08 Aug
Blog

Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro: Purging Pesky Porch Pirates

Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro installed.

Vivint doorbell camera Pro

"The Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro's mission is to proactively protect your packages with A.I."

  • Extremely wide field of view

  • Intelligent integration into the Vivint system

  • Slim, durable construction

  • SmartSentry mode protects your packages

  • Professional installation ensures impeccable performance

  • Must be bought with Vivint system, not alone

  • The depth of field of night vision is shallow

  • Limited A.I.

Parcel theft has become a phenomenon in recent years. Vivint set out to curb this behavior with a new SmartSentry deterrent mode that actively protects your packages from thieves. This new deterrent mode has been incorporated into the new Video Doorbell Camera Pro, which is built into the rest of the Vivint package. I've put the doorbell through its paces for the last month and I've learned that.

The Vivint doorbell camera Pro immediately offers the same restrictions as the rest of the Vivint device family. You need a Vivint security system installed in your home in order to use the doorbell. If you're just looking for a video doorbell, this is where you can stop reading. However, if you are interested in the Vivint system, read on because the doorbell does some great things.

Low profile

The Doorbell Camera Pro Hardware is slim compared to most other doorbell cameras. It still looks a lot like a video doorbell, but some options like Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus are clunky. The Vivint doorbell is much slimmer, which homeowners should appreciate. The black face of the doorbell starts with subtle branding on top, with the camera lens directly below and the doorbell button below. A ring light surrounds the doorbell button. The rest of the case is white.

The Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro has many functions in common with other doorbell cameras. It comes with a 65dB speaker and microphone for bidirectional communication. Visitors reported that the speaker was clear and easy to hear. The microphone is very sensitive and visitors can also be heard clearly. The camera records and transmits videos at 1080p. You can also unlock doors directly from the camera interface, which is convenient.

No escape from this camera

This doorbell has two hero functions, the first of which is a 180 degree field of view from left to right and top to bottom. This is similar to the Arlo Video doorbell. The advantage is obvious – even a package on your doormat is visible. The large field of view also allows you to see your entire porch. That’s really impressive in practice. My front door is set into the brick so I can't take full advantage of the left-to-right view, but the 180-degree top and bottom are certainly beneficial.

The Vivint Smart Doorbell Pro is expensive at $ 250. As mentioned, the doorbell is installed professionally, which sometimes costs $ 99. But the $ 99 is the cost of installing everything in your home, not just the doorbell. Therefore, it is difficult to estimate the installation cost. For my part, my installers were quick, competent and very professional. Overall, they also saved me a lot of the hassle of installing it myself. Speaking of which, my plumbers offered to run the doorbell up to the brick paneling of my house so I could take advantage of the 180 degree field of view, but I declined. I've never been a fan of this look.

The video quality of the 180 degree camera is sufficient for this purpose. The quality is to be expected from a midrange phone, for example. That's fine for identifying visitors, bad for club selfies. The center of the frame is pretty clear with a fisheye effect when you come out to the edges of the frame. The clarity is sharp about 10 feet away and then drops off quickly. My mailbox 45 feet away is a pixelated work of art.

Proactive protection

When deterrent mode is activated and a person is detected, the ring light will glow red.

The other hero feature is similar to the one I tested with the Vivint Outdoor Camera Pro and is the SmartSentry deterrent mode which is powered by Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). Vivint really wanted to focus on package delivery and looting porches, so the doorbell has a guard mode. When the camera detects that a package is being delivered, you will be notified on your phone. From there, you can activate deterrent mode. When someone else approaches your porch, they will play the deterrent tone. I prefer the whistle followed by "camera shot" but there are other tones to choose from.

In my tests, this feature worked very well. Whenever deterrent mode was on and a person approached, there was no doubt that they were being recorded. Vivint's chief technical officer JT Hwang said that many people use deterrent mode at night, not just to protect packaging, but just to keep people away from their homes. It's not very neighborly, but I'm not going to judge it. As long as Vivint A.I. I would like to see an extra step by adding face recognition. That way the doorbell won't yell at me when I get my own package.

The ring light around the doorbell meant notification, not lighting. When the deterrent is played, the ring will glow red. If someone approaches the door while SmartSentry is off, the ring light will turn white. It's handy at night for visitors to see the button.

Limited recognition

The Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro has the same disadvantage as the Outdoor Camera Pro. The doorbell only recognizes parcels and people. It doesn't detect any other movement or sound like the Nest Hello Video doorbell and I miss that. If there is an animal living under my porch or a loud crack occurs somewhere in the neighborhood, I'd love to hear about it. Vivint says it's A.I. Efforts to protect packets, but other events may occur in the future. At least Vivint is clear about his priorities.

Another limitation of the camera that the Outdoor Camera Pro mirrors is the reliance on the Smart Drive to record a 24/7 feed. Without the smart drive, the doorbell will record events when a person or package is detected and you will get a live view of the camera, but the footage will not be cleaned. If you want to record around the clock, plan on spending the extra cash on the smart drive.

Limited range but in line with mission

I noticed that the range of night vision is particularly limited compared to a Nest Hello video doorbell. Below I have placed a screenshot of each doorbell side by side at night. In both shots you can clearly see the Santa Claus statue standing on the edge of my porch (yes, even in August). When shooting the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro, the image quickly falls off directly behind the veranda. With the Nest Hello doorbell, the rest of the front yard is free – or at least if I cleaned the camera lens and that was a lesson, kids. Remember to clean your doorbell camera's lens from time to time.

Screenshot of Nest Hallo "aria-descriptionby =" gallery-6-2534726

Screenshot of the Vivint app "aria-descriptionby =" gallery-6-2534727

When I spoke to Vivint's CTO about this, he explained that the strength of the infrared light is a compromise due to power and heat issues. The infrared light from Vivint's Outdoor Pro cameras is stronger because they draw their own energy. If you are limited to doorbell current and trying to capture such a wide field of view, you will hit a wall. I get that, and the camera area covers my entire porch, which is in line with Vivint's mission – your porch and your packages. To be fair, that's covered.

Finally, just like the rest of the Vivint system, compatibility with certain smart displays would be good. When someone rings the doorbell, the video will appear on the Vivint security panel. That's nice, but when I'm in the kitchen I already have a Lenovo Smart Display. Vivint is looking into the integration of smart displays, but it's not there yet, which is disappointing.

Our opinion

Snapshot from the Vivint doorbell camera Pro

This is a doorbell camera with a specific mission that is refreshing in its own way. Nowadays, smart tech seems to want to be everything for everyone. This doorbell is designed to protect your packages. This is arguably the best reason for a video doorbell. Also, unlike many other A.I. Proactively protect packages. A video doorbell can help you catch thieves, but SmartSentry will stop them before you lose your belongings. I wouldn't be surprised if more doorbell cameras took on a similar role in the years to come.

Is there a better alternative?

There is a wide variety of doorbell cameras available in the market. The Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Generation), Nest Hello and others have the "See who's at your door" theme covered. But none of them proactively protect what's on your doorstep. This also begs the question of whether there is a better alternative that integrates with Vivint. Since this doorbell is part of that system, the answer to this question is a simple no.

Will it take?

Yes. The Vivint doorbell Pro is made of solid polycarbonate and seems to be very durable. The operating range is between minus 20 degrees Celsius and 45 degrees. The warranty applies to all Vivint devices for the duration of a customer's customer service contract. All required service visits are free for the first 120 days after installation. Service visits cost $ 49 after 120 days. After the 120-day period has expired, follow-up service visits within 30 days of a $ 49 service visit are free for the same reason.

Should you buy it

Like everything in the Vivint ecosystem, the answer is yes, provided you purchase Vivint security for the entire home. Not only does the doorbell integrate with the rest of the Vivint system that you are already buying, but the price is also competitive. While this doorbell was offered as a standalone option, I think it's worth buying. The large field of view and proactive SmartSentry mode are worth a few extra dollars. That's a lot of great things in one package. Even given the tradeoffs, this is a good buy in itself regardless of the Vivint system.

Editor's recommendations




22 Jul
Blog

Ring Video Doorbell 3 Review: Not a Proper Upgrade

Ring video doorbell 3 rating with silver front plate

"I wanted to be excited about the third generation Ring Video doorbell, but it wasn't as impressive as it should be."

  • Great two-way audio

  • Fantastic app

  • Easy to install

  • Alexa compatible

  • Fisheye distortion

  • Doesn't work with Google Assistant

The Ring Video Doorbell 2 was such a success that it reached our list of top video doorbells from 2020. So you can bet if the Bell video doorbell 3 came out, there were high expectations. Has the third generation model introduced some exciting new features? Here's what I found out when I tried it.

Ring video doorbell 3 with silver front plate

installation

As with most wireless video doorbells, installing the ring video doorbell is a breeze. All you have to do is screw the mounting bracket onto your door frame, insert the battery and attach the doorbell to the mounting bracket. The instructions in the app show you step by step how to set everything up, including connecting the new doorbell to your home's Wi-Fi network (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz).

After installation, you can use the doorbell to connect the doorbell to other ring products in your home, e.g. B. with other indoor / outdoor cameras from Ring, intelligent light bulbs, path and step lights and the Ring Solar Floodlight. After everything is connected, you can create tasks for the devices to work together. For example, if someone rings the doorbell, you can have your porch or other lights turn on automatically.

Ring video doorbell 3 batteryAlina Bradford / Digital Trends

If you want to hardwire the Ring Video doorbell 3, it's pretty easy too, as the app guides you through the app. Just make sure that you have a connection with a maximum of 8-24 VAC and 40VA and a doorbell transformer with 50/60 Hz. If you do not know this or do not know what it means, you may need to consult a professional installer.

design

When it comes to design, you will immediately find that the third generation device is a small piece in terms of video doorbells. The Ring Video Doorbell 3 is 5.1 inches tall and 2.4 inches wide and really sticks out of your door frame (or wherever you install it) and sticks out like an aching thumb. Choosing a slimmer doorbell such as the Nest Hello, the Arlo video doorbell or maybe even the older Ring Pro is sure to have a less visual impact. The front panel is available in two colors: silver and black. So you have a choice of how this affects the atheism of your front door.

Ring video doorbell 3 front panelsAlina Bradford / Digital Trends

A major design improvement over the last Ring Video doorbell is that the company made it easier to remove the front panel so you can access the battery. This may seem small, but nobody wants to struggle with their doorbell just so they can charge the battery. It simply clicks in and out with a small push. Once the cover is removed, pull out the battery and charge it with a USB cable that comes with the doorbell.

The carillon in the ring video doorbell 3 is not very loud. It sends notifications to your phone. However, if you don't carry your phone with you, you may not hear it. Couple the ring 3 with the RingAt just $ 30, this is a great way to fix the problem. The doorbell is a separate device that you plug into an outlet in your home. From there, pair it with the doorbell. When the button on the doorbell is pressed, the doorbell also sounds. It's loud and has a variety of chimes to choose from in the app, including special Christmas chimes.

Video and audio quality

In terms of video quality, nothing has improved since the second generation. This third generation model still has a 160 degree field of view at 1080p HD, which you would expect with video doorbells, so no complaints. The video is really clear when there are objects just a few meters away from the camera. further away it gets a little blurry. The colors are a bit subdued, but taking pictures is good. There are a few pixels when the object the camera is focusing on is moving quickly, but it tends to clear up quickly.

However, there is still a curvature around the edges of the video. I'm not sure why Ring didn't think it was important to fix this since other video doorbells like the Arlo have no problem with the fishbowl. The field of vision is also somewhat narrow vertically, so you cannot see the floor of the porch at the door where parcels can be placed by a delivery person.

Ring video doorbell 3 live video on app

The night vision is in black and white, which is not unusual for a wireless video doorbell. However, if you hard-wire the Ring Video doorbell 3, the video is colored. So you should take this into account.

Like its predecessor, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 does not have a local video memory. You must subscribe to Ring Protect. It starts at $ 3 a month or $ 30 a year for storing videos and photos. So it's not too expensive. Other video doorbell brands offer storage plans similar to Ring Protect for about the same cost, but August, for example, offers its users free video storage.

Clear audio is always a good thing, especially when there are strangers at the door.

The two-way audio of the Ring Video Doorbell 3 is really nice and clear. This is probably due to the noise cancellation technology. It is said to raise voices from outside noise and does a good job. Clear audio is always a good thing, especially when there are strangers at the door.

properties

Ring video doorbell 3 app

There is a new function which is an upgrade of the Ring Video doorbell 2. With the near zone function you can adjust how close or far the motion sensor detects motion. This prevents your notifications from being triggered all the time, for example if you have a sidewalk or a street near your front door. You can adjust the range from 5 to 15 feet to your needs.

It doesn't have box detection like some other video doorbells, including the Nest Hello.

The snooze and sensitivity functions also help reduce the number of warnings. The app lets you set notifications to sleep for 30 minutes to four hours. You can also reduce the sensitivity of the motion detector so that a notification is only sent when something big like a human is hanging around. Or you can simply set it to people-only mode so that only people are recognized. It doesn't have box detection like some other video doorbells, including the Nest Hello.

If you have no more notifications, you can activate Home mode even better. This function prevents the doorbell from detecting any movement at all. Note, however, that this mode also disables the live view feature.

Like the second generation device, this new one can be connected to Alexa. This way, you can see visitors on Alexa video devices like the Echo Show 8. You can also use any Alexa Echo device to speak to visitors who come to your door. An upgrade that would have made sense is adding Google Assistant features. However, this is unlikely.

Ring neighborhood warnings

In my opinion, the app is the best function of all ring video doorbells. It has so many features and so few glitches that it's a pleasure to use compared to other smart device apps. My favorite feature is the real-time crime and security alerts. You can also view current crime activity on a map of your neighborhood, weekly security reports, and more in the app. With these tools, you can always know what's going on in your neighborhood, which makes me feel safer.

Battery life

Ring the video doorbell 3 on the solar chargerring

Ring does not state exactly what the battery life is. However, I've found that you are more likely to charge it about every 3 months, depending on how often you use it. It seems to consume just over 1% of the battery life per day. If you don't like this idea, you can purchase a solar charger that is installed just behind the doorbell for $ 50. The solar connection is a new option that the second generation ring did not have.

privacy

The Ring Video doorbell 3 contains three remarkable data protection functions. After Ring was asked to hack several of his video cameras, he made two-factor authentication mandatory for his app and website. This is a great way to make sure your footage stays safe, and a feature that many smart devices overlook. Another smart privacy feature is the ability to turn off the camera's microphone if you don't want it to be recorded.

Ring Video Doorbell 3 privacy option

You can also prevent the camera from "seeing" certain parts of your garden by setting up data protection zones in the app. Wherever you set up a data protection zone, this area of ​​your garden is shown as a black box in the video.

Our opinion

While we love Ring Video Doorbells for its ease of use and great app, the third generation seems to be missing something – especially when you look at what else there is. While it's a great doorbell, it doesn't have any significant advantages over the Ring Video doorbell 2. If you already have a doorbell 2 and are thinking about upgrading, you might as well stick to what you have. Otherwise, the Arlo video doorbell is a better upgrade.

Is there a better option?

Yes. At $ 200, it's slightly more expensive than most other high-quality video doorbells on the market, such as Arlos' video doorbell ($ 149) with better video. Perhaps the only thing worth the extra cost would be that the ring app is the best, but if you go that route, you can also buy the ring bell 3 Plus for $ 230. The Plus has an additional feature called Pre-Roll that allows you to view an additional four seconds of video before a motion event is recognized by the doorbell.

How long it will take?

The ring video doorbell is made of thin plastic that doesn't last longer than a year or two. However, it is rainproof and the battery lasts at temperatures between -20 and 50 degrees Celsius. It also comes with a one-year limited warranty, and Ring will replace it for free if it is stolen.

Should you buy it

No. If you want a better ring experience, I would say spring for the 3 Plus ring doorbell. If you are on a budget, you can get the new bell (2020) for $ 100 less. If the ring app and ecosystem don't affect you, choose the Arlo video doorbell.

Editor's recommendations




09 May
Blog

Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus Review: Complacent in a Sea of Innovations

"Live breakdowns and a few missing functions make this doorbell a dubious choice."

  • A variety of motion controls

  • Pre-roll preview function

  • Compatible with Alexa and Ring devices

  • easy installation

  • Doesn't recognize boxes

  • Glitchy live view

  • Distorted video

We already love ringtones. With the ring app, you can see who is at your door, wherever you are, and even talk to visitors in real time. We love Ring so much that Ring Video Doorbell 2 and Ring Video Doorbell Pro made our list of the best video doorbells for 2020. Now the company has launched the next model in its line, the Ring video doorbell 3 Plus ($ 229.99). Will we love it as much? That's how it went.

Doorbell Plus 3 is ringinginstallation

Setting up the doorbell is fairly easy since the doorbell app guides you by connecting the doorbell to your Wi-Fi network. It is even helpful to set up security and usage settings. The installation kit also includes everything you need, including a drill, in case you need to drill new holes for the mounting bracket.

As soon as this is complete, you can connect your new doorbell to other Ring products such as the Ring Solar Floodlight, Solar Path Lights, the various intelligent light bulbs from Ring or Solar Step Lights. With this connection to other devices, you can set up tasks. For example, you can set up a task to automatically turn on your smart lights during the night when the doorbell detects motion.

Ring video doorbell 3 plus cover platesAlina Bradford / Digital Trends

If you have color preferences, the 3 Plus comes with two different front panels: you can choose between silver and black to better match your home. Replacing is as easy as snapping a case onto your phone.

I recommend combining bell 3 with the bell signal. It will work without it, but if someone comes to your door and you don't have your phone nearby, you probably won't hear the doorbell ringing. It is not very loud. I could barely hear it and was only a few yards from the front door. The carillon sounds in your house.

Outstanding functions

The bell 3 has so many functions that it looks almost overwhelming. Fortunately, the app is intuitive and it's easy to set everything up.

One feature that I like is the pre-roll option. This allows the camera to record a four-second preview video to see exactly what triggered a motion alarm. The footage is shot in black and white to conserve the battery. In the event of a possible break-in or tampering with the package, this additional four seconds can help law enforcement. Unfortunately, pre-roll does not work with the night vision of the camera. That means you won't get this nifty feature at night.

I was disappointed that there was no box detection technology.

The motion detection is fully customizable. You can adjust the area of ​​the motion detector, for example, by specifying how many feet from your door it detects motion. If your home is near a sidewalk or street, you will not be notified by the doorbell every time something goes past your home. If you want to take a nap, you can turn off motion alerts for 30 minutes to four hours. You can even adjust the sensitivity of the motion detector to reduce warnings.

Ring video doorbell 3 plus app

There are options to change what the doorbell also recognizes. You can choose whether the doorbell detects some kind of movement or just people. I was disappointed that there was no box detection technology like the Nest Hello doorbell. I get a lot of packages and want to know when a package is on my porch. For some reason, this doorbell does not contain the box identification A.I. Feature. It has the same field of view as the nest at 160 degrees, so it's a shame it doesn't support this feature.

In addition to these options, you can also customize various modes that can be set up with specific behaviors when you are at home or on the go. In home mode, for example, you can set the doorbell so that no movement is detected and deactivate the live view function.

Do you want to stay up to date? The Ring app sends you real-time crime and security alerts reported by your neighbors or local law enforcement agencies. The app shows you current activities on a map of your neighborhood, weekly safety reports and more. I think it's a very useful feature. For example, a neighbor was shot down the street by her boyfriend. I could see the location of the incident on the map. The app also reports information about missing children near you so you can keep an eye out for them.

Ring neighborhood warnings

Works with Alexa

Although the app works great, you can connect other smart devices outside of the ring ecosystem to your doorbell using the Alexa app. You can also control the doorbell with voice commands. For example, you can say commands like this:

  • "Alexa, speak to the front door."
  • "Alexa, turn off the motion sensor on the front door. "
  • "Alexa, set the motion sensitivity on the front door to low."

If you have an Alexa-compatible smart display like the Amazon Echo Show, you can see who is at the door on the screen. You can also speak to them for even more flexibility when using the 3 Plus.

Video and audio

The Bell 3 Plus has 1080p HD video, which means that the quality has not changed since the Bell 2. Still, the video was nice and clear, but there was a problem.

Things are just a little rounded.

There's fishbowl-like distortion for everything you see through the camera. However, this doesn't seem to affect how visible a person is in the video, regardless of where they stand on the porch. Things are just a little rounded. I'm a little disappointed because other video doorbells like the Arlo video doorbell have figured out how to get great video quality without the fishbowl look.

Ring video doorbell 3 plus live videoAlina Bradford / Digital Trends

The live video can also be faulty and it can take a minute for a connection to the app to be established. This can be annoying when trying to speak to someone at your door. You can go before you get the app up and running. Shutting down and restarting the app fixed the problem, but it was an annoyance. It's hard to say what is the culprit behind the problem, as the 3 Plus has both 2.4 and 5 GHz dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity.

While the 3 Plus is doing a great night video, I wish it had a built-in floodlight like the August Doorbell Cam Pro. There are dozens of situations where a little more light on your porch can be useful. August also records color night videos, and the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus only records in black and white.

You need a cloud service plan to save your videos. With Ring Protect, you can review and share videos and photos for up to 60 days. It costs $ 3 a month per device or $ 100 a year for your entire household. This price is comparable to other video doorbell video storage plans like Nest Aware, but Ring Protect gives you a lot more storage days. August, on the other hand, offers its customers its video memory for free.

The audio quality when you talk to someone through the app is very good. The 3 Plus has noise cancellation technology that makes voices stand out from all the noises in your house, which is very helpful.

privacy

Ring has been in the news many times for privacy concerns related to their cameras. However, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus has some features that can help you calm down. For example, there is a two-step confirmation to access the app or your account online and protect your personal information. You can also turn off the microphone to prevent it from hearing things you don't want to hear. If certain parts of your garden are not to be recorded, e.g. For example, your pool or your children's play area, you can set up privacy zones that limit the visibility or recording of the camera. In the video you can see a black box in which the data protection area has been set up in the app.

Our opinion

Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus is a decent intelligent doorbell. It has a lot of great features, but it's not the best option we've come across. The video specs could have been updated to keep up with the competition, and I don't like the live video glitches. However, there are many great features that allow you to customize how the doorbell detects things around your door. Finally, I really appreciate how easy it is to integrate into a larger smart home ecosystem to work with other smart products that are compatible with Alexa and Ring. When it comes to price, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus is $ 300 compared to other major providers in the high-end video doorbell market.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. The Arlo video doorbell ($ 149) is cheaper and offers many great options, including Alexa integration. The August Doorbell Cam Pro ($ 171) is also cheaper and has a fantastic lighting feature.

How long it will take?

The whole doorbell is made of plastic. The thinness of the cover plate affects me. I'm not sure if it will withstand rigorous use, but a one-year limited warranty is given. In the unfortunate event that it is stolen, Ring will replace it free of charge.

Should I buy it?

If you already have a lot of ring products in your house, I would absolutely say so. The best thing about the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus is how it interacts with other Ring products and the great Ring app features like crime warnings. If you are not a ring fan, I would choose a different video doorbell.

Editor's recommendations




08 Mar
Blog

Arlo Video Doorbell Review: Nothing Fishy About this Camera

Arlo video doorbell

"Arlos video doorbell is an elegant choice with solid video quality."

  • No fish instant on video

  • Sleek design

  • Intelligent A.I.

  • Works with Alexa

  • Requires wiring for a doorbell

  • His button doesn't look like a button

The Arlo video doorbell is a sleek, straightforward, intelligent video doorbell that covers all bases. It has a video camera that lets you catch pirates on the porch, motion detection, video calling, night vision, Alexa functions and many other functions that everyone can appreciate.

Arlo video doorbell

Installation: Easy if you have a doorbell

With many of these intelligent security devices, my first concern is simple. How easy is it to install? After all, a great security product is useless if you can't install it.

The Arlo video doorbell passed my installation test. If you already have a doorbell and chime box, the installation process is easy and the Arlo app guides you seamlessly through the process. There's even a step-by-step video if you're still lost.

However, if you don't have a doorbell and chime box yet, you're out of luck. You need to hire a professional to set up the Arlo video doorbell, or you need another doorbell that can be set up without existing hardware such as the August view or the ring video doorbell 2.

Video quality: Forget the fisheye effect

Arlo video doorbell against other doorbells

The biggest problem with video doorbells is that they can deliver a distorted fish-eye-like video. Nobody wants to see that. Arlo was able to solve the problem with an HD camera that has a 180-degree viewing angle and an aspect ratio of 1: 1.

The video looks a bit round, but you can see a lot more of the surroundings of your porch and garden, which gives you peace of mind that nobody is hiding sideways in the bushes. People cannot duck under the doorbell and hope not to be seen either as the Arlo captures the area below and in front of it.

Design: Where's the doorbell button?

Arlo video doorbell without light

Although the Arlo Video Doorbell has many great features and I love how slim and slim it looks, there is one big design problem: the button. If I came home to someone I wouldn't know what to push to ring the doorbell. Other video doorbells like the ring or the SkyBell Trim Plus have obvious buttons.

The doorbell button on the Arlo is literally not even button-shaped. It is concave. I'm pretty sure this is a design feature and not a function button. It's good that the Arlo has motion detection. Even if your visitors do not know that this immersion in the camera is a button, you will still be made aware of their presence.

App & Features: It's easy

Arlo video doorbell app

False notifications can really result in you not wanting to use any security device of any kind. To counter notifications that are less helpful, Alro has developed Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) that can determine whether an item on your front end is a pet, package, or person. You can set up the app to notify you when such things are on your porch. You can also set up activity zones to prevent motion alarms in areas you don't want to monitor, such as: B. on the sidewalk in front of your house.

Watch the footage immediately

While other security apps make you open the app to view footage, Arlo doesn't. You can see footage right on your lock screen. This feature can be very helpful in an emergency because you can instantly see intruders or package theft so you can take immediate action.

Our opinion

Overall, the Arlo video doorbell is a great addition to any security series. It has a great video, Smart A.I. Features that protect your family and a modern, polished look. The price, at $ 149.99, is lower than most other premium video doorbells on the market. The main disadvantage is that you need an existing doorbell system or you need to hire a professional installer to set it up.

Is there a better alternative?

If you want a doorbell that is very easy to set up and doesn't require wiring, I would use Ring Video doorbell 2 instead, although you pay a little more for the ring.

How long it will take?

The Arlo is nice to look at, but is made of thin plastic. I don't think it would stand up well to an intruder with a brick or hammer, but it will send you warnings if tampered with. It also comes with a limited warranty.

Should I buy it?

Yes, it has great features and comes from a reliable company.

Editor's recommendations




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