Video Doorbell Recommendations?

[Agclone91]

We have blink. Only negative is I wish the range was a little better. Does enough but doesn’t pick up until halfway up the driveway at most.

Ditto - they're just ok but they're the most budget friendly. The range kinda sucks and the video quality isn't the best - I can't make out a license plate in my driveway past about 15 feet.

I got them on sale and for the price I paid im satisfied

I wouldnt bother going the battery route for a doorbell unless you have to. The set it up and forget it aspect of wired is 100% worth it.

 

[1100011CS]

One limitation to Blink cameras that I don't think has been mentioned is sharing access to cameras. Blink does not support multiple accounts. So, to give someone access to a camera you have to give them your login. This was a major sticking point for us and is really frustrating coming from Amazon.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

We have a Ring and were happy with it, but I've developed a meh view of it lately. We switched internet providers awhile back and haven't bothered to set the new provider back up yet, even though it would only take a few minutes.

For me, the video doorbell seems to be a novelty that kinda ran its course. Maybe if we get a package swiped off our porch, I'll have a different opinion of it, but I don't miss having it hooked up. It's still our doorbell, but it's more of a deterrent at this point. It's the equivalent of an ADT sign in my yard.

To be fair, I don't get a ton of visitors and the ones that come over are known beforehand and can walk in since we'll leave the door unlocked for them. I'm curious if others still use/love theirs or what others' thoughts are.

 

[baller21]

We have a Ring and were happy with it, but I've developed a meh view of it lately. We switched internet providers awhile back and haven't bothered to set the new provider back up yet, even though it would only take a few minutes.

For me, the video doorbell seems to be a novelty that kinda ran its course. Maybe if we get a package swiped off our porch, I'll have a different opinion of it, but I don't miss having it hooked up. It's still our doorbell, but it's more of a deterrent at this point. It's the equivalent of an ADT sign in my yard.

To be fair, I don't get a ton of visitors and the ones that come over are known beforehand and can walk in since we'll leave the door unlocked for them. I'm curious if others still use/love theirs or what others' thoughts are.

We still use our ring doorbell cam although it’s mostly just to know when packages get delivered. It’s the battery model and I just have it mounted by the door with Velcro so I can easily grab it and bring it inside to change the battery or keep it out of below zero temps.

 

[Angie]

It's really not a bad install if you have an existing doorbell. Wiring is low voltage even. Two wires to connect and your done. Plus - your chime will still work.

That is good to know! I will watch some videos on it.

We have a Ring and were happy with it, but I've developed a meh view of it lately. We switched internet providers awhile back and haven't bothered to set the new provider back up yet, even though it would only take a few minutes.

For me, the video doorbell seems to be a novelty that kinda ran its course. Maybe if we get a package swiped off our porch, I'll have a different opinion of it, but I don't miss having it hooked up. It's still our doorbell, but it's more of a deterrent at this point. It's the equivalent of an ADT sign in my yard.

To be fair, I don't get a ton of visitors and the ones that come over are known beforehand and can walk in since we'll leave the door unlocked for them. I'm curious if others still use/love theirs or what others' thoughts are.

Honestly, my biggest drive is more selfish - my husband and I both work from home, down in the basement. The doorbell rings fairly often during the day for various reasons, and it would be nice to know if I actually need to get off of a meeting or stop what I am doing to run upstairs. (Also, I would not hate avoiding certain friends of the kids.)

 

[BCClone]

One limitation to Blink cameras that I don't think has been mentioned is sharing access to cameras. Blink does not support multiple accounts. So, to give someone access to a camera you have to give them your login. This was a major sticking point for us and is really frustrating coming from Amazon.

I guess if you don't want your wife to see your mistress coming in, that could be a situation. Otherwise I don't see a major problem with it.

 

[1100011CS]

I guess if you don't want your wife to see your mistress coming in, that could be a situation. Otherwise I don't see a major problem with it.

If you have multiple systems but only want some people to have access to a specific system. Or want to give someone temporary access to a system (e.g. - baby or house sitter). That's two off the top of my head.
In our case, we share a lake house with two other families. We couldn't just add that system to our existing setup since we'd have to share our login info to the account. We had create a separate account for the lake. Now, we have to logout of ours and into the lake to monitor that one. When you do that though, you only get notifications from the system you're logged into. So, you can't monitor both at the same time.
You're correct though, it probably isn't an issue for most people.

 

[1100011CS]

That is good to know! I will watch some videos on it.



Honestly, my biggest drive is more selfish - my husband and I both work from home, down in the basement. The doorbell rings fairly often during the day for various reasons, and it would be nice to know if I actually need to get off of a meeting or stop what I am doing to run upstairs. (Also, I would not hate avoiding certain friends of the kids.)

This is the biggest use case for me too.

 

[Cloneon]

One limitation to Blink cameras that I don't think has been mentioned is sharing access to cameras. Blink does not support multiple accounts. So, to give someone access to a camera you have to give them your login. This was a major sticking point for us and is really frustrating coming from Amazon.

Which leads me to an all important question: are ALL of these devices software upgradable, fixable, or remotely manageable? You see, I'm fixated on quality and reliability. For those making the suggestions, how long have you owned them? Are there changes you'd want in them?

 

[1100011CS]

Which leads me to an all important question: are ALL of these devices software upgradable, fixable, or remotely manageable? You see, I'm fixated on quality and reliability. For those making the suggestions, how long have you owned them? Are there changes you'd want in them?

I assume the Blink system should be able to update firmware and most definitely the management software BUT I don't recall ever getting a firmware update. There have been complaints about the user management in Blink systems for several years with no updates or acknowledgement from Blink/Amazon.

For reference: https://www.amazonforum.com/s/quest...-do-i-add-multiple-users-to-a-single-doorbell