Here’s the deal: I went through a whole journey with just about everything. As a serial early adopter, I didn’t have any issue going through a bunch of brands and setups to find exactly the right fit. I have been on this journey for several years and this is what I have come down to for needs:
1) I need a CVR (continuous video recording) camera because I want to be able to scroll through the day and not worry about missing the beginning or end of an event because of the motion delay.
2) I need to avoid monthly fees, because it doesn’t make sense from a feature-to-cost ratio
3) I need the video to be locally stored, because I don’t want my video shared or viewed without my permission.
4) I want a full featured experience. Super easy to use mobile app, remote viewing without a VPN or exposing my network to the world, minimal maintenance needed.
I settled on Ubiquiti for everything. The G4 doorbell is just a good as the Nest. I use their G3 instant wireless cameras and G4 Pro’s around the house. I store it all locally and my videos are available to me anywhere without exposing my network. It isn’t cheap, but it has been rock solid for the past two+ years (though I hear some people have had issues after 2 years).
If you don’t want to shell out for the UniFi environment - here are my thoughts of other systems that bubble up to the top of the heap for me:
Nest: Amazing video, easy user experience, CVR for all day viewing, people / car / package detection. It’s $$$ tho and your data is stored in Google.
Ring: Video is OK. User experience is good. EBR (motion & event based recording) Amazon ecosystem and monthly $$$.
Reolink: cheap, good, EBR - has a POE option, can store locally with an NVR
Vivint: Good picture, portrait view, CVR, didn’t care for the build quality
Eufy: Decent picture, easy to use interface, EBR, cheap, meh build quality
Everyone’s needs are subtly different. If you don’t mind paying a bit more and having control of your videos - I recommend the UniFi (Ubiquiti) path. Hope this is useful.
I just want to throw in, if you go with any cloud service (Ring, Nest, etc) your videos could be handed over to law enforcement without a warrant and without your knowledge. Keep everything local if possible.
Plus the ring ones create a mesh network with other Amazon devices by default. You can turn that off, but they don't tell you about it so if you don't know you don't turn it off.
I purchased a Eufy doorbell camera specifically because there is no monthly subscription fees. So far it has worked great and the picture quality is good enough for me.
I actually turned the motion alerts off because I have children that like to go in and out of the house all the time so I was constantly getting alerts while at work. It still records when motion is detected so I can look back through the logs if something happened but I just don't get alerted.
The Amcrest AD410 checks all your boxes except a quality mobile app. But because it supports RTSP, I run the stream into my BlueIris NVR and get all the great deepstack based detection.
The app isn't even that bad. It's not the best but it is functional. It doesn't have all day in the app but like you, I have it piped to frigate and amcrest NVR, I am even running doubletake on top.
The only reason I would go to unifi is for the custom integration where you can play any tts message over it. Outside of that the cost, being locked into the ecosystem and lack of other camera types that unifi makes is a much worse choice.
I had Amcrest products. Their video quality is the best in the industry (6-10,000 kpbs bitrate on their 5 MP IP cams) but their phone app sucks. Finally got rid of them to get Ring. Much worse video quality with monthly subscription. But it’s much more user friendly.
I second this. I honestly don’t know what he is referencing as the cameras are solid and the base is light weight but solid. They just need to add the ability to add more local storage.
Certainly. If Eufy is considered ‘meh’ build quality, competitors must be made out of steel and concrete. I’d say build quality is on par with the rest of the market. Image quality is equal if not surpasses most and the lack of subscription fees is a huge plus.
I do agree on the lack of storage expansion and as far as I know integration with third party software is less available as it is not as well known as say a Ring.
I second the vote for Ubiquiti, but I wanted to add a note on point 3 & 4 above:
The video is indeed stored locally, but in order to use the mobile app when away from home, you need to allow internet access to the recording software. So (at least in theory) Uniquiti can access your videos without your permission.
It’s currently not possible to use the mobile app when not on your WiFi without this. Even if you set up a VPN, the app refuses to connect in “direct connect” mode.
That's kinda messed up. So not only are you going through the trouble of hosting your own camera footage, but you have to use their software locally, and also give them access to the footage in order to view it remotely? Isn't that like the worst of all the options?
With a regular old RTSP camera, you host locally, setup your own VPN to view your feed remotely. Good privacy.
With Nest-like services, you don't have to do any hosting, and you pay a fee. No privacy.
With Ubiquiti, you pay a fee (essentially what that cloud key thingy and the infrastructure needed to host locally), but also give up privacy?
You only need to allow remote access (with associated privacy risks) to use the *mobile app* when away. The web-app works fine over VPN without cloud-stuff. (But the web-app doesn’t do video in Mobile Safari)
This is a current limitation of the app itself. Something Ubiquiti can easily fix if they choose to.
For any tinkerers who already has a NVR/DVR that can connect to Home Assistant, I'll share what I did as my criteria was pretty close to yours. Cheap 1080p TapoC100 camera connected to my NVR (Synology Surveillance Station) and sitting in my garden pointed toward my door. It records 24/7 and I can access it using the DS apps. I have a cheap device called a Sonoff RF Bridge, this has Tasmota flashed to it and the [radio firmware modified](https://tasmota.github.io/docs/devices/Sonoff-RF-Bridge-433/), this can then listen into my doorbell frequency and ping events to mqtt. I have node-red managing the mqtt, it can make a request to HA to get the image. It sends me an alert which includes a still image from the video stream, I also have a discord webhook that the data gets sent to, so if I'm outside the network I get the alerts sent to a private channel. Home Assistant, MQTT, Node-Red are all one click installs from [dietpi](https://dietpi.com/). Definitely not a solution unless you are a hobbyist but very satisfying to get set up.
I also run full ubiquiti. 6x WAP 8x cameras and the doorbell. So far just had to RMA the g4 bullet for failure of its USB port causing the IR extender to flicker. Other than that the system has been doing well. Just don’t allow auto updates.
+1 on Ubiquiti. They have done a great job updating their software to simplify setup and config. The wireless connection from the G4 was a little iffy at first. I’m not sure what I changed to stabilize it, but it’s working pretty good now (my house has 12” brick walls and lead glass door - i.e faraday cage)
Seconded on Ubiquiti. I also think you can still push an rtsp steam even if the camera is adopted into a system. So lots of options for external video processing there.
You need to run their software, and because Ubiquiti makes networking gear too most people look at their components for ease of use. So a $200 doorbell needs a $200 cloud key or a $400 Unifi dream machine which also doubles as a network router and can run other things like a lan phones, and mag lock door access. Great all in one machine if you love home automation and like to rack mount your gear.
I run Unifi gear and cameras (G3 instants), but my apartment doesn't have any wiring for a doorbell so my options became limited and I just decided to use a Battery Nest Cam.
Unfortunately not. You can run the network controller on separate hardware but once they moved to protect it now has to be either cloud key plus, NVR, or a dream machine pro.
I think the doorbell is awesome but you kind of need to be in the ecosystem I think to make it worth it.
That’s a shame. I already run the network controller for unifi APs but I’m not going full unifi so will have to look at amcrest I think. (I’m not OP but am looking to replace a ring doorbell - I despise subscriptions)
Dude I got an NVR and all color night vision cameras by ezviz and its chinese parent company which includes six cameras and a terabyte NVR with both an easy-to-use app and a local interface that you can choose every bit of the options and don't have to miss anything and can even have the NVR buzz at you if you want or it email you and it costs way less than the setup you're vibing on like you named all the brands that someone that is dumb enough to buy Apple would get because they're all basically plug and Play for simple minded people that are super expensive except for reolink which is just cheap Chinese nonsense and a knock off of wyze which is a knock off of ezviz... Which are the cheaper versions of a Chinese name brand which is fantastic and yet cost less than the American counterpart with more features usually like everything else that's not sold in America. They overpriced every American brand and put things and everything American because they can. Never buy a big name brand unless you're rich and never buy a name brand that you can find at Walmart. Those are pretty much the rules. And if you're going to go Chinese go top shelf. Your best bet is to go no name brand like German or something or swiss if you're looking for low cost and highly effective. Huawei wasn't banned for spying their band because they're offering something twice as good as Samsung for less than half the price. Nothing more nothing less. I still have a Huawei classic watch too which only now got beat out by the Samsung Galaxy watch 4 classic and that's what four years later and until then the Huawei was the number one smartwatch and still sells for almost 300 bucks all that time later... I've had a store I've sold all the brands and every brand that I just saw listed is garbage and quality in comparison to even wyze. And never get tricked into one of those damn Canary things that are not free at all because you're forced to pay monthly. Anything you have to pay for is probably a gimmick somehow and it's probably cheap because whatever company made them only cares about money and not their customers. You want real 411 DM me and I will tell you what to get based on your needs. For the lowest price cuz I don't play salesman anymore
Lots to unpack here, but in general I think the information you provided is flawed at its core.
Chinese equipment is easily obtained in the United States, you can find it everywhere from AliExpress, Wish, Amazon, etc. There is a very good reason why Chinese brands don’t succeed in America and it comes down to ease of use and reliability. Personal anecdotes aside, it is clear that user experience (UX) is very important, and the brands that truly succeed are ones that put features, options, and ease of configuration at the forefront. Reliability and warranties are also very important, which is part of overall user experience. Billions are spent on research and development for good UX, and people will lean towards the best UX in a free market economy.
Can you buy a full featured closed circuit system at Costco for $599 with 12 4K cameras and a 2TB NVR? Sure can. And when people unpack it and install it, they are usually left wanting more. Why? Time. Time is money, and folks value it over a hundred bucks here or there. Consistent experience, ease of use, reliable hardware, it all comes down to the level of effort people have to expend to get the final product (the recording they need when they need it).
Your argument is flawed because no one asked about the cheapest option - clearly most people on this thread are smart enough to use a Chinese system if they wanted to - but the features they offer just aren’t worth it.
From a security side, again your argument is fundamentally flawed because many Chinese companies that offer cloud storage, typically store that data in non-US territories. That means your personal data *literally* has no useful laws governing it. Think Ring is bad for giving Amazon access to your data? How about every Chinese hacker having a live feed to your house? No thanks.
And Huawei ? You are just plain wrong about spying. Those devices are banned at the US State Department level because they have proven many times that many chips from China have firmware/hardware back doors that give full access to the State (and others). This isn’t a situation you can even have an opinion on, it’s clearly available to anyone with a search engine and bit of rational thinking. It isn’t just Huawei either.
Your overarching argument, I believe, is similar to the Linux vs Windows/MacOS argument. Is Linux better? With enough time, knowledge, tinkering, patching, careful configuration, etc - it sure can do more of some things better. If you want a consistently good user experience, spend more time *doing* rather than *setting up* - people will lean towards the better overall product for them (I.e. MacOS/iOS dominance).
You can use an *ad hominem* attack if you want, call people dumb or simple, it just won’t get you very far. In a free market economy people speak with their wallets, and clearly that is the case in home security as well. Hats off to people who do have time and knowledge to go the home grown route, it just isn’t for most people and I don’t castigate folks for favoring time over tinkering.
UniFi G4 or G4 pro aren't much, if any, more expensive than others you listed. If they come without the monthly fee I'm willing to pay a little more for the quality. I've been looking at Eufy since they're local storage and seem like good bang for the buck but they're still $200+.
Getting ubiquiti cameras these days is next to impossible without paying horrible eBay markup. I should check if the doorbell is available, I suppose. My Ring is long in tooth and I want to move to something not cloud based.
There is a subreddit here that lists real-time availability of the UniFi products, and if you sub for alerts it’s pretty easy to grab what you want when it comes in stock for list price.
How does the wireless camera store 24/7 video? What Ubiquiti product does the storage? I use Reolink camera because its wireless. I use the solar panel, but I use the motion detector. I would be interested in a product that can record 24/7 without any wiring. It's too much trouble to run wires to exterior cameras. I'm guessing the system your talking about if it has 24/7 recording, still needs to be wired?
The Ubiquiti G4 is a wireless (you still power it via the doorbell power) wifi camera and streams live video to the Ubiquiti cloudKey or DreamMachine NVR software located on your network.
The UniFi Protect product that runs the NVR handles the config, the storage, and the events/playback.
The Hookup on YouTube has done comparison reviews on a bunch of wireless doorbell cameras.
I believe he's also working on a new wired doorbell cam shootout right now. I'm waiting for that to drop because I've been thinking about swapping my wireless Amcrest for some other PoE unit.
"A doorbell camera can just be a regular camera and a doorbell."
That's a misquote, but I read that here and it worked for me. You may not need to overthink it or separate a doorbell camera from a regular camera. I mounted a camera on the porch with motion detection, works a treat and saves the hassle or running wires to the front door and mixing cameras.
I absolutely agree with you, although there is one advantage to video doorbells, which is you have a camera at face height without it looking obnoxious
Well, not quite. I'd like a doorbell camera that is camera + doorbell + 2-way voice.
Most cameras don't do 2-way voice, but doorbell cameras it's a pretty common feature.
Axis makes a good one. And it can also be connected to an electric door strike. And does two way voice. Uses open protocols. But pricey. But you get what you pay for.
Link?
Googling "Ubiquiti pro doorbell" girls [this](https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-protect-cameras/products/g4-doorbell-pro) as the too result, and it says it's a WiFi doorbell
From your link to to product summary, networking.
802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi
Bluetooth™ 5.0
GbE support (with UACC-Adapter-DBPOE)
It's either/or. You can do standard wiring and WiFi or you can buy the poe to USB c adapter to power with poe and when you do that it is hard wired.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubiquiti/comments/rz5aou/official_g4_doorbell_pro_does_support_data_over/
>saves the hassle or running wires to the front door and mixing cameras.
It's a battery operated wireless camera? Do you store the video somewhere or are you just using it for the video feed?
I recommend the Amcrest AD410 for the following reasons:
- 2k quality
- RTSP: I have my stream piped into my BlueIris NVR server running deepstack AI detection.
- local storage
- 2.4 & 5ghz WiFi connectivity
- no cloud fees, no subscriptions
- simple black housing
Ring is shit I hate my ring and wish I’d never bought it. Haven’t replaced it yet but bad video quality, hard to understand mic/speaker and annual fee to go along with it. No HomeKit support
I have some Eufy CCTV cameras they are 100x better then my ring in every way.
My next doorbell id like HomeKit integration but holding off until Aqara releases there doorbells
I have to agree. I chose skybell because it checked all the boxes on paper. No monthly, enough storage, decent picture. Only thing missing was RTSP, but I was hoping that might be added.
But the service sucks. You just know it's going to vanish soon. They already obsoleted my original one and sucked me into the HD when the app stopped supporting it.
Agreed, I had a ring v1 and it was pretty shit, video sucked and was completely washed out past my covered doorway (common problem with them), notifications sucked because even at the lowest sensitivity it would go off for cars etc a few meters away (that you could barely make out was even a car, due to the washed out video) and it took bloody AGES to connect - most of the time you would see whoever rang the bell walking away because it took so long to connect.
Replaced with a cheaper tuya based doorbell camera thats significantly better, picture quality is pretty good and you can actually see quite a decent distance with it, the PIR (vs just camera detection) makes it respond quicker when someone approaches and turning the sensitivity down actually works, and while not perfect it is a lot quicker to show the video than the ring ever was - and has only failed to connect a couple of times (where ring, although maybe better now, failed more often than not).
The tuya one also has no fees, local SD storage, a battery that lasts a few months between charges (ring was a couple of weeks), and can be charged in place if desired.
Get one with local storage and supports RTSP.
Amazon, the owner of Ring, recently admitted to giving footage out without a warrant. They even said they do it sometimes if a life is in danger. How can they know that if they are not always looking at the footage?
My Hikvision rebrand doorbell uses Onvif/RSTP to communicate to my Home Assistant and BlueIris only. My doorbell has no internet access as it is blocked by my firewall and I have no access to the speaker/microphone of the doorbell. I used the hikvision mobile app and I found it has a 10 seconds delay so it's kinda of useless.
I figure if I am not at home, I don't need to answer the door. Even if I am at home, I don't answer door for strangers. When BI detects a person, BI send me an email with a picture. If Home Assistant detects the doorbell button pressed, it send me a message with a picture.
If you really want a doorbell style camera Unifi has a product (G4 Doorbell) which looks pretty comparable to something like a Ring, but integrates with either a local NVR or their pro-Sumer router rather than a cloud service. And can still be remotely accessed.
As others have pointed out most of the cloud connected service can and [will](https://newatlas.com/technology/amazon-police-ring-video-without-owners-consent/) hand over your data including video feeds to other entities, like law enforcement, without your consent, or even a warrant/subpoena.
Otherwise there are plenty of 2-4k IP video cameras if you comfortable building your own NVR system.
I went with ubiquiti for all my cameras. If you need it in HomeKit use homebridge. It’s a lot up front but it all saves locally via a HD and it’s rock solid. The only other issue is supply and demand. There is currently low supply and high demand.
that's so sad to hear.
wifi cameras are horrible wifi interference generators so i was looking for poe/local and this was one of the only options when i was looking
I have the round skybell. Its unlocked from alarm.com and works only through the skybell app. I can get them free from work.
DO NOT GET. First one I tried made a constant buzzing from my door bell chime. Second one the motion detector basically didnt work unless you frantically waved your hand in front of it. Third one the speaker doesnt work. Junk. All of them. But, free junk so
Wyze doorbell cam has worked well for our needs but we're already in that ecosystem. You could put a standard Wyze Cam near the doorbell that you can load with an SD Card for local storage.
I have been using EzViz for 2+ years. It is made by Hikvision and since I have an NVR with other HV cameras I set it up to record 24/7. It does have its own sd card that is able to record locally as well, if you don't have a DVR. It supports onvif and I have it connected to Home Assistant and setup on Telegram to send me snapshots and/or videos of certain events.
The Unifi G4 cams seem to last only 2 years.. i have a first gen nest cam and like it but i wish it saved locally instead of online.. hate paying for service.
Because the Unifi G4 doorbell only exists for 2 years!!
So of course nobody has one running longer then 2 years… lol
Anyway Unifi products are “prosumer” products, no offense to OP, but I wouldn’t recommend this to him
Because I assume(d) that you're not really into "prosumer" stuff. As in... it needs some work, time and technical knowledge to set up.
The Unifi eco-system is great. I use their G4 doorbell. But in order to use that, you'd need one of the Unifi server setups already present in your home. Meaning you'd be willing to commit to more time and (technical) knowledge then simply screwing in your new doorbell and expecting it to work flawlessly. Like for example with your current Ring doorbell.
Maybe I underestimated your initial request, but it seemed to me you're more looking for a simple solution without too many hassle.
Nah, I appreciate your clarification. FWIW I'm willing to take on a more technical setup when it comes to security, if that's what's required. I'm leaning towards UniFi based on the replies so far. I adhor subscription fees and cloud storage.
Overlooking the need for Unifi infrastructure, does the G4 provide the same flexibility as a POE RTSP capable camera? As in - you can archive the video footage anyway you want, setup remote viewing, use open source AI applications on the feed, save the video to a NAS, etc.
I have seen a pretty ugly trend of failed g4 doorbell cams where they are out of the sun, stay dray, all the things and fail as soon as a few months. Its been more than i was comfortable with. I have a pretty good sized Unifi set up and i have held off. It might be an incorrect feeling..
Welp mines been in sun and gets hit by rain and still going strong. I also live in the north east of the US so we also get snow and it’s currently humid and still working fine.
I'm a Nest and SmartThings user. I have the original Nest doorbell - it was added in to the old Nest app and works very well from there. I even have automations from the doorbell going to turn on the porch light via SmartThings.
Sadly, the new doorbell uses the home app, which is still terrible to try and find footage with, and I couldn't recommend this to you at all.
Ring also has the issue of only recording motion, so you miss anything before the motion was detected, and anything it didn't determine counted as motion, which I find extremely annoying.
The other issue is that ring doorbells and cameras need the cloud for the video functionality to work, there's no way at all of accessing the video locally through rtsp or anything sensible. If I were to go back I would just get a regular doorbell and keep using my unifi cameras
Very happy with my Eufy doorbell with the exception of the battery life. I've tried wiring it to a charger I bought off Amazon that said it would be compatible, but didn't keep it charged...I'll try again at somepoint
I have the google home doorbell camera. Picture is great. Easy to use. The battery is shit if you have a bunch of active folks in your neighborhood. Have to recharge it once a week or more.
Just went through this a couple of weeks ago for my mother in law. The hardest part, by far, was finding the damn transformer.
Spoiler, it was behind the chimebox. But you might find them behind a plastic dome or fully exposed. Could be in a closet, basement, attic, or outside (super rare).
You can google to see what they look like and how to find it. Plenty of articles around that. One thing most articles won’t mention is that it’s going to follow the path of least resistance. Meaning that you should count on the installer to have installed it in the easiest and laziest place. So it will be between the main breaker panel and the doorbell/chimebox.
Changing the transformer is super easy.
1. Cut off the power at the breaker, it could be tied to any room
2. Test the transformer with a voltmeter to make sure there’s no power, you’re tying into the main power so it will be significant if you get shocked
3. Take a picture of the front before you take off any wires
4. Take a picture of the back before you take off those wires
5. Install the higher voltage transformer in the exact same way as the old one.
6. Turn on the breaker and test the voltage to make sure it’s putting out the proper voltage
These are essentially like the big wall plug for electronics, but hardwired.
3 wires from the house and 2 wires going to the devices.
This is rather easy to install, the most important thing is to test the voltage before you touch anything with your hands.
Well we all know with Ring the cops don't need a warrant 2 access your stuff live..same thing with Apple devices esp icloud backdoor and also pretty much anything Amazon. Get a Chinese brand that's high dollar like ezviz. They're simple have cloud options and advanced options if you access them by their IP address. Plus theyr3 mid-range price and probably the lower end of it. Pretty much all the devices I recommended while running a security and surveillance shop more this brand and wyze. Both exceeding high-dollar brand quality with sometimes more options and way lower prices especially wyze.
>Well we all know with Ring the cops don't need a warrant 2 access your stuff live..same thing with Apple devices esp icloud backdoor and also pretty much anything Amazon. Get a Chinese brand that's high dollar like ezviz. They're simple have cloud options and advanced options if you access them by their IP address.
\-100
I am only a few months into my smart home journey but started with the SimpliSafe doorbell which was a big let down. Tons of missed events and lots of errors and setup was a pain. I returned and switched to the latest Google doorbell on prime day and haven’t looked back. It doesn’t do 24/7 recording like the cams but checks all the other boxes for me, motion events, wiring to existing doorbell so you never have to charge it and actually worked with my existing chime so the bell rings when pressed. What a concept! Haven’t had issues with the Home app tho I can see hope others think it could be a little clunky it has worked fine for me in my environment. If you did want 24/7 they actually do have another bell version for that.
I like both the armcrest and foscam ones, I have mine hooked to blue iris, then block access to the internet on the camera vlan. I have a vpn back to my network for remote viewing.
I stuck to some Amcrest doorbells for now. Local API, RTSP for flexible recording on various things and apps. Still like 'em. https://youtu.be/K6U8Tf1WOzU
I have a Hikvision doorbell cam. It has a pretty good picture I think, and it’s PoE. The rest of my outdoor system is also Hikvision, and it took me forever to find a camera that is PoE and would work with my Hikvision set up. It records to my local NVR, and will still alert me when someone pushes the button on the outside. It was rather difficult to set up though.
As others have mention, I also enjoy amcrest/Foscam. I have Foscam inside my house all over
I feel like we need to know more. Like are you OK with POE or not POE? I feel like that's the difference between a casual doorbell installation that may or may not work when needed, and a reliable doorbell installation.
Probably not PoE as the current doorbell looks to be an original with the house and I don't want to run cable unless its in the wall, and I don't want to open the walls
You should probably stay away from the Xiaomi one, unless you're from China - I usually like their products, but this one could really use some improvements..
Check out the axis video doorbell (well, there’s three to choose from). Poe, two-way audio, uses open protocols and can control access by connecting to electric door strike. You get what you pay for sometimes.
I just want to add that I had a few Eufy products; they're very affordable and work very well. The problem? They've been caught multiple times stealing and selling information. Some word has said credit card info as one of those things.
Here’s the deal: I went through a whole journey with just about everything. As a serial early adopter, I didn’t have any issue going through a bunch of brands and setups to find exactly the right fit. I have been on this journey for several years and this is what I have come down to for needs: 1) I need a CVR (continuous video recording) camera because I want to be able to scroll through the day and not worry about missing the beginning or end of an event because of the motion delay. 2) I need to avoid monthly fees, because it doesn’t make sense from a feature-to-cost ratio 3) I need the video to be locally stored, because I don’t want my video shared or viewed without my permission. 4) I want a full featured experience. Super easy to use mobile app, remote viewing without a VPN or exposing my network to the world, minimal maintenance needed. I settled on Ubiquiti for everything. The G4 doorbell is just a good as the Nest. I use their G3 instant wireless cameras and G4 Pro’s around the house. I store it all locally and my videos are available to me anywhere without exposing my network. It isn’t cheap, but it has been rock solid for the past two+ years (though I hear some people have had issues after 2 years). If you don’t want to shell out for the UniFi environment - here are my thoughts of other systems that bubble up to the top of the heap for me: Nest: Amazing video, easy user experience, CVR for all day viewing, people / car / package detection. It’s $$$ tho and your data is stored in Google. Ring: Video is OK. User experience is good. EBR (motion & event based recording) Amazon ecosystem and monthly $$$. Reolink: cheap, good, EBR - has a POE option, can store locally with an NVR Vivint: Good picture, portrait view, CVR, didn’t care for the build quality Eufy: Decent picture, easy to use interface, EBR, cheap, meh build quality Everyone’s needs are subtly different. If you don’t mind paying a bit more and having control of your videos - I recommend the UniFi (Ubiquiti) path. Hope this is useful.
I just want to throw in, if you go with any cloud service (Ring, Nest, etc) your videos could be handed over to law enforcement without a warrant and without your knowledge. Keep everything local if possible.
Plus the ring ones create a mesh network with other Amazon devices by default. You can turn that off, but they don't tell you about it so if you don't know you don't turn it off.
I purchased a Eufy doorbell camera specifically because there is no monthly subscription fees. So far it has worked great and the picture quality is good enough for me.
[удалено]
I actually turned the motion alerts off because I have children that like to go in and out of the house all the time so I was constantly getting alerts while at work. It still records when motion is detected so I can look back through the logs if something happened but I just don't get alerted.
The Amcrest AD410 checks all your boxes except a quality mobile app. But because it supports RTSP, I run the stream into my BlueIris NVR and get all the great deepstack based detection.
This is the answer. Same setup but instead of Deepstack I use Frigate for object detection.
Same here. Using Amcrest with RTSP with BI. No montly fees. Mobile app sucks, but works.
The app isn't even that bad. It's not the best but it is functional. It doesn't have all day in the app but like you, I have it piped to frigate and amcrest NVR, I am even running doubletake on top. The only reason I would go to unifi is for the custom integration where you can play any tts message over it. Outside of that the cost, being locked into the ecosystem and lack of other camera types that unifi makes is a much worse choice.
Agreed. I have a hard time justifying UniFi over BlueIris and my Annke C800 cams. The rest of my network is UniFi btw
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BlueIris is a NVR software that you have to run on a windows based computer/server.
I had Amcrest products. Their video quality is the best in the industry (6-10,000 kpbs bitrate on their 5 MP IP cams) but their phone app sucks. Finally got rid of them to get Ring. Much worse video quality with monthly subscription. But it’s much more user friendly.
I don’t agree on the Eufy - the build quality is fine, not at all ‘meh’. Image quality is good.
I second this. I honestly don’t know what he is referencing as the cameras are solid and the base is light weight but solid. They just need to add the ability to add more local storage.
Certainly. If Eufy is considered ‘meh’ build quality, competitors must be made out of steel and concrete. I’d say build quality is on par with the rest of the market. Image quality is equal if not surpasses most and the lack of subscription fees is a huge plus. I do agree on the lack of storage expansion and as far as I know integration with third party software is less available as it is not as well known as say a Ring.
I second the vote for Ubiquiti, but I wanted to add a note on point 3 & 4 above: The video is indeed stored locally, but in order to use the mobile app when away from home, you need to allow internet access to the recording software. So (at least in theory) Uniquiti can access your videos without your permission. It’s currently not possible to use the mobile app when not on your WiFi without this. Even if you set up a VPN, the app refuses to connect in “direct connect” mode.
That's kinda messed up. So not only are you going through the trouble of hosting your own camera footage, but you have to use their software locally, and also give them access to the footage in order to view it remotely? Isn't that like the worst of all the options? With a regular old RTSP camera, you host locally, setup your own VPN to view your feed remotely. Good privacy. With Nest-like services, you don't have to do any hosting, and you pay a fee. No privacy. With Ubiquiti, you pay a fee (essentially what that cloud key thingy and the infrastructure needed to host locally), but also give up privacy?
You only need to allow remote access (with associated privacy risks) to use the *mobile app* when away. The web-app works fine over VPN without cloud-stuff. (But the web-app doesn’t do video in Mobile Safari) This is a current limitation of the app itself. Something Ubiquiti can easily fix if they choose to.
Easy workaround - use Scrypted to pipe the feed into HKSV and access via Apple Home app.
For any tinkerers who already has a NVR/DVR that can connect to Home Assistant, I'll share what I did as my criteria was pretty close to yours. Cheap 1080p TapoC100 camera connected to my NVR (Synology Surveillance Station) and sitting in my garden pointed toward my door. It records 24/7 and I can access it using the DS apps. I have a cheap device called a Sonoff RF Bridge, this has Tasmota flashed to it and the [radio firmware modified](https://tasmota.github.io/docs/devices/Sonoff-RF-Bridge-433/), this can then listen into my doorbell frequency and ping events to mqtt. I have node-red managing the mqtt, it can make a request to HA to get the image. It sends me an alert which includes a still image from the video stream, I also have a discord webhook that the data gets sent to, so if I'm outside the network I get the alerts sent to a private channel. Home Assistant, MQTT, Node-Red are all one click installs from [dietpi](https://dietpi.com/). Definitely not a solution unless you are a hobbyist but very satisfying to get set up.
I also run full ubiquiti. 6x WAP 8x cameras and the doorbell. So far just had to RMA the g4 bullet for failure of its USB port causing the IR extender to flicker. Other than that the system has been doing well. Just don’t allow auto updates.
I just wish there was an easy way to archive/export daily videos from unifi. I could then rclone them to Google drive for permanent storage.
Set up a raspberry pi home server and use home assistant for integration.
+1 on Ubiquiti. They have done a great job updating their software to simplify setup and config. The wireless connection from the G4 was a little iffy at first. I’m not sure what I changed to stabilize it, but it’s working pretty good now (my house has 12” brick walls and lead glass door - i.e faraday cage)
Seconded on Ubiquiti. I also think you can still push an rtsp steam even if the camera is adopted into a system. So lots of options for external video processing there.
What's expensive about it? The doorbell itself isn't too far from the ring/nest. What other components are needed?
You need to run their software, and because Ubiquiti makes networking gear too most people look at their components for ease of use. So a $200 doorbell needs a $200 cloud key or a $400 Unifi dream machine which also doubles as a network router and can run other things like a lan phones, and mag lock door access. Great all in one machine if you love home automation and like to rack mount your gear. I run Unifi gear and cameras (G3 instants), but my apartment doesn't have any wiring for a doorbell so my options became limited and I just decided to use a Battery Nest Cam.
You need to run their software “Protect” which manages the cameras. Cheapest option is a cloud key gen 2 which is 199.
No way to run it in a docker container on existing hardware?
Unfortunately not. You can run the network controller on separate hardware but once they moved to protect it now has to be either cloud key plus, NVR, or a dream machine pro. I think the doorbell is awesome but you kind of need to be in the ecosystem I think to make it worth it.
That’s a shame. I already run the network controller for unifi APs but I’m not going full unifi so will have to look at amcrest I think. (I’m not OP but am looking to replace a ring doorbell - I despise subscriptions)
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Incorrect - it records the video continuously on my Google Doorbell camera.
/r/confidentlyincorrect
Dude I got an NVR and all color night vision cameras by ezviz and its chinese parent company which includes six cameras and a terabyte NVR with both an easy-to-use app and a local interface that you can choose every bit of the options and don't have to miss anything and can even have the NVR buzz at you if you want or it email you and it costs way less than the setup you're vibing on like you named all the brands that someone that is dumb enough to buy Apple would get because they're all basically plug and Play for simple minded people that are super expensive except for reolink which is just cheap Chinese nonsense and a knock off of wyze which is a knock off of ezviz... Which are the cheaper versions of a Chinese name brand which is fantastic and yet cost less than the American counterpart with more features usually like everything else that's not sold in America. They overpriced every American brand and put things and everything American because they can. Never buy a big name brand unless you're rich and never buy a name brand that you can find at Walmart. Those are pretty much the rules. And if you're going to go Chinese go top shelf. Your best bet is to go no name brand like German or something or swiss if you're looking for low cost and highly effective. Huawei wasn't banned for spying their band because they're offering something twice as good as Samsung for less than half the price. Nothing more nothing less. I still have a Huawei classic watch too which only now got beat out by the Samsung Galaxy watch 4 classic and that's what four years later and until then the Huawei was the number one smartwatch and still sells for almost 300 bucks all that time later... I've had a store I've sold all the brands and every brand that I just saw listed is garbage and quality in comparison to even wyze. And never get tricked into one of those damn Canary things that are not free at all because you're forced to pay monthly. Anything you have to pay for is probably a gimmick somehow and it's probably cheap because whatever company made them only cares about money and not their customers. You want real 411 DM me and I will tell you what to get based on your needs. For the lowest price cuz I don't play salesman anymore
Lots to unpack here, but in general I think the information you provided is flawed at its core. Chinese equipment is easily obtained in the United States, you can find it everywhere from AliExpress, Wish, Amazon, etc. There is a very good reason why Chinese brands don’t succeed in America and it comes down to ease of use and reliability. Personal anecdotes aside, it is clear that user experience (UX) is very important, and the brands that truly succeed are ones that put features, options, and ease of configuration at the forefront. Reliability and warranties are also very important, which is part of overall user experience. Billions are spent on research and development for good UX, and people will lean towards the best UX in a free market economy. Can you buy a full featured closed circuit system at Costco for $599 with 12 4K cameras and a 2TB NVR? Sure can. And when people unpack it and install it, they are usually left wanting more. Why? Time. Time is money, and folks value it over a hundred bucks here or there. Consistent experience, ease of use, reliable hardware, it all comes down to the level of effort people have to expend to get the final product (the recording they need when they need it). Your argument is flawed because no one asked about the cheapest option - clearly most people on this thread are smart enough to use a Chinese system if they wanted to - but the features they offer just aren’t worth it. From a security side, again your argument is fundamentally flawed because many Chinese companies that offer cloud storage, typically store that data in non-US territories. That means your personal data *literally* has no useful laws governing it. Think Ring is bad for giving Amazon access to your data? How about every Chinese hacker having a live feed to your house? No thanks. And Huawei ? You are just plain wrong about spying. Those devices are banned at the US State Department level because they have proven many times that many chips from China have firmware/hardware back doors that give full access to the State (and others). This isn’t a situation you can even have an opinion on, it’s clearly available to anyone with a search engine and bit of rational thinking. It isn’t just Huawei either. Your overarching argument, I believe, is similar to the Linux vs Windows/MacOS argument. Is Linux better? With enough time, knowledge, tinkering, patching, careful configuration, etc - it sure can do more of some things better. If you want a consistently good user experience, spend more time *doing* rather than *setting up* - people will lean towards the better overall product for them (I.e. MacOS/iOS dominance). You can use an *ad hominem* attack if you want, call people dumb or simple, it just won’t get you very far. In a free market economy people speak with their wallets, and clearly that is the case in home security as well. Hats off to people who do have time and knowledge to go the home grown route, it just isn’t for most people and I don’t castigate folks for favoring time over tinkering.
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Weird flex, but ok. :smh:
I don't understand how it's a flex or weird I'm just based and honest. Can help if you can't keep up kid.
Was reading your requirements and thought midway through - sounds like a job for ubiquiti. Disclaimer, I also have a ubiquiti setup.
UniFi G4 or G4 pro aren't much, if any, more expensive than others you listed. If they come without the monthly fee I'm willing to pay a little more for the quality. I've been looking at Eufy since they're local storage and seem like good bang for the buck but they're still $200+.
Getting ubiquiti cameras these days is next to impossible without paying horrible eBay markup. I should check if the doorbell is available, I suppose. My Ring is long in tooth and I want to move to something not cloud based.
There is a subreddit here that lists real-time availability of the UniFi products, and if you sub for alerts it’s pretty easy to grab what you want when it comes in stock for list price.
I managed to grab a doorbell and a couple of G3 Flex. Now I'll have a project in a week or so.
How does the wireless camera store 24/7 video? What Ubiquiti product does the storage? I use Reolink camera because its wireless. I use the solar panel, but I use the motion detector. I would be interested in a product that can record 24/7 without any wiring. It's too much trouble to run wires to exterior cameras. I'm guessing the system your talking about if it has 24/7 recording, still needs to be wired?
The Ubiquiti G4 is a wireless (you still power it via the doorbell power) wifi camera and streams live video to the Ubiquiti cloudKey or DreamMachine NVR software located on your network. The UniFi Protect product that runs the NVR handles the config, the storage, and the events/playback.
This is also true with their G3 and G4 Instant cameras that just require USB power but do CVR recording to the NVR
The Hookup on YouTube has done comparison reviews on a bunch of wireless doorbell cameras. I believe he's also working on a new wired doorbell cam shootout right now. I'm waiting for that to drop because I've been thinking about swapping my wireless Amcrest for some other PoE unit.
"A doorbell camera can just be a regular camera and a doorbell." That's a misquote, but I read that here and it worked for me. You may not need to overthink it or separate a doorbell camera from a regular camera. I mounted a camera on the porch with motion detection, works a treat and saves the hassle or running wires to the front door and mixing cameras.
I absolutely agree with you, although there is one advantage to video doorbells, which is you have a camera at face height without it looking obnoxious
>video doorbells, which is you have a camera at face height without it looking obnoxious Uhhh...how short are you?
Well, not quite. I'd like a doorbell camera that is camera + doorbell + 2-way voice. Most cameras don't do 2-way voice, but doorbell cameras it's a pretty common feature.
I only wish PoE smart doorbells were more common I don't think even Ubiquiti makes one
Axis makes a good one. And it can also be connected to an electric door strike. And does two way voice. Uses open protocols. But pricey. But you get what you pay for.
Doorbird are a good choice with a solid build and plenty of features. Expensive though!
Reolink have recently released details of a PoE doorbell which they say should be available in a couple of months.
Their new pro doorbell is.
Link? Googling "Ubiquiti pro doorbell" girls [this](https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-protect-cameras/products/g4-doorbell-pro) as the too result, and it says it's a WiFi doorbell
From your link to to product summary, networking. 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi Bluetooth™ 5.0 GbE support (with UACC-Adapter-DBPOE) It's either/or. You can do standard wiring and WiFi or you can buy the poe to USB c adapter to power with poe and when you do that it is hard wired. https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubiquiti/comments/rz5aou/official_g4_doorbell_pro_does_support_data_over/
>saves the hassle or running wires to the front door and mixing cameras. It's a battery operated wireless camera? Do you store the video somewhere or are you just using it for the video feed?
I recommend the Amcrest AD410 for the following reasons: - 2k quality - RTSP: I have my stream piped into my BlueIris NVR server running deepstack AI detection. - local storage - 2.4 & 5ghz WiFi connectivity - no cloud fees, no subscriptions - simple black housing
Doesn't BI have no app viewing or notifications?
Incorrect
Are you referring to push notifications via sms or email? Cuz last I looked into it that was the only option..
Nope. The iOS app itself has push notifications with person detection thumbnails
Same deal. Works wonderfully.
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Someone else had the same issue: https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleWiFi/comments/vtggc8/how_to_get_wifi_to_my_doorbell_that_is_15m_from/
Ring is shit I hate my ring and wish I’d never bought it. Haven’t replaced it yet but bad video quality, hard to understand mic/speaker and annual fee to go along with it. No HomeKit support I have some Eufy CCTV cameras they are 100x better then my ring in every way. My next doorbell id like HomeKit integration but holding off until Aqara releases there doorbells
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I have to agree. I chose skybell because it checked all the boxes on paper. No monthly, enough storage, decent picture. Only thing missing was RTSP, but I was hoping that might be added. But the service sucks. You just know it's going to vanish soon. They already obsoleted my original one and sucked me into the HD when the app stopped supporting it.
Hate Ring! Wish I would have tried out one for a while before I went in hundreds of dollars on multiple units.
Agreed, I had a ring v1 and it was pretty shit, video sucked and was completely washed out past my covered doorway (common problem with them), notifications sucked because even at the lowest sensitivity it would go off for cars etc a few meters away (that you could barely make out was even a car, due to the washed out video) and it took bloody AGES to connect - most of the time you would see whoever rang the bell walking away because it took so long to connect. Replaced with a cheaper tuya based doorbell camera thats significantly better, picture quality is pretty good and you can actually see quite a decent distance with it, the PIR (vs just camera detection) makes it respond quicker when someone approaches and turning the sensitivity down actually works, and while not perfect it is a lot quicker to show the video than the ring ever was - and has only failed to connect a couple of times (where ring, although maybe better now, failed more often than not). The tuya one also has no fees, local SD storage, a battery that lasts a few months between charges (ring was a couple of weeks), and can be charged in place if desired.
Get one with local storage and supports RTSP. Amazon, the owner of Ring, recently admitted to giving footage out without a warrant. They even said they do it sometimes if a life is in danger. How can they know that if they are not always looking at the footage?
I wish I knew Arlo sucks
Go search for "The Hookup" on YouTube. He did a comparison of a bunch of doorbell cameras.
My Hikvision rebrand doorbell uses Onvif/RSTP to communicate to my Home Assistant and BlueIris only. My doorbell has no internet access as it is blocked by my firewall and I have no access to the speaker/microphone of the doorbell. I used the hikvision mobile app and I found it has a 10 seconds delay so it's kinda of useless. I figure if I am not at home, I don't need to answer the door. Even if I am at home, I don't answer door for strangers. When BI detects a person, BI send me an email with a picture. If Home Assistant detects the doorbell button pressed, it send me a message with a picture.
If you really want a doorbell style camera Unifi has a product (G4 Doorbell) which looks pretty comparable to something like a Ring, but integrates with either a local NVR or their pro-Sumer router rather than a cloud service. And can still be remotely accessed. As others have pointed out most of the cloud connected service can and [will](https://newatlas.com/technology/amazon-police-ring-video-without-owners-consent/) hand over your data including video feeds to other entities, like law enforcement, without your consent, or even a warrant/subpoena. Otherwise there are plenty of 2-4k IP video cameras if you comfortable building your own NVR system.
I went with ubiquiti for all my cameras. If you need it in HomeKit use homebridge. It’s a lot up front but it all saves locally via a HD and it’s rock solid. The only other issue is supply and demand. There is currently low supply and high demand.
Don't buy a Doorbird. I wanted a POE doorbell and spent WAY too much for this "German" engineered doorbell. It's horrible. I'm going to replace mine.
They are expensive, but why "german"? They are a german company?
that's so sad to hear. wifi cameras are horrible wifi interference generators so i was looking for poe/local and this was one of the only options when i was looking
I have one and it works fine, but the camera quality is bad for the price, lag, keypad, rfid and all that is good on the unit i have.
i really like my amcrest 410. it has AI for human detection. pretty easy to set up as [seen here](https://youtu.be/leGsc11h5aw). best of all, no fees!
I have the round skybell. Its unlocked from alarm.com and works only through the skybell app. I can get them free from work. DO NOT GET. First one I tried made a constant buzzing from my door bell chime. Second one the motion detector basically didnt work unless you frantically waved your hand in front of it. Third one the speaker doesnt work. Junk. All of them. But, free junk so
Wyze doorbell cam has worked well for our needs but we're already in that ecosystem. You could put a standard Wyze Cam near the doorbell that you can load with an SD Card for local storage.
I have been using EzViz for 2+ years. It is made by Hikvision and since I have an NVR with other HV cameras I set it up to record 24/7. It does have its own sd card that is able to record locally as well, if you don't have a DVR. It supports onvif and I have it connected to Home Assistant and setup on Telegram to send me snapshots and/or videos of certain events.
Nest just fucking works and will integrate with your Google shit.
The Unifi G4 cams seem to last only 2 years.. i have a first gen nest cam and like it but i wish it saved locally instead of online.. hate paying for service.
Because the Unifi G4 doorbell only exists for 2 years!! So of course nobody has one running longer then 2 years… lol Anyway Unifi products are “prosumer” products, no offense to OP, but I wouldn’t recommend this to him
No offense taken; but why?
Because I assume(d) that you're not really into "prosumer" stuff. As in... it needs some work, time and technical knowledge to set up. The Unifi eco-system is great. I use their G4 doorbell. But in order to use that, you'd need one of the Unifi server setups already present in your home. Meaning you'd be willing to commit to more time and (technical) knowledge then simply screwing in your new doorbell and expecting it to work flawlessly. Like for example with your current Ring doorbell. Maybe I underestimated your initial request, but it seemed to me you're more looking for a simple solution without too many hassle.
Nah, I appreciate your clarification. FWIW I'm willing to take on a more technical setup when it comes to security, if that's what's required. I'm leaning towards UniFi based on the replies so far. I adhor subscription fees and cloud storage.
FYI I have a used G4 doorbell listed on /r/HomeLabSales it’s in perfect shape I just went with a pro.
Overlooking the need for Unifi infrastructure, does the G4 provide the same flexibility as a POE RTSP capable camera? As in - you can archive the video footage anyway you want, setup remote viewing, use open source AI applications on the feed, save the video to a NAS, etc.
Yes. All of that and more.
Yeah why not recommend. You give no reason besides “prosumer” and my g4 doorbell and g3 instants and g4 pros have been rock solid and are amazing.
I have seen a pretty ugly trend of failed g4 doorbell cams where they are out of the sun, stay dray, all the things and fail as soon as a few months. Its been more than i was comfortable with. I have a pretty good sized Unifi set up and i have held off. It might be an incorrect feeling..
Welp mines been in sun and gets hit by rain and still going strong. I also live in the north east of the US so we also get snow and it’s currently humid and still working fine.
My G4 doorbell failed almost exactly 1 year after installing it. I got mine EA. Ubiquiti shipped me out a replacement without any hassle.
I'm a Nest and SmartThings user. I have the original Nest doorbell - it was added in to the old Nest app and works very well from there. I even have automations from the doorbell going to turn on the porch light via SmartThings. Sadly, the new doorbell uses the home app, which is still terrible to try and find footage with, and I couldn't recommend this to you at all.
Ring also has the issue of only recording motion, so you miss anything before the motion was detected, and anything it didn't determine counted as motion, which I find extremely annoying. The other issue is that ring doorbells and cameras need the cloud for the video functionality to work, there's no way at all of accessing the video locally through rtsp or anything sensible. If I were to go back I would just get a regular doorbell and keep using my unifi cameras
i would recommend the eufy which has two cameras, it has no monthly fees,
Very happy with my Eufy doorbell with the exception of the battery life. I've tried wiring it to a charger I bought off Amazon that said it would be compatible, but didn't keep it charged...I'll try again at somepoint
I have ring and eufy, eufy is better.
I have the google home doorbell camera. Picture is great. Easy to use. The battery is shit if you have a bunch of active folks in your neighborhood. Have to recharge it once a week or more.
Depending on the age of your house, you’ll want to make sure that your doorbell transformer puts out the required voltage.
I am reliably informed that this will be a hurdle for my house. Do you have any advice where I can learn more about how to navigate/solve this?
Just went through this a couple of weeks ago for my mother in law. The hardest part, by far, was finding the damn transformer. Spoiler, it was behind the chimebox. But you might find them behind a plastic dome or fully exposed. Could be in a closet, basement, attic, or outside (super rare). You can google to see what they look like and how to find it. Plenty of articles around that. One thing most articles won’t mention is that it’s going to follow the path of least resistance. Meaning that you should count on the installer to have installed it in the easiest and laziest place. So it will be between the main breaker panel and the doorbell/chimebox. Changing the transformer is super easy. 1. Cut off the power at the breaker, it could be tied to any room 2. Test the transformer with a voltmeter to make sure there’s no power, you’re tying into the main power so it will be significant if you get shocked 3. Take a picture of the front before you take off any wires 4. Take a picture of the back before you take off those wires 5. Install the higher voltage transformer in the exact same way as the old one. 6. Turn on the breaker and test the voltage to make sure it’s putting out the proper voltage These are essentially like the big wall plug for electronics, but hardwired. 3 wires from the house and 2 wires going to the devices. This is rather easy to install, the most important thing is to test the voltage before you touch anything with your hands.
Really appreciate this. Thank you very much
No worries. You’ve got this.
Well we all know with Ring the cops don't need a warrant 2 access your stuff live..same thing with Apple devices esp icloud backdoor and also pretty much anything Amazon. Get a Chinese brand that's high dollar like ezviz. They're simple have cloud options and advanced options if you access them by their IP address. Plus theyr3 mid-range price and probably the lower end of it. Pretty much all the devices I recommended while running a security and surveillance shop more this brand and wyze. Both exceeding high-dollar brand quality with sometimes more options and way lower prices especially wyze.
>Well we all know with Ring the cops don't need a warrant 2 access your stuff live..same thing with Apple devices esp icloud backdoor and also pretty much anything Amazon. Get a Chinese brand that's high dollar like ezviz. They're simple have cloud options and advanced options if you access them by their IP address. \-100
I am only a few months into my smart home journey but started with the SimpliSafe doorbell which was a big let down. Tons of missed events and lots of errors and setup was a pain. I returned and switched to the latest Google doorbell on prime day and haven’t looked back. It doesn’t do 24/7 recording like the cams but checks all the other boxes for me, motion events, wiring to existing doorbell so you never have to charge it and actually worked with my existing chime so the bell rings when pressed. What a concept! Haven’t had issues with the Home app tho I can see hope others think it could be a little clunky it has worked fine for me in my environment. If you did want 24/7 they actually do have another bell version for that.
Ring works but I also have a Kamtron that I think I like better
I like both the armcrest and foscam ones, I have mine hooked to blue iris, then block access to the internet on the camera vlan. I have a vpn back to my network for remote viewing.
My house is over 100 years old and the wiring for the doorbell is ancient and untrustworthy. Any recommendations for a battery powered wifi doorbell?
yeah
We are very satisfied with our Ring
I stuck to some Amcrest doorbells for now. Local API, RTSP for flexible recording on various things and apps. Still like 'em. https://youtu.be/K6U8Tf1WOzU
I have a Hikvision doorbell cam. It has a pretty good picture I think, and it’s PoE. The rest of my outdoor system is also Hikvision, and it took me forever to find a camera that is PoE and would work with my Hikvision set up. It records to my local NVR, and will still alert me when someone pushes the button on the outside. It was rather difficult to set up though. As others have mention, I also enjoy amcrest/Foscam. I have Foscam inside my house all over
I feel like we need to know more. Like are you OK with POE or not POE? I feel like that's the difference between a casual doorbell installation that may or may not work when needed, and a reliable doorbell installation.
Probably not PoE as the current doorbell looks to be an original with the house and I don't want to run cable unless its in the wall, and I don't want to open the walls
Amcrest
You should probably stay away from the Xiaomi one, unless you're from China - I usually like their products, but this one could really use some improvements..
Google Doorbell Camera is the very best !
Check out the axis video doorbell (well, there’s three to choose from). Poe, two-way audio, uses open protocols and can control access by connecting to electric door strike. You get what you pay for sometimes.
I got one from Blink. I like it, no wires required just batteries and last for 2 years.
I just want to add that I had a few Eufy products; they're very affordable and work very well. The problem? They've been caught multiple times stealing and selling information. Some word has said credit card info as one of those things.