Wireless Doorbell Camera

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Post Reply
Topic Author
HotRod140
Posts: 142
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:24 pm

Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by HotRod140 »

Hi All
Finally breaking down and looking to purchase a wireless doorbell camera for a first floor condo. Costco has a Ring 3 Plus, with an indoor camera on sale for $150.00. Anyone have experience or opinions on or with this unit or any other suggestions? Thanks
User avatar
SmileyFace
Posts: 9186
Joined: Wed Feb 19, 2014 9:11 am

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by SmileyFace »

By wireless are you refering to the fact it will connect via wifi or do you also plan on running it on battery? (E.g. do you have doorbell wiring in place you will use?).
I have an early ring doorbell and love it but have it connected to electric - I can't imagine having to take it apart periodically to swap a battery that needs charging. Seems like it would be a big hassle.
dano257
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Mar 16, 2023 5:36 pm

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by dano257 »

I use the "Blink" cameras. Inexpensive, and easy setup. I have 3 outside cameras as well as the doorbell camera.
Topic Author
HotRod140
Posts: 142
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:24 pm

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by HotRod140 »

yes, sorry .I ment Battery only and I am actually going to place it on the deck, next to our back door slider. No door bell currently in place there
Call My Agent
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2021 3:43 pm

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by Call My Agent »

We bought an Arlo wireless doorbell with a plug-in chime and it has worked very well for us. It was the Wirecutter recommended wirleless doorbell. We were skeptical because all our neighbors have a Ring. However, the installer told us we were smart not to get a Ring because other places he installed them reported problems after a few months.

The Arlo has a great wide angle for our door, the app works well and the battery lasts about 6 months for us. The picture is clear and the sound is good.
douginct
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 2:15 pm
Location: CT

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by douginct »

dano257 wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 7:31 am I use the "Blink" cameras. Inexpensive, and easy setup. I have 3 outside cameras as well as the doorbell camera.
I second this - I have several Blink cameras. They are owned by Amazon - might be a positive or a negative!
seawolf21
Posts: 1590
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2014 7:33 am

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by seawolf21 »

douginct wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:24 am
dano257 wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 7:31 am I use the "Blink" cameras. Inexpensive, and easy setup. I have 3 outside cameras as well as the doorbell camera.
I second this - I have several Blink cameras. They are owned by Amazon - might be a positive or a negative!
FYI Ring is also owned by Amazon.
User avatar
SmileyFace
Posts: 9186
Joined: Wed Feb 19, 2014 9:11 am

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by SmileyFace »

HotRod140 wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 7:34 am yes, sorry .I ment Battery only and I am actually going to place it on the deck, next to our back door slider. No door bell currently in place there
I have installed 3 ring doorbells (one at my house, 2 at my parents) and know lots of others that have them. Unlike prior posters contractors mention of issues - no one I know ever had an issue. Mine is the original or 2nd gen and still going strong - hoping it dies as the new models have better night vision and detection technology (might replace it anyway). But ALL my experience is with hard wiring so you don't need to manage battery swapping. Maybe someone else will chime in that isn't hard wired if they don't find that to be a hassle. I would consider getting an electrician out to put in the wiring it if it were me. I believe Ring, in general, is a great product (and maybe swapping a battery every few days will be fine - you can always start with the battery and hard wire the unit later in any case - I think the model you mention supports both as most do).
retiringwhen
Posts: 4743
Joined: Sat Jul 08, 2017 10:09 am
Location: New Jersey, USA

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by retiringwhen »

douginct wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:24 am
dano257 wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 7:31 am I use the "Blink" cameras. Inexpensive, and easy setup. I have 3 outside cameras as well as the doorbell camera.
I second this - I have several Blink cameras. They are owned by Amazon - might be a positive or a negative!
The Blink doorbell is actually the same guts as the Ring doorbell. It is really about which app you want to use and the service levels.

I use an Alarm.com security system, but don't like their doorbells/cameras, so I went with Blink cameras and door bells. They really are very nice and easy to setup and use. The annual fee is reasonable if you want to store video.

BTW, if you want a loud chime inside, the best way to get one is to buy a blink mini camera for indoors. It doubles as a chime.

Lastly, my Blink doorbell gets a fair amount of video traffic and a small number of rings. I have had it installed for over 14 months and the batteries are still going strong.
retiringwhen
Posts: 4743
Joined: Sat Jul 08, 2017 10:09 am
Location: New Jersey, USA

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by retiringwhen »

SmileyFace wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:34 am I believe Ring, in general, is a great product (and maybe swapping a battery every few days will be fine - you can always start with the battery and hard wire the unit later in any case - I think the model you mention supports both as most do).
My Blink (same hardware as the Ring camera) lithium batteries have lasted over 14 mos. so far without replacement. In fact, all my Blink cameras (I have a lot of them!) have seen 2+ years before requiring battery changes. They are very energy efficient little buggers.

We did have a Blink camera installed in a high traffic area in a church and the batteries only last about 6 mos.
User avatar
TomatoTomahto
Posts: 17158
Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2011 1:48 pm

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by TomatoTomahto »

SmileyFace wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:34 am
HotRod140 wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 7:34 am yes, sorry .I ment Battery only and I am actually going to place it on the deck, next to our back door slider. No door bell currently in place there
I have installed 3 ring doorbells (one at my house, 2 at my parents) and know lots of others that have them. Unlike prior posters contractors mention of issues - no one I know ever had an issue. Mine is the original or 2nd gen and still going strong - hoping it dies as the new models have better night vision and detection technology (might replace it anyway). But ALL my experience is with hard wiring so you don't need to manage battery swapping. Maybe someone else will chime in that isn't hard wired if they don't find that to be a hassle. I would consider getting an electrician out to put in the wiring it if it were me. I believe Ring, in general, is a great product (and maybe swapping a battery every few days will be fine - you can always start with the battery and hard wire the unit later in any case - I think the model you mention supports both as most do).
I have battery operated Ring doorbells. I haven't tracked how often I swap batteries, but it would be measured in weeks/months rather than days. I bought an extra battery so that one is always fully charged.

I record a lot, which affects battery life. It is easy to swap the batteries, especially if you aren't worried about someone stealing your battery (you leave off the tamper-difficult screw holding the cover in place)
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
User avatar
SmileyFace
Posts: 9186
Joined: Wed Feb 19, 2014 9:11 am

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by SmileyFace »

retiringwhen wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:40 am
SmileyFace wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:34 am I believe Ring, in general, is a great product (and maybe swapping a battery every few days will be fine - you can always start with the battery and hard wire the unit later in any case - I think the model you mention supports both as most do).
My Blink (same hardware as the Ring camera) lithium batteries have lasted over 14 mos. so far without replacement. In fact, all my Blink cameras (I have a lot of them!) have seen 2+ years before requiring battery changes. They are very energy efficient little buggers.

We did have a Blink camera installed in a high traffic area in a church and the batteries only last about 6 mos.
But if they aren't hardwired how often and how much of a hassle is it to manage the batteries? How long does a charge last? Surely they don't stay charged for 2 years if not hardwired.
retiringwhen
Posts: 4743
Joined: Sat Jul 08, 2017 10:09 am
Location: New Jersey, USA

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by retiringwhen »

SmileyFace wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:43 am
retiringwhen wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:40 am
SmileyFace wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:34 am I believe Ring, in general, is a great product (and maybe swapping a battery every few days will be fine - you can always start with the battery and hard wire the unit later in any case - I think the model you mention supports both as most do).
My Blink (same hardware as the Ring camera) lithium batteries have lasted over 14 mos. so far without replacement. In fact, all my Blink cameras (I have a lot of them!) have seen 2+ years before requiring battery changes. They are very energy efficient little buggers.

We did have a Blink camera installed in a high traffic area in a church and the batteries only last about 6 mos.
But if they aren't hardwired how often and how much of a hassle is it to manage the batteries? How long does a charge last? Surely they don't stay charged for 2 years if not hardwired.
Surely Blink cameras and doorbells stay charged and functional for two years without recharging or replacement; that is what I am explicitly saying. They require high quality single use lithium batteries and with "normal traffic patterns" they last between 6 mos. and 2 years. I have a couple low traffic area cameras that have batteries that have lasted over three years without recharge or replacement. To be clear, I have around 14 cameras setup in two places (a home and a church) so this is pretty solid experiential results.
SimonJester
Posts: 2500
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2011 12:39 pm

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by SimonJester »

I just installed a wired Ring, swapping out the old push button door bell. I went hard wired because it does offer some advantages (in the ring platform). Not having to worry about batteries, pre roll recording, birds eye view, works with existing analog chime...
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin
User avatar
SmileyFace
Posts: 9186
Joined: Wed Feb 19, 2014 9:11 am

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by SmileyFace »

retiringwhen wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 9:06 am
SmileyFace wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:43 am
retiringwhen wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:40 am
SmileyFace wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:34 am I believe Ring, in general, is a great product (and maybe swapping a battery every few days will be fine - you can always start with the battery and hard wire the unit later in any case - I think the model you mention supports both as most do).
My Blink (same hardware as the Ring camera) lithium batteries have lasted over 14 mos. so far without replacement. In fact, all my Blink cameras (I have a lot of them!) have seen 2+ years before requiring battery changes. They are very energy efficient little buggers.

We did have a Blink camera installed in a high traffic area in a church and the batteries only last about 6 mos.
But if they aren't hardwired how often and how much of a hassle is it to manage the batteries? How long does a charge last? Surely they don't stay charged for 2 years if not hardwired.
Surely Blink cameras and doorbells stay charged and functional for two years without recharging or replacement; that is what I am explicitly saying. They require high quality single use lithium batteries and with "normal traffic patterns" they last between 6 mos. and 2 years. I have a couple low traffic area cameras that have batteries that have lasted over three years without recharge or replacement. To be clear, I have around 14 cameras setup in two places (a home and a church) so this is pretty solid experiential results.
That's incredible. Years ago when I considered installation without wiring in a location (all the locations I installed already had wiring) the most folks seemed to get was a week or 2 from Ring and the Ring 3 - although states 6-12 months - I see reviews show 25 days more typical.
Not sure if you should be prefacing your statement with "surely" as reading online reviews not everyone gets the full 2 years (temparature and amount of use/live-viewing all have an impact) but it's great they have this performance - it certainly makes the case for someone without preexisting wiring to conisder blink over ring.
TheGiantess
Posts: 151
Joined: Sun May 07, 2017 5:27 pm

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by TheGiantess »

My 90 year old mother has a Ring doorbell. When my brother wired it my mom complained of a buzzing sound inside the house so after much ado, my brother unwired it and now it runs off the battery only. About once every 3 months I go out and take out the battery and charge it while I am visitng and then put it back in. It is not that big of a deal. However, it does not get much use because not a lot going on out in front of her house nor a lot of visitors so that may run the battery down faster. She has had it for a few years with only the one battery. Not sure if this is helpful or not.
TG
retiringwhen
Posts: 4743
Joined: Sat Jul 08, 2017 10:09 am
Location: New Jersey, USA

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by retiringwhen »

SmileyFace wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 10:04 am That's incredible. Years ago when I considered installation without wiring in a location (all the locations I installed already had wiring) the most folks seemed to get was a week or 2 from Ring and the Ring 3 - although states 6-12 months - I see reviews show 25 days more typical.
Not sure if you should be prefacing your statement with "surely" as reading online reviews not everyone gets the full 2 years (temparature and amount of use/live-viewing all have an impact) but it's great they have this performance - it certainly makes the case for someone without preexisting wiring to conisder blink over ring.
I did disclose that high traffic areas that the cameras (several activations per hour during normal business hours) had much shorter periods, but still 6 months or more.

My doorbell sees critters almost every day and night and doorbell gets activated several times a week by humans. We de-activate motion camera mode during the day most of the time due to getting annoyed by unnecessary videos...

Another caveat: I run standard mode video not best quality and also don't run the video length for long periods (20 seconds mostly) with 30 second re-triggers. Blink Cameras are not real-time surveillance cameras and I don't use them that way. I want to know when the package got dropped off, who/what walked across the porch (cats, skunks, racoons and groundhogs mostly, with the occasional free-range chicken :-)), remote check-ins when we are not home to make sure storms didn't destroy things, that kind of thing.
mortfree
Posts: 2968
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2016 7:06 pm

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by mortfree »

HotRod140 wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 7:34 am yes, sorry .I ment Battery only and I am actually going to place it on the deck, next to our back door slider. No door bell currently in place there
Are you going with the doorbell because people go to your Backdoor or because doorbells in general are cheaper than cameras?
Mid-40’s
Topic Author
HotRod140
Posts: 142
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:24 pm

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by HotRod140 »

the back door is used about 90 percent of the time
User avatar
enad
Posts: 1581
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2022 2:50 pm

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by enad »

What Goes Up Must come down -- David Clayton-Thomas (1968), BST
SpaghettiLegs
Posts: 175
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2022 8:20 pm

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by SpaghettiLegs »

I use a Eufy door bell. It used to be owned by Anker, but now by Amazon. I got it originally because my house didn’t have a doorbell, nor wiring for one. The Nest and Ring cameras turned me off because they are cloud based and you have to pay a monthly fee to use the security features. The Eufy uses a wireless hard drive and the data is kept in your home. I’ve added several wireless cameras since then.

https://us.eufy.com/

I recharge the battery on mine every 3-4 months.
User avatar
SmileyFace
Posts: 9186
Joined: Wed Feb 19, 2014 9:11 am

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by SmileyFace »

SpaghettiLegs wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 6:04 pm I use a Eufy door bell. It used to be owned by Anker, but now by Amazon. I got it originally because my house didn’t have a doorbell, nor wiring for one. The Nest and Ring cameras turned me off because they are cloud based and you have to pay a monthly fee to use the security features. The Eufy uses a wireless hard drive and the data is kept in your home. I’ve added several wireless cameras since then.

https://us.eufy.com/

I recharge the battery on mine every 3-4 months.
I am losing count on how many wireless doorbell companies Amazon owns. :happy
User avatar
HE Pennypacker
Posts: 43
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2021 5:27 pm
Location: Ah yes most likely

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by HE Pennypacker »

I've had Ring and Google Nest doorbells. I prefer the Nest. Nest is more simple/ user friendly and they give you some cloud storage for free.

I have heard good things about Eufy...
InMyDreams
Posts: 1886
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2017 10:35 am

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by InMyDreams »

I have a Ring doorbell, purchased at Costco about a year and a half ago. It offers dual powering (battery &/or wire) but I only use the battery.

You can buy an extra battery (I haven't).

It will tell you when the battery is going below 30% charge (email to account, plus the app).

It has a bracket that allows you to install at an angle. Shoulda done that, so that it would focus on peeps as they come up the walk.

You can change the eye's aperture, so that it doesn't look at some of the areas of its view. I really needed that - my door faces a nearby side walk and street. It was ringing quite frequently before I changed the aperture.

I want to expand my alarm system. Haven't decided which system, probably Ring or SimpliSafe
User avatar
pointyhairedboss
Posts: 504
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2007 9:47 pm

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by pointyhairedboss »

We have a Ring doorbell at our house. The free trial period has run out, and I haven't paid money to re-up. Without re-upping, videos aren't saved. You only get live video.

My question to the board is, is there a doorbell product that does not charge an ongoing subscription fee that allows you to save video files.. say to a network drive that you provide or something similar?
clip651
Posts: 1584
Joined: Thu Oct 02, 2014 11:02 am

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by clip651 »

pointyhairedboss wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:29 pm We have a Ring doorbell at our house. The free trial period has run out, and I haven't paid money to re-up. Without re-upping, videos aren't saved. You only get live video.

My question to the board is, is there a doorbell product that does not charge an ongoing subscription fee that allows you to save video files.. say to a network drive that you provide or something similar?
A few posts above, someone mentioned Eufy and provided a link. I don't have any experience with them, but I'm looking for something similar. I'd rather keep any data myself, and I'd rather not pay a monthly fee.
jaMichael
Posts: 309
Joined: Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:23 am

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by jaMichael »

We just installed aqara doorbell g4. No privacy concerns like ring. Storage is through iCloud that I already pay for. Apple HomeKit compatible.
focoyolo
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2022 2:54 pm

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by focoyolo »

pointyhairedboss wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:29 pm We have a Ring doorbell at our house. The free trial period has run out, and I haven't paid money to re-up. Without re-upping, videos aren't saved. You only get live video.

My question to the board is, is there a doorbell product that does not charge an ongoing subscription fee that allows you to save video files.. say to a network drive that you provide or something similar?
Blink doorbell works without a subscription. Below is what I wrote in a prior thread: viewtopic.php?p=6984461#p6984461

I installed two of the Blink Video Doorbells that included the Sync Module. The Sync Module adds about $20 to your initial cost, but it allows you to avoid the subscription fees. You plug a USB drive into the Sync Module, then all your videos are stored locally. The Blink doorbell, Sync module, Alexa, and your phone/tablet communicate over your WiFi. An 8GB USB drive seems to be sufficient.

Things that I like:
-No monthly fee.
-Videos are stored locally and can be accessed from my phone or tablet.
-The wired connection rings the old doorbell (compatible with both mechanical and digital chimes).
-It integrates with Alexa.

Things that are okay:
-The battery in the doorbell will need to be replaced every year or so.
-The only way to erase videos from the USB is to unplug it from the Sync Module, use your computer to erase the videos, then plug the USB back into the Sync Module.
SpaghettiLegs
Posts: 175
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2022 8:20 pm

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by SpaghettiLegs »

SmileyFace wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 7:19 pm
SpaghettiLegs wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 6:04 pm I use a Eufy door bell. It used to be owned by Anker, but now by Amazon. I got it originally because my house didn’t have a doorbell, nor wiring for one. The Nest and Ring cameras turned me off because they are cloud based and you have to pay a monthly fee to use the security features. The Eufy uses a wireless hard drive and the data is kept in your home. I’ve added several wireless cameras since then.

https://us.eufy.com/

I recharge the battery on mine every 3-4 months.
I am losing count on how many wireless doorbell companies Amazon owns. :happy
Jeff Bezos just got a notification and will contact you shortly …
mhalley
Posts: 10432
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:02 am

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by mhalley »

I had problems with lag on the ring 2 and ended up changing to the Eufy. Overall performance plus no fee gives it my vote.
dcdowden
Posts: 354
Joined: Sun Sep 28, 2014 11:42 am

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by dcdowden »

We have had a Ring 3 battery operated doorbell camera for a couple years. I did buy an extra battery, so changing it every 2 or 3 months is not a big deal. It lasts longer in warmer weather. You can also get a solar surround for the doorbell if you want. We do pay for the online video storage, so that is the primary ongoing cost. We are very happy with the Ring doorbell. We get notifications on our phones and watches. I also have a few Yi cameras around the house and have a micro-sd card in them to avoid paying for online storage.
User avatar
Mel Lindauer
Moderator
Posts: 35782
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2007 7:49 pm
Location: Daytona Beach Shores, Florida
Contact:

Re: Wireless Doorbell Camera

Post by Mel Lindauer »

pointyhairedboss wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:29 pm We have a Ring doorbell at our house. The free trial period has run out, and I haven't paid money to re-up. Without re-upping, videos aren't saved. You only get live video.

My question to the board is, is there a doorbell product that does not charge an ongoing subscription fee that allows you to save video files.. say to a network drive that you provide or something similar?
I did a review of the Wyze Pro doorbell (either battery or wired). It has the option to store and play a number of recent videos which I have found to be more than adequate. The video is outstanding, even when there's nighttime activity. And it's motion activated, even if no one rings the doorbell.

There is a subscription option if you want continuous play and basically unlimited storage.
Best Regards - Mel | | Semper Fi
Post Reply