A smart doorbell camera allows you to see who’s on the other side of your door—even when you aren’t home—so you can weed out guests who don’t come bearing Girl Scout cookies.
We recommend the Google Nest Doorbell (Wired) because it delivers fewer false alerts than any video doorbell we tested, accurately distinguishes between people, animals, cars, and packages, and includes the option for 24/7 recording.
If you don’t have existing doorbell wiring, the Eufy Security Video Doorbell S220 (Battery-Powered) is an easy-to-use option with a great image, and its battery can deliver about four months of service on a full charge.
Wired smart doorbell cameras
Our pick
This doorbell sends fast alerts, captures clear audio and video, and offers free and paid subscription levels—including an option for 24/7 recording.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
The second-generation Google Nest Doorbell (Wired) delivered the best performance of any video doorbell in our latest tests. It was the most accurate when it came to identifying types of motion (person, animal, vehicle, or package), as well as when restricting alerts using activity zones to monitor specific areas. It can even identify specific people by name (with a Nest Aware subscription), although it needs to get a good look at the subject. We also found it to be very quick, both with smartphone notifications and producing a live look at activity as it was happening, without a delay. The Nest is also the only one of our picks to supply free cloud storage—although it’s restricted to three hours. If you want to record and store motion clips from an unlimited number of devices for up to 30 days and get the aforementioned Familiar Face detection, a Nest Aware plan is $8 per month or $80 per year; bumping that up to $15 per month (or $150 per year) will get you motion event storage for up to 60 days or 10 days of 24/7 recording.
Runner-up
It displays a wide, 180-degree field of view in a square aspect ratio, which reduces blind spots around your porch. It also can ID people, animals, packages, and cars.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit (with a compatible base station, such as the Arlo SmartHub), Google Home, IFTTT, Samsung SmartThings
The Arlo Essential Wired Video Doorbell can distinguish among people, animals, vehicles, or packages—although we didn’t find it to be as accurate or quick to respond as the Nest. For that advanced sensing and the ability to capture video clips up to five minutes long, you need a $5-per-month Arlo Secure subscription. But we find these features to be essential, and the price is fair (otherwise you’re restricted to motion/bell alerts and live video streaming). The Arlo doorbell camera also captures crisp video, with a 1536×1536 resolution and a wide, 180-degree viewing angle in a square format; this provides a comprehensive vertical and horizontal view of what’s going on in front of your door, whether it’s deliveries or visiting raccoons.
Budget pick
This compact model performs consistently and is cheap and easy to install, but it lacks some of the more advanced features of our top pick.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Works with Ring
The Ring Video Doorbell Wired is the solid sub-$75 smart doorbell camera we’ve been waiting for. It’s smaller than most Ring doorbells (and cheaper, too), it captures clear 1080p video, and it’s accurate with motion and person alerts. However, it doesn’t offer alerts that are as detailed as our top two picks and the only smart-home platform it works with is Amazon Alexa. And even though it’s inexpensive, it does require a Ring Protect Basic plan to record motion events, which starts at $4 per month or $40 per year.
Battery-powered smart doorbell cameras
Our pick
This battery-powered model that lasts up to four months with regular use, produces sharp 2K images, and has options for cloud and local storage.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
The Eufy Security Video Doorbell S220 (Battery-Powered) combines solid performance with a strong battery that lasts about four months. It can store up to six months’ worth of footage for free on the indoor base station, or you can opt for Eufy’s cloud service, which includes 30 days of video history for $3 per month per camera (or $30 per year per camera). As with many battery-powered models, recording time is limited (in this case to 60 second clips), and there may be a brief gap in between recordings if motion continues. However, the S220’s sharp 2K image and strong battery life make it the best smart doorbell for anyone who wants to go wire-free.
