Home Security Answers

Ring Peephole Cam

Resolution	1080p
Storage	Cloud Storage
Smart Assistant Support	Amazon Alexa
Doorbell Button	Yes
Two-Way Audio	Yes

Ring has consistently released useful and well-rated cameras over the last few years, and the Ring Peephole Cam is no exception. This battery powered doorbell camera features an attractive, small, and sleek profile. It’s perfect for apartments, as it will not function if a screen door is present.

Its resolution is less than other battery doorbell cameras on this list, but it makes up for that with features such as a knock sensor, which will alert you when someone makes contact with your door, whether through actually knocking or a forceful impact like a kick. For its size, it has an impressive Field of Vision (FoV) of 155 degrees. It also has a new feature called “motion stop,” which stops recording once motion has, well, stopped.

The downside is that it doesn’t have facial recognition, which means you can receive false alarms when motion is detected but a person isn’t at your door. Thankfully you can set the motion zones which define what areas the camera should detect motion in its field of vision.

As videos are stored in the cloud, you must purchase a Ring Protection Plan which starts at just $3 for 60 days of access.

Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wire-Free

Resolution	1536 x1536p
Storage	Cloud Storage
Smart Assistant Support	Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, IFTTT applets
Doorbell Button	Yes
Two-Way Audio	Yes

The Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wire-Free is a nice, compact doorbell camera featuring a 180 degree FoV and a six month battery life. It stands out because its small size carries features like facial recognition and night vision.

However, its charge can be quickly used up if it is activated frequently. Again, thankfully, it features motion zone settings, as well as motion stop to prevent it from sending false positives.

Its videos are stored in the cloud as well, and the price point is additionally similar at around $3 for 30 days of access to your footage after a one month free trial.

Eufy Security Video Doorbell 2K

Resolution	2K (4:3)
Storage	Internal 16GB
Smart Assistant Support	Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
Doorbell Button	Yes
Two-Way Audio	Yes

The Eufy Security Video Doorbell 2K is a simple, solid battery operated doorbell camera that offers great value for its price. It’s very simple to install, and has the capability for a wired power connection if you so desire.

The best selling point about this camera is that your videos are kept in internal storage, so there is no monthly fee to access your footage.

The downside is that it requires a Eufy HomeBase to function, which it uses to store its video data. The HomeBase can be purchased for around $199, which can be extended as a comprehensive in-home security system.

Ring Video Doorbell 3

The Best Battery Operated Doorbell Camera

Resolution	1080p
Storage	Cloud Storage
Smart Assistant Support	Amazon Alexa, Echo Dot
Doorbell Button	Yes
Two-Way Audio	Yes

This model of the Ring Video Doorbell is a major upgrade from the previous version. It offers improved motion detection, privacy zones, and audio privacy. Additionally, the night vision and picture quality puts this video doorbell head and shoulders above the competition.

Our favorite feature is Pre-roll. When played back, videos show the four seconds before motion was detected.

Online reviewers love Ring’s integration with Amazon Alexa and Fire TV. With these two products you can simply say, “Alexa show me the front door” and a live video feed with display on your TV.

The only drawback is it requires a Ring Protection Plan to record and store videos for up to 60 days. The good news is that plans start at around $15/month.