Getting a video doorbell is one of the easiest steps you can take to improve your home security.
These convenient bits of smart tech are some of the best things to come out of the Internet of Things revolution. Not only can you see who’s at your door from wherever you are, so you can decide whether to answer it or not, but if you’re not at home, you can have a conversation through your phone with the impertinent ding-donger. Or, more likely, ignore them and hope they go away.
Features like motion detection will tell you that someone’s coming before they press the button, and night vision means you can even see if there’s a fox strutting up your drive in the darkness.
The only downside to these wonders of modern technology is the subscription.
Many require a monthly fee for their best features, and if you just want something to tell the difference between the postman and a double-glazing salesman then this payment may put you off the idea.
There are, however, video doorbells that can be used without a sub, and these are some of the best.
See below
Best subscription-free video doorbells at a glance:
Eufy Video Doorbell Dual
Best for: preventing parcel piracy
Where most smart doorbells have a single lens, this one has two. What good is that? Well, it eliminates a common blindspot: as doorbells are usually at about shoulder height, and their camera feeds are landscape-oriented and face straight ahead, if something is placed on your doorstep they can’t see it.
Eufy has solved this problem by placing a second camera aimed downward on a sloping panel at the bottom of the doorbell unit. Anything that gets dropped on your doorstep - and indeed young children and other small humans who’d be below the forward-facing view - are clearly visible, as is anyone who makes off with your precious parcel.
You get a 2K HDR picture and 16GB of onboard storage, and while cloud features are available, you don’t need to use them to get the best out of this doorbell.
Buy now £149.00, Amazon
Blink Video Doorbell
Best for: bargain-priced security
Going for just £60 at the time of writing, this is one of the cheapest ways to beef up your front-door security. It offers a 1080p picture, with IR night vision, plus two-way audio. There’s a cloud service, but you don’t need to use it, Pair the doorbell with a Blink Sync Module 2 (an extra expense, but it will work with Blink security cameras too) and use a USB stick to store video clips.
There’s Alexa compatibility built-in, meaning you can use Echo devices with screens to monitor who’s at the door, and it takes AA batteries, meaning you’ll never be offline waiting for the batteries to charge up.
Buy now £32.99, Amazon
Arlo Essential Wireless Video Doorbell Camera
Best for: a wide angle of view
Argo’s Essential Wireless doorbell uses a square 1:1 aspect ratio for its videos, making it easier to see things that extend outside the usual narrow widescreen rectangle. With a 180-degree field of view and a 1080p HDR picture with IR night vision, you’ll always be able to see who’s there.
There is a subscription available, but without it, you get live view, motion alerts and two-way audio communication with whoever’s at your door. There’s also a siren alarm you can trigger if needed.
Completely wire-free, waterproof, and rechargeable, the doorbell directly video-calls your phone when someone presses the button and can be paired with a separate chime if you prefer something more audible.
Buy now £139.99, Arlo
Ezviz DB2
Best for: lots of features at a good price
With a 2K resolution, IR night vision, a 170-degree field of view and AI-powered person detection, the DB2 hits a lot of the targets people are looking for in a smart doorbell.
The heart of the system is its chime, which comes bundled instead of being purchased separately. The doorbell connects to the chime, then the chime connects to your Wi-Fi, which is an unusual but understandable arrangement. This means the doorbell button and the chime must be within 4 metres of one another, but also means a Micro SD card can be inserted into the chime to store video files, meaning there’s no need for a cloud subscription.
It’s compatible with Alexa, offers two-way audio chats, and is pretty reasonably priced too.
Buy now £79.99, Amazon
AOSU Video Doorbell Camera
Best for: Never having to charge
Install your new camera with ease and let AOSU keep a watchful eye while you head out. The camera provides sharp, detailed images of your home, even in low-light or super bright conditions. Triple motion detection will record in real-time and can distinguish animals from humans, keeping your home safe at all times of the day.
What’s more, the camera is hassle-free. Sixty days' worth of loop recording will store videos in your HomeBase, which has a generous built-in 8G memory that you can view at any time from anywhere.
As for the charge, well, you’ll be able to enjoy 180 days from a single charge, making the gadget perfect for tech owners who often forget to juice up.
Buy now £113.99, Amazon
Eufy Video Doorbell 2K
Best for: long battery life
Eufy makes a lot of home security products, and this doorbell exemplifies the company’s philosophy. It uses Wi-Fi, comes with all you need to make it work - including a chime - and doesn’t need a subscription so you only pay once. It claims you’ll get six months out of the battery before needing to charge it, too.
There’s AI person-detection inside Eufy’s doorbell to filter out the postman from next door’s cat, and a 2K picture with IR night vision that uses a wider 4:3 aspect ratio so your view isn’t locked into widescreen. You can also make the most of 16GB of storage onboard too for storing video clips.
Buy now £89.99, Amazon
Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell
Best for: looking sharp
An expensive option, but still worth a look. This is a wired model, so you’ll need the doorbell connections by your front door for it to work, and you don’t get a chime - this is a barebones kit. It looks good though, with its aluminium casing and squared-off styling looking sleek and modern.
It also supports Apple HomeKit to display its videos, a rarity that may endear it to iPhone and HomePod users. Image quality is great in the daytime, and the IR night vision will illuminate anyone who comes to your door after dark in shades of grey. There’s a Micro SD card slot for saving video files, and you also get compatibility with Dropbox and an FTP server if you want to save the clips somewhere else.
Buy now £160.64, Amazon
XTU Wireless WiFi Video Doorbell Camera with Chime
Best for: easy installation
This cordless solution offers a lot of the premium features we expect from a smart doorbell at a lower price than many. There are two months of battery life between charges (the battery itself is replaceable), two-way voice communication, IR night vision, motion detection, a 2K resolution from a 166-degree lens, and a slot to insert a Micro SD card to store your video clips on. It even comes with a small pack of tools for installation.
The doorbell uses an app that’s available for iOS and Android, but doesn’t tie into Alexa. It does look the part though, with a chunky black plastic design that will look great by the side of your door.
Buy now £49.99, Amazon
Arlo 2K Doorbell Camera Wireless Outdoor WiFi Video Doorbell
Best for: night vision
When the sun goes down, this doorbell shines. The Arlo smart home device has 2k video with black and white picture at night so you can monitor your home at all times. The long battery life gives up to six months of juice, while easy communication is ensured thanks to noise reduction and echo cancellation when someone is at the door. The purchase of this camera comes with a free trial of Arlo’s Secure subscription.
Buy now £139.00, Amazon
Verdict
The Eufy dual-camera model at the top of this list takes things a step further than the average, giving you a clear view of packages dropped on your doorstep by delivery drivers. Other doorbells from Blink and Arlo are no slouches either, all allowing you the benefits of a smart security system at your front door without the monthly fee.
