Best Cheap Video Doorbell Deals for April 2021

How to choose a video doorbell

Buying a video doorbell on price alone isn’t necessarily a great idea. There are a number key factors and features to consider before you push the Buy button. The following list of features will help you make your choice among the video doorbell deals above.

Wired or wireless installation?:

Video doorbells are famously easy to install, typically without power tools. Battery-powered models are the easiest of all to install because you can place them anywhere that suits your home. The only downside is of wireless installation is you’ll need to replace or, more often, recharge the batteries.

Some models have option solar power accessories that maintain the battery charge. Most wired video doorbells connect to existing doorbell wiring. Making the connection is a simple matter of attaching two wires. But because the video doorbell case is likely larger than the original doorbell. Attaching the doorbell bracket may be a bit more of a hassle. Most doorbells include various plates or other mounting options.

Video quality:

In general, higher resolution video is better. You can still find a few video doorbells with 720p video capture, but most devices have 1080p full HD resolution. You’ll see 2K and even 4K video doorbells, but chances are you won’t need that much detail in the video capture.

Look for a wide field of video (FOV) and night vision so you can see as much as possible horizontally and vertically. Video doorbells without exception include live view and video capture features. With live view, it’s helpful also to have support for two-way talk, another universal feature (more on the two-way talk below).

Detection and alert features:

Video doorbells will begin to capture and record video when someone presses the actual doorbell, but most also have motion detection and sound detection. You can set up alerts with the video doorbell app that will send a text message to your smartphone or to compatible smart home devices so you can either see and talk with people at your door or view the stored video clip at a later time.

Two-way talk:

The two-way talk gives you the ability to chat with whoever is outside your door, whether you’re just inside the door or anyplace in the world where you get a smartphone alert. Full duplex audio, the more natural type, lets both sides speak at once, which is much more natural than half-duplex setups that only allow one party to speak at a time.

Video Storage:

Video clips can be large, especially if you have a 2K or 4K video camera. Some video doorbells include free access to video clips stored in the cloud, usually for a fixed time such as two weeks or 30 days. Other plans charge monthly subscription fees for anything other than live view video. Some models store video recordings on a MicroSD card that plugs into a companion component inside your home.

Connectivity:

All video doorbells work with a mobile app for setup, configuration, and management. Most but not all also work with one or more smart home platforms, most often Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or both. Even if you don’t have smart home security devices now, it’s a good idea to buy a compatible video doorbell include you later decide to bring Alexa or Google Assistant into your home.

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