Best Video Doorbell Cameras of 2022
Consumer Reports' tests identify the best models to ward off porch pirates and ding-dong ditchers
By Daniel Wroclawski
It’s easy to see why you might be tempted to get a video doorbell, also known as a doorbell camera. These compact streaming cameras let you remotely chat with visitors and keep an eye on package deliveries from the screen of your smartphone. Some models now even offer a package detection feature. Porch pirates, beware.
These devices are proving to be quite popular, too. It’s estimated that the number of video doorbells sold in the U.S. in 2022 will top 5 million, according to the market research companies Parks Associates and Statista.
To help you find the right doorbell for your home, we’ve rounded up the best video doorbells from our tests and listed them below in alphabetical order. (CR members can access full ratings for each model.) You’ll find doorbells here from Eufy, Logitech, Lorex, Netatmo, Ring, and SimpliSafe. They all feature night vision, high-definition video, and two-way audio.
As with many connected devices, video doorbells can collect potentially sensitive information and be hacked, which is why CR rates them for data privacy and security.
“Video doorbells provide users with access to video and audio footage over the internet, which presents the possibility for this data to be accessed, stored, shared, bought, sold, and/or stolen,” says Cody Feng, CR’s test engineer for privacy and security. “That’s why the security and privacy of these cameras is a primary concern for Consumer Reports.”
This product category has also led to concerns about how law enforcement could use doorbell footage, potentially jeopardizing consumer privacy and safety. These concerns prompted Ring to conduct an outside audit and make over 100 changes to its police partnerships and neighborhood watch social network, which privacy and civil rights advocates say still fall short. The market for video doorbells and doorbell cameras will only change further as the smart home industry works to solve its compatibility issues, a common complaint from consumers, through the forthcoming Matter smart home standard. The standard will likely incorporate cameras in the next few years.
For a deeper dive into our testing, check our home security camera buying guide. And to see more CR-tested doorbells from more than two dozen brands, go to our complete home security camera ratings.
6 Best Video Doorbell Cameras
Eufy Video Doorbell 2K Dual (Wired)
Free video storage: Yes, using 8 gigabytes of built-in memory (Eufy estimates it will store up to 90 days of motion-triggered video clips).
Optional storage plans: Through a Eufy Security storage plan, you get 30 days of cloud storage for one camera for $3 per month (or $30 per year) or 30 days for up to 10 cameras for $10 per month (or $100 per year).
Eufy Video Doorbell 2K Dual (Wired)
CR’s take: The Eufy Video Doorbell 2K Dual (Wired) is one of a few video doorbells with two cameras, one pointed straight out to spot visitors (or intruders) and one pointed down to keep an eye on package deliveries. In our lab tests, it receives strong scores for video quality, data security, and response time for alerts and loading live feeds. It offers a decent amount of smart features and its data privacy is middling, receiving a Good rating, which is actually better than many competing doorbells.
In addition to its two cameras, this Eufy features high dynamic range (HDR) for more vivid video, monitoring zones, three-second video previews (to show what happened before the camera detected motion), facial recognition, person detection, and package detection. Notably, the last three features don’t require a subscription, which is common for other doorbells.
The Eufy doorbell features 8 gigabytes of built-in memory to store footage, but the company also offers cloud video storage subscriptions. You can get 30 days of cloud storage for one camera for $3 per month (or $30 per year), or 30 days for up to 10 cameras for $10 per month (or $100 per year). As its name suggests, the Eufy Video Doorbell 2K Dual (Wired) requires low-voltage doorbell wiring for power, but can’t ring your home’s existing chime. Instead, it comes with a wireless, plug-in chime in the box.
If you’re interested in this doorbell, but need a battery-powered model, check out the Eufy Video Doorbell 2K Dual (Battery). It does well overall in our tests, but its video quality and response time aren’t as good when compared with the wired version.
Logitech Circle View Doorbell
Free video storage: None.
Optional storage plans: Requires an Apple iCloud plan for 10 days of storage for one camera at $1 per month, for up to five cameras at $3 per month, or for unlimited cameras at $10 per month.
Logitech Circle View Doorbell 961-000484
CR’s take: The Logitech Circle View Doorbell is unusual in that it works only with a special feature of Apple’s HomeKit smart home system called HomeKit Secure Video. Through this software, it uses end-to-end encryption to keep your video secure. As a result of this tight-knit integration, the Logitech doorbell works only with iPhones (sorry, Android users), stores your videos only in Apple iCloud (if you pay for a storage plan), and requires an Apple home hub (either a HomePod smart speaker or an Apple TV streaming box) to process motion alerts for people, animals, and vehicles. In fact, there’s no Logitech app for the doorbell; instead, it uses the Apple Home app.
But if you’re a big fan of Apple products, this doorbell will work quite well for you. In our tests, it receives a Very Good rating for video quality and offers great data security and speedy response time for alerts and loading live feeds. Its only flaws are that its data privacy isn’t very good and it doesn’t offer as many smart features as other top-rated options. Its other features include monitoring zones, facial recognition, a night light for color night vision, and high dynamic range (HDR) video for more vivid video.
For 10 days of cloud video storage for one camera, you’ll need to subscribe to a 50GB iCloud storage plan at $1 per month. For up to five cameras, you’ll need a 200GB iCloud plan at $3 per month. For an unlimited number of cameras, you’ll need a 2TB iCloud plan at $10 per month. The Logitech Circle View Doorbell requires low-voltage doorbell wiring for power and can ring your home’s existing doorbell chime.
Lorex LNWDB1 1080P WiFi Video Doorbell
Free video storage: Yes, using the included 16GB microSD card.
Optional subscription: Not available.
Lorex LNWDB1 1080P WiFi
CR’s take: The Lorex LNWDB1 1080P WiFi Video Doorbell is one of the more affordable options on this list, and it offers performance on a par with some doorbells that cost significantly more. In our tests, this Lorex doorbell earns a Very Good rating for data security and a middle-of-the-road score for data privacy. It also offers superb video quality and response time, as well as a decent array of smart features, which include monitoring zones, geofencing (this feature uses your phone’s location to receive alerts when you’re not home), and voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
This Lorex model stores footage locally on a 16GB microSD card that comes with the doorbell. If you want to store even more footage, the doorbell supports up to a 64GB microSD card. It also requires low-voltage doorbell wiring for power and can ring your home’s existing doorbell chime.
If you’re willing to spend a bit more, you might also want to consider the Lorex 2K QHD B451AJD-E. It performs identically to this Lorex 1080p model in our tests, but adds color night vision and high dynamic range to the mix.
Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell
Free video storage: Yes, using the included 8GB microSD card.
Optional subscription: Not available.
Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell
CR’s take: The Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell is one of the most expensive models in our ratings, but it’s worth considering if you want to keep your footage as secure as possible. All footage is stored locally on an 8GB microSD card that comes with the doorbell. Netatmo claims that only one screenshot per video—not the video itself—is uploaded to its servers, so some information is available to you in case the doorbell gets disconnected.
In our tests, the Netatmo doorbell rates Very Good for data security and receives a middle-of-the-road score for data privacy. It also offers great video quality and a decent array of smart features, but its response time is on the slow side compared with the competition. Features include person detection, high dynamic range (HDR) for more vivid videos, and voice control via Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit/Siri, and Google Assistant.
In addition to local storage, the Netatmo video doorbell can store videos on a Dropbox account or personal web server. It also requires doorbell wiring for power and can ring your home’s existing doorbell chime. It works with both low-voltage and high-voltage (230 volt) systems.
Ring Video Doorbell 3
Free video storage: None.
Optional subscription: $4 per month (or $40 per year) for one camera for 180 days, $10 per month (or $100 per year) for unlimited cameras for 180 days.
Ring Video Doorbell 3
CR’s take: For a battery-powered video doorbell with terrific video quality, consider the Ring Video Doorbell 3. It receives an Excellent rating for video quality and offers great data security. It also falls in the middle of the pack for data privacy, but it could offer more smart features and faster response times for alerts and loading live feeds.
Its feature set includes a removable rechargeable battery, voice control via Amazon Alexa, monitoring zones, alert schedules, and privacy zones that let you black out areas you don’t want to film (such as a neighbor’s house). With an optional subscription to a Ring Protect Plan, you’ll get a rolling six months (180 days, to be precise) of motion-triggered video clips and photo snapshots between recordings.
If you have concerns about Ring’s police partnerships, see our FAQ article on law enforcement footage requests.
Note: On July 1, 2022, Ring increased the price of its Ring Protect Basic plan for one camera to $4 per month or $40 per year. In exchange for the increase, users of this plan will receive 180 days of rolling video storage (instead of 60 days), a 10 percent discount on new Ring products, and the ability to bulk download up to 50 recordings at once. In the future, Ring says it will bring its package detection feature to more doorbell models and release new smart alert features for cars, animals, and more. The company will also add a sound detection feature (for sounds like glass breaking) and "custom event alerts" (where you "train" the camera to detect things like a garage door or gate being left open) to its subscription plans.
SimpliSafe Doorbell Pro SS3
Free video storage: None.
Optional subscription: $5 per month for one camera for 30 days, $10 per month for unlimited cameras for 30 days.
SimpliSafe Doorbell Pro SS3
CR’s take: If you’re concerned about privacy, then the SimpliSafe Doorbell Pro SS3 is the doorbell to buy because it’s the only highly rated model in our ratings with a Very Good for data privacy (the highest of any doorbell in our tests). It also rates well for video quality and data security. The downsides? It lacks many smart features and is slow to send alerts and then load live video feeds. Its few features include monitoring zones, person detection, and HDR (high dynamic range) video, but there’s no support for voice control via digital assistants.
If you’d like cloud storage for video clips, you can get 30 days for $5 per month for one camera or $10 per month for unlimited cameras. The SimpliSafe video doorbell requires doorbell wiring for power and can ring your home’s existing doorbell chime.
Security Systems 101
Self-installed security systems are becoming more popular, but there are a few things to consider. On the “Consumer 101” TV show, Consumer Reports expert Dan Wroclawski explains to host Jack Rico what to look for when buying one.
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