Best Wireless Smart Video Doorbell Cameras – 2023 Recommendations

One of the hottest developments to hit the smart home market has been smart video doorbells. Not only are they handy to stop parcel thieves, they also add that cool factor to your smart home.

Until that is, you find that many wireless doorbells are useless without a paid cloud subscription. Can you believe it – some doorbells that are sold as ‘smart doorbells’ are anything but smart unless you pay a monthly fee forever. No thank you! So here are my picks for the best wireless smart video doorbells without a monthly fee.

BEST BUDGET

XTU J5

3MP

2.4GHz Wi-Fi, SD card, PIR

ONVIF, RTSP, Blue Iris, Alexa

PIR sensor, Mobile Alerts

Check Amazon Price

BEST OVERALL

Amcrest AD410

5MP

Dual-band Wi-Fi, SD card

ONVIF, RTSP, Blue Iris, Alexa

Person Detection, Mobile Alerts

Check Amazon Price

ALSO CONSIDER

Amcrest AD110

1080p (2MP)

2.4GHz Wi-Fi, SD card, PIR

RTSP, Blue Iris, Alexa

PIR sensor, Mobile Alerts

Check Amazon Price

A quick note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate link(s). An affiliate link means I may earn advertising or referral fees if you make a purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.

Why have a smart video doorbell at all?

The inherent advantage a doorbell has in becoming a smart video enabled device is the excellent vantage point. The doorbell is typically at the right height to get a clear face shot of anybody who shows up at your door. They are also then in good proximity for 2-way audio.

So you could answer your door as if you were at home, but without being at home! This is what a good smart video doorbell should be able to do. The experience should be so seamless that it should never occur to your visitors that you may actually not be in the house. What better way to scare of potential intruders casing your home and checking whether someone is at home.

All the doorbell cameras featured below support RTSP video streams, so you can add them to Blue Iris or other surveillance software to integrate with your own DIY CCTV or Home Automation System.

Wireless Smart Video Doorbells – What to look for

The features to look for in a wireless smart video doorbell are:

1. Video Resolution – You should aim for a minimum of 1080p resolution. Also called Full HD / 2MP resolution, the higher level of details captured increases the chance of law enforcement making a positive identification of faces. 4MP and 5MP is on offer these days, and higher is better! Though you should consider a wired PoE Smart doorbell if you go for those higher resolutions.
2. Night vision – An absolute must in a security camera, it should have InfraRed LEDs for true night vision. A true IR cut filter is good to have because this will ensure good night vision and true daytime colours (you don’t want that cheap looking purple hue!)
3. Field of view – Measured horizontally, it should be at least 90 degrees. This depends on the focal length of the camera lens. Increasingly vertical field of view is also important to catch parcel thieves.
4. Weather proofing – Good doorbells will have an IP rating which indicates its resistance to water ingress. Worth getting one with a rating as then you know your smart doorbell won’t fail in a particularly bad storm and become a very dumb and very dead doorbell.
5. Audio – A smart doorbell should have a microphone and speaker built-in
6. Local storage – in the form of a microSD card slot, or internal flash storage is very desirable because it means you don’t need to necessarily pay for a cloud storage subscription.
7. Software features – Live streaming capability is pretty much standard these days but the continuous recording feature is not. Email alerts on motion detection are essential, push notifications to smartphone app is ideal so that you know as soon as somebody is at your door regardless of whether they actually push the button.
8. Cloud reliance – ideally not reliant on the cloud for operation, mainly because it introduces lag into your conversation.
9. Motion detection method – PIR motion sensor preferable to cut down on false alerts
10. Power source – Ethernet port preferable with PoE (Power over Ethernet) support, internal battery is good for power backup purposes
11. Wireless – Support for WiFi, Bluetooth
12. Advanced features:
    • Preferably ONVIF or API available for interfacing with NVR / home automation controllers.
    • Preferably RTSP stream capable so that you can use 3rd party applications such as tinyCam Monitor Pro. ONVIF support is ideal as it means it can interface with home automation controllers such as my Vera Plus, and my existing DIY home NVR security system.

Best Wireless Smart Video Doorbells with No Monthly Fee – 2023 Recommendations

Best Budget Wireless Smart Doorbell – XTU Smart Video Doorbell Camera (J5)

XTU is a relatively new market entrant and differentiates its J5 doorbell camera by supporting both ONVIF and RTSP officially. This is 1 of the handful of smart doorbells I could find on the market that officially supports ONVIF.

The J5 has a 3 MegaPixel (MP) sensor which is an acceptable resolution for security purposes. Video quality is excellent and the company’s Cloudedge mobile app is better than most. Physical installation and the app-based setup is easy and the J5 scores points here because this can be a challenge with other doorbells.

On the smart home front, the J5 officially supports ONVIF & RTSP, so you can add this camera directly to any 3rd party NVR that supports ONVIF & RTSP.

So you can view doorbell’s video easily on your existing mobile apps if you prefer. The RTSP stream addresses are:

The J5 thus works with QNAP QVR Pro, Synology Surveillance centre, and you can also use Blue Iris or Home Assistant add-ons to perform advanced motion detection.

Main stream rtsp://::8554/Streaming/Channels/101
Sub-stream rtsp://::8554/Streaming/Channels/102

If you don’t have an ONVIF compliant system, just wire a relay in parallel. When the doorbell is pressed, the voltage drop will trigger the relay. Use a Z-Wave sensor to detect this and fire off an event to your HA controller. You can even accomplish this wirelessly – this particular bell push actually sends a 433MHz signal that you can pick up using a Sonoff bridge flashed with Tasmota.

2 years in, there are plenty of reviews on Amazon also that confirm this is a quality video doorbell at a great price.

Please note that not all XTU doorbells support RTSP and ONVIF, the J5 does support these protocols, but most other products in the XTU doorbell family do not!

View price on Amazon

Best Wireless Smart Doorbell – Amcrest SmartHome Video Doorbell Camera (AD410)

Over the years, Amcrest have built up a solid reputation for their high quality IP cameras. Last year Amcrest ventured into the smart home space with a new product line simply called ‘Amcrest Smart Home’ with a new companion mobile app. This relatively new product line was a bit sparse at launch with just the 1080p AD110 model launched last year along with some battery powered cameras. But now they have added more stuff and a premium wireless doorbell to the family – the AD410 in review here.

The reason I like this wireless video doorbell is that it doesn’t force you to pay a monthly fee for storing and viewing video clips or motion detection events (unlike Ring, Zmodo, Simplisafe, Eufy and the Remobell). Cloud storage is fully optional, and for some may be a decent off-site backup solution. I still don’t like storing footage from my home on the cloud, so the local storage option is a must-have in my book.

Last year we noted the unmistakable similarities between this Amcrest doorbell and the Dahua DHI-DB11. But this new AD410 model seems to be an entirely in-house model.

For the AD110 launched last year, Amcrest added the older but very useful PIR sensor method that detects heat signatures for reliable motion detection. Not the software based method that is set off by clouds, shadows, trees another inanimate objects.

Still the PIR sensor cannot distinguish between people and animals. So the AD410 has dispensed with the PIR sensor in favour of the much more convenient software-based person detection.

On the smart home front, you can pull an RTSP video stream from the camera. While the cheaper AD110 doesn’t officially support ONVIF, the AD410 does support it. The AD410 also officially supports Blue Iris and allows 2-way audio through that interface too. So you can use Blue Iris to perform advanced motion detection.

You can also access the doorbell from Alexa, Google Home and Google Assistant. But do note the only available action is to utter a phrase to view the stream on-demand.

View price on Amazon

Also Consider

Amcrest SmartHome Video Doorbell Camera (AD110)

It was only a matter of time before Amcrest ventured outside of security cameras. They have built up a solid reputation for their IP cameras, and look set to repeat this with their smart home product line. This new product line is a bit sparse at the moment, with just some battery powered cameras and this Wi-Fi doorbell available at the moment.

The reason I like this wireless video doorbell is that it doesn’t force you to pay a monthly fee for storing and viewing video clips or motion detection events (unlike Ring, Zmodo, Simplisafe, Eufy and the Remobell). Cloud storage is fully optional, and for some may be a decent off-site backup solution. I still don’t like storing footage from my home on the cloud, so the local storage option is a must-have in my book.

Amcrest generally re-brands Dahua cameras, and they seem to have stuck to the winning formula again. The similarities between this Amcrest doorbell and the Dahua DHI-DB11 are unmistakable. Both doorbells are 1080p, have a viewing angle of 140°, have an SD card for local storage, and are IP55 weather-rated. They also share 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi support.

For 2021, Amcrest has the much vaunted PIR sensor that detects heat signatures for true motion detection. Not the software based method that is set off by clouds, shadows, trees another inanimate objects.

On the smart home front, you can pull an RTSP video stream from the camera. But sadly, ONVIF is not enabled (just like the Dahua it is based on) and even the Amcrest API is not supported. Happily though, this Amcrest doorbell officially supports Blue Iris and allows 2-way audio through that interface too. So you can use Blue Iris to perform advanced motion detection. Here’s hoping Amcrest adds ONVIF support so that you can detect the bell push also.

There are no alarm out ports for home automation integration. But there’s a far simpler way to integrate any doorbell with your HA system – just wire a relay in parallel. When the doorbell is pressed, the voltage drop will trigger the relay. Use a Z-Wave sensor to detect this and fire off an event to your HA controller.

You can also access the doorbell from Alexa but Google Home and Google Assistant are not supported.

If there’s one reason to go for the Amcrest and not the Dahua it is based on, it’s because Dahua doesn’t support retail customers like Amcrest does. Dahua’s customers are primarily integrators and installers, not people like you and me. But if you are willing to brave it, you can buy the Dahua doorbell from B&H Photo who are official retailers of the device.

View price on Amazon

EZVIZ DB1 Video Doorbell Camera (Rebranded Hikvision DS-HD1)

While doorbells with RTSP, ONVIF and API support have been around for some time (think Doorbird), Hikvision took their time to launch a wireless video doorbell. But DIY enthusiasts all over the world were rewarded by their patience with the Hikvision DS-HD1.

The retail version of the DS-HD1 is the EZVIZ DB1 – EZVIZ being the retail brand of Hikvision and the one that they want people like you and me to buy. It has a very high pixel count for a video doorbell, 3 MP at a resolution of 2048×1536. The lens used is 2.2 mm @ f2.4. As more people fall prey to parcel theft, its important to get a full 180 degree view. Manufacturers have realised this and so the EZVIZ DB1 has a vertical viewing angle of 180°, and a decent horizontal viewing angle of 105°.

Importantly, it has a PIR sensor to reduce false motion alerts and recordings. The night vision range of 16 feet is pretty good and you can define custom motion detection zones.

How about local streaming of video? The DB1 supports RTSP and so you can pull the video feeds using the standard Hikvision URL format in Blue Iris or any other software that can accept an RTSP stream. You also get onboard microSD card storage as well.

Sadly there is no ONVIF support but you can get it by flashing the LaView firmware. This also lets you use the PIR motion sensor of the DB1 as a recording trigger in Blue Iris or other supported software. You can also grab JPEGs the same way you would with any other Hikvision camera.

Google Home and Echo Show support has also been added. Interestingly using Monocle the Echo Show can directly pull the camera video stream without routing it through the cloud. Of course I have no interest in letting an Echo device into my home, so I won’t be testing that.

The Hikvision DS-HD1 has also been re-branded as the RCA HSDB2A, Nelly’s Security NSC-DB2, LaView One Halo, Winic NDB313-W, and LTS LTH-7132-WIFI (now discontinued).

All of them are virtually the same Hikvision OEM camera and even the firmware are interchangeable. They all support RTSP and flashing the LaView One firmware adds ONVIF. But I would strongly recommend going with the EZVIZ brand if you can, simply because it is the official Hikvision retail brand.

View price on Amazon

The wireless doorbells that didn’t make the cut

Hikvision DS-HD1

The Hikvision DS-HD1 is the model that the EZVIZ DB1 above is based on, so it has the same features. You won’t get retail support from Hikvision unless you buy it from an authorised dealer such as BH Photo. Even then, the US government is getting touch on Chinese state-sponsored security camera companies like Hikvision and Dahua. So if you do opt for these brands, make sure you isolate the doorbell properly so that it cannot access the Internet or even the rest of your network.

View price on Amazon

Doorbird WiFi Video Doorbell – A feature-packed PoE but cloud-reliant doorbell

The Doorbird is a very interesting doorbell that is developed, engineered and manufactured in Germany. It differentiates itself from the rest by having an insane amount of features. It has an RTSP stream, and can work with any app that can receive an RTSP stream (like tinyCam Monitor Pro). The RTSP stream can be accessed at rtsp://<device-ip>:<device-rtsp-port>/mpeg/media.amp

It also has an Ethernet port which supports Power over Ethernet (PoE 802.3af Mode-A) so is the perfect choice if you want to add a video doorbell to your existing standards compliant CCTV system (Synology or QNAP NAS/Hikvision NVR, Blue Iris etc.).

The camera is only 720p which is only average, however it has a hemispheric lens which provides a brilliant 180 degree field of view just like the Skybell video doorbell. The vertical field of view is also a very good 90 degrees. 12 InfraRed LEDs provide very good night vision with a true IR cut filter.

Two-way audio is standard along with noise cancellation and echo reduction features.

On the communications front, it has WiFi, Bluetooth (optional) and uniquely an RFID system using a 433 MHz transceiver. This adds compatibility with Volkswagen, digitalStrom, Control4, RTI, Elan, URC, Nuki, and Zipato. It also has its own API which should be of interest to home automation fans.

Cloud features

Just as most of these smart video doorbells, the Doorbird is reliant on the cloud for advanced operations:

“Our products are cloud-based solutions (see also NEST, Dropbox, etc.). For reasons of reliability and security no port forwarding is conducted through the internet (using NAT or DynDNS). Our products establish an encrypted VPN tunnel connection to our cloud server (located in a highly secured data centre in Germany). Our products rely on the same secure communications technology used by financial institutions for online banking (SSL). The remote access via our cloud-server is free of charge. It is not technically possible to use our products autonomously without internet access or without access to our cloud servers, as otherwise key functionality like, for example, push notifications (special server security certificates required by Apple and Google), remote access, periodic free software updates etc. would not be available.”

Ring Video Doorbell Pro – A popular yet flawed 1080p cloud doorbell

The Ring Video Doorbell Pro is the latest model in the Ring family of doorbells and was launched in March 2016. It is dependent on a power supply. It differs from the standard Ring WiFi doorbell in that it doesn’t have a battery but has an upgraded 1080p sensor. It can also send you motion detection alerts to your email or smartphone if it detects motion in front of it. However it cannot record video continuously.

Check out my review below for more information:

7.5

Ring Video Doorbell Pro

Video doorbells are a great addition to your home security arsenal. I am just about to embark on my home automation ...

$249.00 Check Amazon

Read full review

I do not recommend the original Ring WiFi doorbell either because it works only on an internal battery and is limited to a 720p resolution.

One point to note is that Ring doesn’t claim any weatherproof rating for its doorbells, which is one of my biggest bugbears with their video doorbells. The company seems to have been overwhelmed by the incredible popularity of its products, with customer service being less than stellar of late.

Skybell Wi-Fi Video Doorbell – Another Full HD 1080p cloud doorbell

The Skybell is one of those rare products that is designed and manufactured in the USA. California to be exact. For many, that itself is a great advantage when buying a tech gadget.

The Skybell HD is a very small unit at 2.8 inches across and just 0.9 inches deep. It is a straight replacement for your existing wired doorbell if it uses a transformer. It comes with a mounting plate, so it is quiet easy to install to any surface.

The camera of the doorbell can do up to 1080p Full HD video, which is very good. It also has a class-leading 180 degree field of view. It has the standard features you would expect such 2-way audio using a microphone and a speaker. It has a unique multi-colour bell push button that can do 16 million colours, a nice personalisation touch to make your doorbell truly yours. Additionally it has a real PIR sensor which should aid massively with motion detection.

Alas the doorbell doesn’t have true night vision because it doesn’t have Infrared LEDs. Instead it has a standard white LED light to light up the person in front of the doorbell. This is fine if its a person standing right in front of the doorbell, but limited by the 15 feet range of the PIR sensor for triggering an alert at night. It doesn’t have a local storage option such as an SD card so all video is routed through their cloud servers. This means you need a decent internet connection with an upload speed of at least 1.5 Mbps.

The Skybell HD has an IPX4 weather proof rating, which means it is not rated for solid ingress but is protected against splash water from any direction. It is claimed to work between -40 and 140 degrees F.

So how does it work? There are 3 ways you can use the Skybell HD video doorbell:

1. A visitor presses the bell button and you get a call on your smartphone.
2. A visitor doesn’t press the button, but the PIR motion sensor detects motion and alerts you.
3. Live view – you can check in any time to see what’s going on at your front door.

This image below should explain the details:

How about compatibility with home automation? It supports IFTTT, Alexa, Nest and many other home automation protocols and controllers.

Vuebell WiFi Video Doorbell (Hardwired) – A cheap 720p doorbell that is cloud-reliant

Vuebell is a brand owned by the Chinese manufacturer, Netview Technologies (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. They have been in business since June 2010 and their camera are sole on Amazon and HomeDepot.

The Vuebell consists of an outdoor unit and an optional indoor chime unit. At just over 3.1 inches x 3.1 inches, the Vuebell’s outdoor unit has a very attractive design and looks very much a premium device. It is smaller than the standard video doorbell. Even so, it sports Infrared LED lights, a microphone, a speaker, and a Passive InfraRed (PIR) detector.

The video sensor has a max resolution of 720p which is about par for video doorbells but has an outstanding 185 degrees field of view. You can get a live view on your smartphone whenever somebody presses the doorbell, when the PIR detects motion within its range of 3 metres or you can simply check in any time to watch. It can send you motion detection alerts and save clips on either a micro SD card or on the free cloud storage account.

The outdoor unit of the Vuebell is very easy to install as it is a straight replacement for your existing hardwired doorbell. It just uses your existing hardwired doorbell transformer.

The indoor unit is a great touch and has a range of chimes. The chime volume can be adjusted and can be very loud if you need it to be.

There are several disadvantages but the biggest one is the lack of a weather-proof rating.

The optional cloud service is based on Amazon Web Services and costs $2 per month which is the lowest I have come across.

August Wi-Fi Video Doorbell – Style over substance

The August Wi-Fi Video doorbell was one of the first smart video doorbells to hit the market. So its features now look a bit dated compared to the latest gen models such as the Ring and Skybell doorbells. It is designed to work with the optional Smart Lock so that you can answer the door and then unlock it if desired. With its smart industrial design and sleek looks, it won over many looking for a stylish and smart video doorbell.

The August Wi-Fi Video doorbell was selected by Fortune magazine as the Best Doorbell. However I find that very strange because it doesn’t have Infrared LEDs, it relies on a standard white LED for lighting the scene at night. This is fine for lighting up somebody right in front of the camera but in the absence of a PIR motion sensor, makes the camera very poor at detecting motion in the night.

Conclusion

I researched dozens of wireless smart video doorbells and rejected most of them before arriving at the list above. Sadly, the trend of not letting customers watch recorded clips without a cloud subscription is increasing.

Another rising trend is locking away smart features behind a monthly subscription. This is simply unacceptable as more and more homes are getting smarter with a multitude of smart devices that all need to communicate with each other. That’s why I always check whether a product can work locally without cloud reliance and supports industry standards such as RTSP or ONVIF.

So the smart doorbell market still has some way to go before it catches up with proper security cameras when it comes to integrating with a smart home. But now is as great a time as any to get your toes wet. So please let me know which smart doorbell you are going for, I would love to hear from you!