Video Doorbell Comparison: Your Video Doorbell Buying Guide
Video doorbells are increasing in homes more than ever within these past years. With more video doorbells being released on the market, it can be difficult to navigate which doorbell will be the best for your home. We created a guide to go find the best video doorbell for your home. This buying guide will help you better understand what you're looking for and what is important in a video doorbell that best fits your home.
Field of View:
Before CES 2020, there was still a lingering concern about package safety and online shoppers fearing someone stealing their package at their doorstep. Toucan Wireless Video Doorbell released their new doorbell that includes a 180° field of view to see your packages directly on the ground and meeting this need in the community. Only a few companies have been able to meet this need. Field of view is an important issue because if you have a camera installed in your home, it's important to be able see everything you can in your front yard for the price you paid. With package theft being an increasing issue, a camera with 180° field of view to see the package on the ground is an important factor to consider and looking for video doorbells with a wide angle.
Video Quality:
Finding the best doorbell includes looking at the best video quality as well so you are able to make out the face of the person at your door. In case of an emergency and you need video footage to show if someone was breaking into your house, the higher video quality the better. Video doorbells that are 1080 pixels and highers are ideal. Many doorbells will advertise 4K resolution, which is very high quality. The issue that may arise with high video quality is that it may be slower to pull up live feeds, won't have as much space in cloud recordings or lagged footage because of the camera and smartphone loading the highest quality video available.
Power Source:
Many video doorbells on the market are hardwired which requires the need for an existing doorbell on your home or apartment. Some video doorbells request professional installation but DIY video doorbells are increasing. If you are renting a home, an apartment or live in a different type of home where you cannot drill holes or do any hard wiring, a battery operated video doorbell is the best options. Toucan Wireless Video Doorbell is one of the few battery operated video doorbells available with a long lasting battery life.
Instant Notifications:
Some video doorbells have continuous recordings while most start recording footage when motion is detected. To be able to know what is happening at your home while you're away is important. Most video doorbells send instant notifications to your phone when motion is detected so you are able to see who is at your door and speak to them in real time. Some doorbells have AI technology to be ale to detect certain faces, body shapes or animals. Arlo and eufy include this strong technology in their doorbells but you do need to pay additional fee to see these special notifications.
Night vision:
During the night, you'll want to make sure you know what's happening when you're sleeping. Insuring that your video doorbell includes night vision without the need of additional floodlights or spotlight is essential in case your home doesn't supply that.
Recording Footage:
Most of video doorbells store their footage through their own cloud device while some are able to record footage through a SD card. For example: Toucan Video Doorbell stores free 24 hour footage through their cloud device which you can see through the Toucan App with 7 day footage available their the subscription plan. For eufy, the footage is stored through an SD card and has the option of being available through the cloud. Each video doorbell is different and varies on how much stored footage is available to look back on.
Chime:
When you think of a doorbell, you will think of the traditional "ding dong" sound, right? Video doorbells that replace your existing doorbell do not have chimes connected to them. While you get the instant notification to your phone that someone is ringing your video doorbell, you won't be able to hear that "ding dong" chime that signifies someone is at the door. If you're away from your phone, you might still miss someone at the door. Most doorbells that offer chimes are an additional purchase to their video doorbell and require them to be connected to an outlet. Toucan Video Doorbell is the only option available that includes a wireless chime to place place anywhere in your home. Powered by AA batteries, you can place this in your backyard, upstairs, kitchen or on any wall in your home.
Subscriptions:
When it comes to buying a video doorbell or any home security system, a subscription plan is almost always necessary. Different companies offer different options of what is available through the free plan and additional features available for their video doorbell. For example, Toucan Video Doorbell offer free 24 hours of recorded footage while Ring does not let you view any record footage unless you are subscribed to their plans. Reviewing different subscription plans is one of the most critical parts of your doorbell purchase so you understand what you're getting when you open the box versus what's available for extra payment.
Review an overview of subscription plans in a previous blog post here.
| Brand | Toucan | Ring 2 | Arlo | eufy | Nest Hello |
| Field of View | 180° | 160° x 90° | 180° | 160° | 160° |
| Power Source | Battery | Hardwired | Hardwired | Hardwired | Hardwired |
| Video Quality | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p | 2560 x 1920p | 1600 x 1200p |
| Night Vision | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud Storage | Free 24 Hours | Need Plan | Free 7 days | Optional, SD Card | Saves Images for 3 hours. Need plan to see any cloud footage |
| Chime | Wireless, Included | Outlet Powered, Additional purchase | No chime option | Outlet Powered, Included | Not available to purchase |
| App Plan | $2.99/mo | $3/mo | $2.99/mo | None | $4.99/mo |
| Price | $89.99 | $199 | $149.99 | $159.99 | $229 |