Category: Door Bells

  • Skybell HD Video Doorbell Review

    Skybell HD Video Doorbell Review

    Skybell HD Video Doorbell Review

    In this day in age, unfortunately, the world doesn’t seem to be as safe as it used to be.  We as homeowners have been forced to take the safety of our families and possessions into our own hands.  Thankfully technology has kept up with the security needs of today!

    One of the companies leading the way in home security is Skybell.  Today, we will be doing a review of the Skybell HD Video Doorbell. This doorbell can stream 1080p high definition video of visitors of all kind on your front steps right to your smartphone or tablet!  That’s pretty amazing, but there are lots of HD video doorbells on the market today that can take pictures of visitors at your door.  How do you know this specific Skybell doorbell is the one for you?

     

    What We Loved

    The Skybell HD Video Doorbell, has a lot of great qualities that set it apart from its competitors.  Here’s our list of its greatest assets:

    1. Automatic Photos – This is our favorite thing about this doorbell compared to its competitors. The Skybell doorbell not only takes pictures when someone rings your doorbell, but it uses motion sensor technology to capture and stream the image of anyone (or anything) at your door.  Now you can catch those pesky raccoons red-handed in your trash or stop a would-be burglar in his tracks without any buttons needing to be pressed.
    2. 5X Zoom – This is an issue that to us is often overlooked but Skybell got it right. Many other doorbells on the market only zoom at 1X, which is enough to capture a face right at your door, but what about a face at your mailbox or a license plate of a suspicious vehicle?  The 5X zoom on the Skybell HD Video Doorbell allows for a full view of the front of your home.  This in my opinion makes it as good a security camera!
    3. Monitoring & Recording – Skybell strikes again! The monitoring and recording functions of this doorbell also set it apart from the rest.  At any moment, without triggering motion sensors activating the doorbell, you can live stream the video feed right to your phone.  This gives you complete control over your home, knowing at any time who may be in the driveway or coming up to the door.  And if the button is pressed or motion sensor is triggered, Skybell records and stores the video on a cloud server until you are able to go over the footage yourself.
    4. Night Vision – A simple but very useful characteristic of the Skybell HD Video Doorbell, night vision is a no-brainer for me when it comes to home security cameras, even on the doorbell. Nighttime is when we are all more vulnerable, and it would be a waste, in our opinion, to invest in a doorbell camera without it.
    5. Built-in Speaker – Last, but certainly not least, is the built in speaker that comes standard with this device. Now you can speak to anyone that’s at your door, whether it is a complete stranger or a door-to-door salesman who won’t leave you alone.  On the flipside, it’s great if the pizza deliveryman is early and you’re still in your bathrobe. Not only that, but the person at your door can talk right back!  The ability to have full exchanges with anyone at your door without opening it gives a huge boost to the overall effectiveness of this device. We give this feature a huge thumbs-up!

    The Skybell HD video doorbell has a lot of fantastic features, but there is one negative that you should definitely keep in mind before you purchase…

    What We Didn’t Love

    This doorbell has one flaw that we have to mention.  It seems that a very strong Wi-Fi signal (as high as 95% strength) is needed for reliable streaming of your video feed.  That being said, this is not reason enough to choose a different doorbell for your home security requirements.  If anything we think it’s a reason to go out and buy a new router!  All kidding aside, make sure to test your router’s signal strength before buying so you can have access to this video doorbell’s HD video stream.

    [quick_offer id=1792]

    Our Verdict

    We hope this Skybell HD Video Doorbell review was helpful to you in your quest for a more secure home.  We highly recommend this product to anyone attempting to beef up their home security system and don’t forget that upgrading your Wi-Fi in order to gain access to all the upsides of this doorbell would be worth the investment.

    That being said, you should take the safety of your family and possessions very seriously!  Shop around and read customer reviews like this one to find out which one is best for you.  If you’re asking us, though, for the price, the Skybell HD video doorbell is worth every penny.  Go get yours today!

  • Ring Wi-Fi Enabled Video Doorbell Review

    Ring Wi-Fi Enabled Video Doorbell Review

    The Ring Wi-Fi Enabled Video Doorbell is exactly what the name says, a doorbell that streams video that is built by BOT Home Automation. In short, we like it and many users that have made the purchase have had a lot of nice things to say. On the other hand it does have its short comings.

    Setup

    After you purchase ring you will be pleasantly surprised to see it comes with everything necessary for installation including tools, drill bits, tiny level and even caulk. When installing Ring you have two options, battery powered that will need to be recharged once a year or hard wired which taps into your existing doorbell wiring (this is recommended). Now some user reviews have shown that the battery quickly dropped 3-4% after just a few hours of use leaving skepticism on the promised 1 year battery life, but after much research we haven’t found a single case of the battery falling short on performance. We believe this hit is mostly from setup and people playing with their fancy new video toy. One power saving feature Ring included is making sure the device only connects to your network when it is in use, cutting down on unnecessary juice and Wi-Fi bandwidth. Continuing with the setup it’s now time to install your Ring app, create an account, pick a device and confirm your address. Afterward you’ll be instructed to push the orange button on the back of the faceplate to link the device to your network marking the completion of your Ring installation. All together setup generally takes 5-15 minutes depending on if you hard wire or use batteries.

    [quick_offer id=1436]

    Hardware and Features

    Once installed you will see why so many people like this device. Located near the top sits the 180-degree HD camera that delivers Ring’s 720p video stream. Next to the camera you now have a motion sensor giving you the ability to stream a live audio and video feed whenever someone is at your door without having to wait for them to push the button, which also makes a great security feature. Along with the motion sensor you have the option of setting the sensitivity for different zones anywhere from 5-30 feet. You will find the importance of this feature after you get a few false alarms from your motion detector. Below the camera and sensor you have your round LED light surrounding your doorbell button making it easy for your guest to find at night. In addition you also have speakers built into the bottom of the device allowing you to listen to your guest and respond back if need be with clear audio coming in and out for both you and your visitor.

    61V96XPSZfL._SL1024_

     

    Now the Ring Video Doorbell comes with the option of cloud storage for your video that will run you $3 a month or $30 a year if you choose to use it. BOT Home Automation also stresses that they stand behind their product with a lifetime purchase protection that replaces your device in the off chance it were to get stolen. One thing we do recommend when purchasing this product is that you have a strong Wi-Fi connection leading up to your door. Some users have reported a delay between ringing the doorbell and the push notification reaching your smart phone, some delays lasting up to 5-30 seconds. This can be avoided with a strong signal and some recommend that hard wiring the device also helps. We also would have liked to see more integration with smart home hubs and maybe an IFTTT channel which the folks at Ring say they are looking into for the future. More features to be expected in the future are weather sensors to collect data like temperature, humidity and barometric pressure. For $199 we still think Ring is a great purchase simply because of the added value you get from the security features alone, but if Bot sticks with their promises of improvements in future roll outs then this definitely has the potential to be a grand slam.

    Amazon User Reviews:

    [wpsm_specification]

    [review]