Best Home Doorbell Video Camera w/ DIY install

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Best Home Doorbell Video Camera w/ DIY install

Posted: 10/13/2019 6:09:15 AM EDT

Hey all,

I just purchased a house and was looking into doorbell video cameras. I know just enough to get me in trouble when it comes to hardwiring devices. I do know there are a few batter powered options. Thoughts and suggesting would be greatly appreciated!

Posted: 10/13/2019 7:34:23 AM EDT

[#1]

Ring hands down....... super easy install and works great. If you want to expand your camera system they offer plenty of options.

Posted: 10/13/2019 8:16:02 AM EDT

[#2]

I have the sky bell thinwith my current system.

I can't find it on the website anymore but it will not start recording until the person is within 3 feet of the device. if I would have known that I would have NEVER bought it .

Posted: 10/13/2019 8:26:28 AM EDT

[#3]

Ring and they have options for battery powered if your door bell isn’t hardwired.

Posted: 10/13/2019 8:53:51 AM EDT

[#4]

Ring Pro works well. The install is easy. Post a picture of the existing doorbell and people can tell you what will work. The doorbells are wider then the little doorbell button most homes had. In my case the doorbell was on the stone by the front door. So I used a hammer drill and a 1/4” bit included in the Ring kit. Two connections at the door and two at the chime. I had issues getting it set up with my Android phone and finished the install with IPad.

If you have crappy WiFi at home they all will be laggy. I will install another for the back door in the future.

Posted: 10/13/2019 9:57:23 AM EDT

[#5]

Another vote for RIng and their customer service is great. I had purchased my Ring a couple years ago and at the time started having issues with the video and recording freezing randomly. Spoke to their customer service, did an update of the firmware to no avail. They shipped me a new unit and unfortunately had the same issue. They then shipped me a Ring Pro and that did not have the issue of freezing video.

While it was disappointing to have these issues at first, Ring CS stuck with it and resolved the problem. They threw in a couple freebies for my trouble and I’ve been a happy customer since.

I’m bringing this up because as we all know, a product can get a lot of recommendations but then fall out of favor when the company CS falls on their ass. In my case, the CS did a great job and would hope that it has continued to be.

YMMV

Posted: 10/13/2019 3:03:27 PM EDT

[#6]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I haven't closed on the house, that should be the end of Nov. Just thinking ahead. I'm supposed to have my inspection next week, so I will post a picture of the door bell then. Cheers!

Posted: 10/13/2019 7:07:51 PM EDT

[#7]

Quote History

Quoted:
I have the sky bell thinwith my current system.

I can't find it on the website anymore but it will not start recording until the person is within 3 feet of the device. if I would have known that I would have NEVER bought it .

View Quote

Mine worked great for a while...now it's hit or miss. I can literally walk up to the door before it triggers on motion alerts. I need to contact skybell. There was discussion about a firmware update late last year but I have no idea if it went through or not.

If I were to do it again I'd probably look at Ring and bite the bullet on paying for their service. All in all I'm not keen on any one of the manufacturers, they all have quirks and aren't perfect. The slickest setup would be to find a way to link a motion sensor to alert your doorbell to movement so you have enough time to start a live stream. I consider them to be a layer in the onion of my home security.

Posted: 10/14/2019 2:49:38 AM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:

Mine worked great for a while...now it's hit or miss. I can literally walk up to the door before it triggers on motion alerts. I need to contact skybell. There was discussion about a firmware update late last year but I have no idea if it went through or not.

If I were to do it again I'd probably look at Ring and bite the bullet on paying for their service. All in all I'm not keen on any one of the manufacturers, they all have quirks and aren't perfect. The slickest setup would be to find a way to link a motion sensor to alert your doorbell to movement so you have enough time to start a live stream. I consider them to be a layer in the onion of my home security.

View Quote

I agree with you as far as a layer of security. My hope is that there would be a way to have a doorbell camera, linked through smartphones that would save on a personal cloud without a monthly service fee. It may be out of my league either via price or electronic instal.

Posted: 10/16/2019 6:45:53 PM EDT

[#9]

https://www.nellyssecurity.com/blog/articles/best-video-doorbell-no-fees-nsc-db2-review

I don't have one but it looks cool.

Posted: 10/16/2019 8:35:05 PM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:

I agree with you as far as a layer of security. My hope is that there would be a way to have a doorbell camera, linked through smartphones that would save on a personal cloud without a monthly service fee. It may be out of my league either via price or electronic instal.

View Quote

Skybell does exactly that. I don't pay anything and I have 7 days of recordings I can DL to my phone. I can use their app from my phone anywhere I have an internet/data connection

Posted: 10/17/2019 12:15:51 AM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
https://www.nellyssecurity.com/blog/articles/best-video-doorbell-no-fees-nsc-db2-review

I don't have one but it looks cool.

View Quote

Ok that sounds really freaking cool....must do more research on it.

Posted: 10/17/2019 3:57:21 PM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:
https://www.nellyssecurity.com/blog/articles/best-video-doorbell-no-fees-nsc-db2-review

I don't have one but it looks cool.

View Quote

No POE no care

Posted: 10/17/2019 4:27:38 PM EDT

[#13]

I went with Nest rather than Ring. I like that nest will record full time rather than just when it detects motion or the bell rings.

I could be wrong, but I believe Ring only allows for live streaming or recording during motion/doorbell ring?

Nest will record full time and also give you alerts when it detects motion or doorbell rings. It also works well with the app, my Google home hub, Google voice, etc.

Posted: 10/18/2019 12:03:12 AM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:

No POE no care

View Quote

This. There are a couple PoE doorbell cam models available, but they aren't cheap.

Posted: 10/20/2019 12:49:00 AM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:
https://www.nellyssecurity.com/blog/articles/best-video-doorbell-no-fees-nsc-db2-review

I don't have one but it looks cool.

View Quote

I'll have to check into it! He sells exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks

Posted: 10/20/2019 12:49:47 AM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
Skybell does exactly that. I don't pay anything and I have 7 days of recordings I can DL to my phone. I can use their app from my phone anywhere I have an internet/data connection

View Quote

I appreciate the information. I'll look into this one as well.

Posted: 10/20/2019 5:25:45 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
I went with Nest rather than Ring. I like that nest will record full time rather than just when it detects motion or the bell rings.

I could be wrong, but I believe Ring only allows for live streaming or recording during motion/doorbell ring?

Nest will record full time and also give you alerts when it detects motion or doorbell rings. It also works well with the app, my Google home hub, Google voice, etc.

View Quote

We went with the nest for the same reasons. Love it so far.

Posted: 11/3/2019 9:31:18 PM EDT

[#18]

Just to offer another perspective:

I had a Ring 2 doorbell for the last 2-3 years. I think it was 720p resolution. It was sometimes difficult to make out faces clearly. So I was looking at the Ring Pro, which is 1080p. However, I was somewhat dismayed with Amazon's recent interactions with the police and offering secret information to departments. Yes, I'm aware that the police can't access the footage without a warrant. But the footage still lives on Amazon's cloud. And privacy policies can change.

Instead, I bought the Eufy Video Doorbell. It appealed to me for a few reasons.

First, it used the same wiring as my Ring 2. Literally unscrew the two screws on the wires and reconnect the Eufy.

Second, the resolution is dramatically better. It has 2K resolution, which is 2560 x 1920. It's orders of magnitude better than the Ring 2 I had.

Third, it allows me to view the footage on my phone, either real time or recorded and doesn't have any monthly fees. Zip. Nada. It has internal storage that saves any events (people or cars). Since it's stored locally, there is no cloud and no cloud fees.

It's currently $160, but they have sales now and then. I bought two of them for $110 each.

eufy Security Wi-Fi Video Doorbell, 2K Resolution, Real-Time Response, No Monthly Fees, Secure Local Storage, Free Wireless Chime (Requires Existing Doorbell Wires, 16-24 VAC, 30 VA or above)

A Crystal-Clear 2K Image: High Definition 2560 x 1920 resolution, combined with our advanced HDR and Distortion Correction, ensures video is recorded in 2x the quality.
No Hidden Costs: Designed to protect your home as well as your wallet, eufy Security products are one-time purchases that combine security with convenience.
Respond in Real-Time: Speak directly to anyone who approaches your front door via two-way audio. Tell your friends to come round the back or that you have just run out to get some milk.

Posted: 11/3/2019 9:41:56 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
I have the sky bell thinwith my current system.

I can't find it on the website anymore but it will not start recording until the person is within 3 feet of the device. if I would have known that I would have NEVER bought it .

View Quote

My Eufy camera will detect people and cars. When it does, it has prior footage buffered, so it will save a recording going back a few seconds prior to the alert detection. So, I can see the UPS guy walk all the way up my walk, even though it only detected him at about 10 feet.

Posted: 11/4/2019 9:55:12 AM EDT

[#20]

Do these video cameras work okay with doorbells that face sideways instead of facing the street?

Something like this view:

Posted: 11/4/2019 4:24:13 PM EDT

[#21]

I quickly dumped a RING and went for NEST

NEST has far less issues with video quality, skipping, and late notifications, etc... RING blamed by 1 gig internet provider, saying it was too slow, which ironically is not an issue for NEST.

RING also partnered with law enforcement giving them direct access. I won't invest or use products that voluntarily give access of my information and services I pay for out without proper judicial service. RING also pays local law enforcement (via donated cameras/doorbell/devices) for every person they get to download the RING neighbors app in their jurisdiction. Uh...no thanks. Also don't like when private companies start incentivizing the local police with gifts.

Posted: 11/5/2019 10:19:40 PM EDT

[#22]

Quote History

Quoted:

No POE no care

View Quote

RING has a POE doorbell.

Posted: 11/8/2019 3:42:04 PM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:

RING has a POE doorbell.

View Quote

True, but it's like $400 and like all Ring products uses its own cloud service and has a fee/etc.

I need the unit to work with my IP cam system and be stored locally only with no internet access.

Posted: 11/8/2019 4:18:35 PM EDT

[#24]

Quote History

Quoted:

No POE no care

View Quote

I'm not following your point.
It (nsc-db2) uses your existing doorbell wiring for power and connects to your NVR via wifi.

All of my cams are POE except one so I do very much like POE but for a doorbell camera having to run an ethernet cable to your doorbell button would be a pita for some people.

Posted: 11/8/2019 4:25:20 PM EDT

[#25]

Look into Nest, picture quality looks a lot better then Ring

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Best Home Doorbell Video Camera w/ DIY install

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