seamless Integration with Smart Displays
Major smart doorbell providers have focused heavily on integrating their products with popular smart home ecosystems.
For instance, Ring offers native integration with Amazon‘s Alexa assistant and Echo Show devices. This allows you to pull up live feeds on your Show‘s screen automatically whenever motion is detected.
You can also utilize Alexa voice controls to communicate through the doorbell camera using two-way audio. Ask Alexa to replay recorded clips, silence alerts, and more ‒ all completely hands free.
Google-owned Nest doorbells offer similar capabilities when paired with Google Assistant speakers and smart displays. Deep smart home ecosystems make these devices even more powerful.
And supporting leading standards like Apple HomeKit also allows broader integration possibilities. For instance, you could set up automation recipes where porch motion triggers lights turning on automatically.
Remote Access From Virtually Anywhere
A revolutionary advantage of smart doorbell cameras is the ability to monitor your entryway no matter where life takes you, thanks to mobile apps and internet connectivity.
Out running errands? You can still view live footage and notifications from your smartphone. On a dream vacation? You‘ll still know if a package arrived or a suspicious person showed up.
You‘re not limited by power cord lengths like old-fashioned webcams. And no complex port forwarding or networking expertise is required. Just connect the device wirelessly to your home‘s WiFi.
Then access all the features as if you were right at home, with full support from anywhere you travel worldwide. Truly remarkable!
Expand Your Smart Home One Device at a Time
Although it‘s still possible to purchase smart devices individually, tech companies are increasingly pushing consumers towards full-fledged smart home ecosystems that all interoperate smoothly.
This is where smart doorbells shine as a first step into a high-tech future. Even when installed as a standalone device, they still provide tremendous everyday value — deterring burglaries, alerting about deliveries, communicating with visitors, etc.
But they also generally support integration with additional smart devices when you‘re ready to expand. For instance, wireless protocols like Z-Wave, popular hubs like SmartThings, and voice assistants all allow adding on exterior cameras, smart locks, lighting, indoor cameras, and much more.
Before you know it, getting a simple smart doorbell may kickstart your journey towards automating your entire household!
Just Plain Fun (While Still Practical!)
Last but not least, internet-connected gadgets are just flat out enjoyable to use for many early adopters and tech enthusiasts eager to embrace the future.
Who wouldn‘t get a kick out of tapping a button in their PJs to converse with a person standing at their door via a smartphone app? It almost feels magical.
And watching back sped up video clips of neighborhood critters scurrying about your porch set to comical music is sure to offer chuckles.
But make no mistake ‒ while fun, smart doorbells aim to solve very practical problems. Deterring crime, securing deliveries, and eliminating the need to trek to the door every time the bell rings are all concrete improvements.
In short, these devices sit at the intersection between highly futuristic tech and extreme everyday usefulness ‒ an appealing combination!
Now let‘s explore some recommended options available to purchase.
Best Smart Doorbells Available Today
With smart doorbell adoption growing exponentially over the past decade, excellent options now exist across a range of pricing tiers.
Here are some of the top contenders available in 2023 based on key criteria like features, performance, and overall value:
Arlo Essential Wired Video Doorbell – Best Overall
Arlo Essential Wired Video Doorbell
- 180-degree field of view
- Hear and speak to visitors
- Motion detection before ringing
- Night vision capability
- Option for backup battery
Arlo has earned its reputation for making some of the best battery-powered outdoor security cameras over the years. So it‘s no surprise that the Arlo Essential video doorbell is a top pick for your entryway.
It captures crispy clear 4K HDR video and enables two-way conversations using noise-cancelling microphones and speakers.
This smart doorbell also detects motion early so you get notified before someone even pushes the button. Helpful modes like Geofencing and Scheduling further refine when you receive alerts.
While the base Essential model records video clips when the doorbell button is pressed without requiring a subscription, paying monthly or annually provides functionality like customized detection zones, longer 30-day video history, and intelligent alerts that differentiate between people, vehicles, animals and packages.
For maximum peace of mind, a battery backup accessory can be added to provide power redundancy if your wired connection goes down. Overall the breadth of features and strong performance make this an Editors’ Choice product.
eufy Security Wireless Video Doorbell – Best Local Storage
- No monthly fees required
- Stores video locally on included HomeBase
- 2K video with HDR enhancement
- Human detection to reduce false alerts
- Weatherproof and wireless
Frustrated by monthly subscription fees just to access basic functionality on many competitor‘s products, savvy shoppers may be attracted to video doorbell offerings from eufy.
The eufy Security Wireless Doorbell bundles local storage for recordings rather than relying solely on the cloud. Just connect the HomeBase station via Ethernet in your house, and you can store video clips from the doorbell camera without any recurring costs.
Live streams and alerts still work via WiFi, thanks to the wireless design. A battery integrated into the doorbell means no annoying low battery warnings, and the device lasts around 6 months on per charge based on usage.
2K video ensures facial details remain crisp for visitors. And leveraging on-device AI helps correctly identify humans while filtering out bogus alerts from passing cars or rustling trees.
Overall it‘s a compelling subscription-free option if avoiding yet another monthly bill is appealing.
Nest Doorbell (battery) – Most Modern Design
- Sleek, understated design
- 24/7 recording for up to 3 hours
- Event detection with clips
- Familiar faces alerts
- Google Home integration
Google Nest sets itself apart with a beautifully modern, almost invisible design compared to the utilitarian bulky shapes of most competitors.
Despite its svelte proportions, this smart doorbell packs in plenty of tech, including a battery free from annoying recharges, 6 month lifespan per charge, and crisp 2K video capped with HDR for clarity.
The Nest ecosystem shines through with thoughtful touches like determination between familiar faces and stranger detections. Nest‘s driving philosophy seems to be using AI and automation to only notify users when something uncommon occurs requiring attention.
Of course tightly integrated Google Home integration allows conversing through the doorbell via Assistant and streaming video to Nest Hubs and Chromecasts.
Overall this polished product provides a uniquely Google-ified entry point into smart monitoring of your exterior spaces.
Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 – Best Overall System
- Crisp 1536p HD video
- Customizable motion zones
- Pre-roll to see events before ring
- Alexa integrations
- Expandable to full security system
Having pioneered the modern video doorbell market, Ring remains an industry leader when it comes to mature, polished experiences years later.
The Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 represents their most advanced wired offering, capturing rich 1536p video that looks great both day and night thanks to color night vision and near motion-free compression.
You‘re able to specify detection zones down to precise ranges as close as 5 feet from the doorbell. Alexa Greetings can even automatically communicate canned responses to visitors when motion triggers.
And complimentary cloud storage saves recordings from when the doorbell was pressed or motion detected. Upgrading to Ring Protect opens more functionality like smarter detection and 60-day storage.
Beyond the doorbell itself, Ring‘s ever-expanding lineup of security cameras, alarm components, lighting and more all integrate for whole home protection. Overall they offer the most fleshed out system.
Conclusion
As you can see from the array of benefits detailed, smart video doorbells offer a compelling blend of security, convenience and entertainment.
Their utility only promises to expand over time too. Whether you primarily need to monitor packages, communicate with visitors, or keep household members safe, these innovative devices pack tremendous potential.
And purpose-built offerings from prominent brands serve needs ranging from simple all the way up to full blown home security ecosystems.
Hopefully the options presented give you a solid starting point in choosing the ideal smart doorbell system for your unique situation. Here‘s to embracing the future of home entry technology!
