Looking for the best smart video doorbell? Then you in the right place! Here you will find review and comparison of the top wireless video doorbells:
Skybell HD
Ring Video Doorbell
Ring Doorbell Pro
August Doorbell Cam
I tested many different video and wireless doorbells, and now it’s time to compare the top from the list. Here you find out how the new August Doorbell vs Ring Pro vs Skybell HD compared to each other in multiple tests.
Specifications Comparison
Ring Video Doorbell
Ring Pro Video Doorbell
August Video Doorbell
Skybell HD
Video Doorbell
Ring Video Doorbell
Ring Pro Video Doorbell
August Video Doorbell
Skybell HD
Image
Video Quality
720p
1080p
960p
1080p
Field of View, degree
180º
160º
140º
120º
Live Video Feed
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Video Recording
Paid
Paid
Yes
Free
Night Vision
Infrared LEDs
Infrared LEDs
No
Yes
Motion Detection
Control the sensitivity on predefined motion zones.
Draw and create custom shaped motion zones.
Not Yet
Yes
Battery
Yes
No
No
No
Connects to existing hardwired doorbell
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Smart Lock Control
Works through other Apps
Works through other Apps
Yes
Works through other Apps
Multiple Users
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Encryption
Bank-grade
Bank-grade
128-bit AES
Yes
Wi-Fi Connection
2.4GHz
2.4 + 5GHz
2.4 + 5GHz
2.4GHz
Bluetooth
No
No
v4.0
No
Two-way Audio
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Works with iOS
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Works with Android
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Works with Windows Phone
No
No
No
No
Works with Windows 10
Yes
Yes
No
No
Warranty
1 year
1 year
1 year
1 year
Theif Protection
Lifetime
Lifetime
Lifetime
Lifetime
Operation Temperature, F
-5 to 120
-5 to 120
0 to 110
-40 to 140
Size, in
4.98 x 2.43 x .87
4.50 x 1.85 x .8
2.9 x 2.9 x .9
2.8 x 2.8 x .9
Weight, g
233
272
400
53.8
Design
Easy Installation
Video Quality
Livestream
Motion Detecting
Night Vision
Audio Quality
Apps
Our Rating
MSRP Price
$199
$249
$199
$249
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Design
Home automation gadgets tend to have a modern, sleek look, and all 4 doorbells look like technology from the future.
Ring doorbell was the first wireless video doorbell on the market and have bulky, but still stylish design. It’s little bulky comparing with other doorbells, but it’s a great job.
Ring Pro model has a smaller design with 4 different interchangeable color panels. You can match doorbell color to your house or front door color. Also good to mention that it does remind me like a real doorbell and looks more familiar.
Skybell HD doorbell has similar round silver metallic design like previous generation Skybell and Skybell v2.
August doorbell looks more solid and feels heavier which makes it looks more expensive and cool. You can choose between couple colors to order. I got the metallic color to match with other doorbells.
I love the design of August doorbell, but if you can’t get matching color to match your house, then the 2nd choice will be Ring Pro video doorbell.
Best Doorbell Design: August Doorbell
Installations
Wireless video doorbells are the new piece of technology for the smart home, and it should be easy to install without cutting wires. I prefer plug and play gadgets so even my grandma will be able to figure out how to install it.
To fully function all doorbells require the external power source like existed mechanical or electrical doorbell or transformer. Except for Ring doorbell also has a battery which can last up to 1 year before need to recharge it.
Let’s talk about each doorbell installation:
Ring doorbell can be hooked up with existed doorbell wires or with external power source 16-24VAC. If you don’t have any existed doorbell then you in luck and can just charge it with micro USB cable and attach to the wall.
Ring Pro comes with advanced power kit which you will need to hook up with either existed doorbell wires or external 16-24VAC transformer. Power kit will help to stabilize power from the source and make sure doorbell will get the exact power that it needs.
Skybell HD also needs to be connected to either to existed doorbell or external power source. But to if you would like to power with external source then you will need diode/resistor for it which sold separately.
August doorbell don’t need any diodes or resistors and like other ones you can either connect the device to existed doorbell wires or external 16-24VAC power source.
All doorbells come with the screws, screwdriver and other accessories necessary to attached it in front of your door.
After you powered up doorbell, you will need to download an app for your iOS/Android device and follow steps to setup.
Easy to Install Doorbell: Ring Doorbell
Video Quality
I setup everything on one box then connected 3 doorbells with 3 external AC power adapters and Ring doorbell working just on battery.
You can see image below how they look in action.
Skybell HD comes with a 1080p camera and has almost the best video quality. As you can see from the screenshot below the image is clear and colorful. Also viewing angles are great
Ring doorbell has a 720p camera which is not full HD, but good enough to see who is near by your door. But by surprise has great viewing angles and high brightness.
Ring Pro delivers superior 1080p video quality comparing to Ring doorbell, but has smaller viewing angles and video also darker than non-pro version.
August Doorbell Cam has a decent camera which delivers 960p video quality. The view angles are the worst from all four cameras.
All doorbells support zoom in/out function in video view.
Best Video Quality Doorbell: Skybell HD
Livestream
Almost all of video doorbells support live view except Ring doorbell. Of course, the live stream isn’t perfect, and each doorbell has some issues.
In our test, we found Skybell HD has the fastest live stream with minimal delay. The 2nd place is Ring Pro which has around 0.5 – 1-second video delay and last place August doorbell which has the slowest live stream about 2 seconds delay.
Best Real Time Livestream Doorbell: Skybell HD
Motion Detecting
Motion detecting feature will notify you of people or animals nearby your door and also record video.
Skybell HD comes with motion detecting feature, and you can enable it and setup sensitivity which approximately will trigger 5 – 10 feet from the doorbell.
Ring and Ring Pro comes with advanced motion detecting feature where you can setup which areas to track. Ring Pro has a superior interface where you can setup with wireframe multiples location to track.
Where Ring doorbell you can only setup which location to track and how far away. See screenshot below.
August doorbell comes with metal detector sensor, but unfortunately, the app currently doesn’t support. But they are working on it and will unlock this feature in the future updates.
Best Motion Detecting Doorbell: Ring and Ring Pro
Night Vision
Another test I did is, of course, to run video at night and check how clearly we can see what’s going on outside.
August Doorbell Cam doesn’t have any light or infrared night vision LED, and it performs poorly at night. If there is no lighting available around then, you won’t see anything. It will work great if you combine with external light which will trigger when doorbell button pressed.
Ring Doorbell has LED ring around the button light up at night when in use. It does help to see what’s going on outside and who is by your door.
Ring Doorbell Pro has infrared LED vision. You won’t see everything in colors, but the picture is clearer comparing to Ring doorbell.
Skybell HD has clear, colorful picture at night and this because it has the very bright led light on the top of the doorbell and another one around the push button which help to deliver very clear video at night.
As you can see Skybell HD deliver better image just because of powerful LED light coming from it, but it’s super bright and in my opinion to bright for the eyes of your guests. Otherwise Ring Pro will work great without any light and no eyes irritation.
Best Video Doorbell at Night Time: Skybell HD
Audio Quality
The audio quality of smart doorbell is worth to consider when you are choosing between top models and here what I found.
I found the interesting thing where audio only delays from doorbell to the cell phone. But from cell phone to doorbells there are almost to no audio delay.
August doorbell has the biggest delay among all of the doorbells that we tested. The sound delay is about 1-2 seconds apart which is crucial when you are communicating with someone in front of your door. But the sound quality is good overall.
Skybell HD has a sound delay in about 1 second which makes is the 2nd choice, but overall sound quality is great.
Ring & Ring Pro doorbells are leaders in sound response and sound quality. Sound delay almost doesn’t exist, and we were happy with the audio quality as well.
Overall all doorbells have sound quality almost the same, and I was able to hear clear on both ends.
Best Audio Quality Doorbell: Ring & Ring Pro
Apps
Each company developed apps for Android and iOS where you can control your smart doorbell and get a quick notification when someone presses doorbell button.
I used 2 devices to test doorbells:
iOS 9.3.5 – iPad mini 2
Android 4.4 – Oppo R5s
Let’s talk about each app separately
Skybell HD App
HD version of the doorbell got the new dedicated app for it and offers plenty of different features.
Wath live stream and talk.
Take a picture of the current video view.
Watch previously recorded videos for last seven days.
Manage multiple Skybells.
Integrate with Nest, IFTTT, and Kevo.
You can change LED color which super cool I think.
Turn on/off motion detection and sensitivity.
Turn on/off the indoor chime.
Regulate volume of outdoor chime
Change image quality with 4 options: 480p, 720p (good), 720p (better) and 1080p. For reducing data usage.
Specify the different type of notification to push when: button pressed, motion detected and if device went offline.
I had some issues with the app and connecting to iOS and Android at the same time. Sometimes it gives me an error that doorbells already in use or unable to connect.
Ring App
It has all kind of features implemented in one place.
You can add multiple Ring and Ring Pro doorbells and manage from one app. And also specify an address where exactly doorbell located.
You can add and integrate with different partners like ADT Pulse, Wemo, Lockstate, Kevo, Wink, Kisi, and Lockitron.
You can see all history and view: Rings, Motion detections, and Live Views.
Ring doorbells come with 30 days trial for cloud storage and then you can setup payment service to store, view all videos.
You can setup for each doorbell Ring Alerts and Motion Alerts.
Link indoor chimes which you can buy from them.
The only three differences in application between Ring & Ring Pro:
Ring Pro has live view feature and Ring doesn’t.
Ring Pro has better motion detector interface and setup.
You can see battery live of Ring doorbell, and you will know when it’s time to re-charge it.
August Home App
You can control August doorbell and August smart lock within their app, and it’s perfect when you have both smart gadgets for your house. The only thing I didn’t like that for iOS app only made for iPhones and not for iPad which is no big deal just graphic looks little off. But I think developers are working on the iPad only app and will release it soon.
You can setup and control Doorbell Cam and Smart Lock within the app for multiple houses.
You can give smart lock access to your friends and family.
Integrate with Nest Cam and Thermostat, Harmony System, Xfinity Home system and Airbnb. I guess it’s perfect if you have Airbnb property for rent.
You can watch a live stream and talk with people through the app.
You can see all activity and history.
Ability to check battery charge and Wi-Fi signal.
Configure speaker volume.
Turn on/off doorbell cam chime.
Notify when the doorbell went offline.
Response time
I didn’t see any delay in response time. All doorbells work great with iOS and Android device.
Cloud Storage
If you would like to store and view videos from doorbells, then you will need to have cloud storage.
Ring offers 30 days trial and then it’s $3/month if you would like to store videos for 30 days. If you only need 7 days of storage, then Skybell offers it for free.
There are also ways to set up home DVR system to store all videos for free in house network.
Best Smart Doorbell App: Ring
Compatibility with Other Devices
Skybell works with Nest products which can show a warning and trigger a smoke alarm from Nest Protect’s smoke alarm. Turn on Nest Camera automatically when Skybell trigger motion detector. It also works with Kevo smart lock, and you can open your door lock when you are using Skybell app. And if you like to play with IFTTT the Skybell supports it, and you can configure different types of situation and combine other smart home devices together.
Ring can be integrated with variety home automation gadgets. You can connect to smart locks like Lockitron, Kevo, Lockstate, Kisi and go to the supported app right through the video feed. Or you can connect to Wemo and Wink systems to turn on/off lights switches and outlets.
August Doorbell works mainly with August smart lock and also support other products from Nest, Harmony and Xfinity home system. You can setup nest cameras and view them directly from the August app and also check the current home temperature.
Best Compatibility Doorbell: Skybell HD because it supports IFTTT.
Which is the Best Video Doorbell
It’s hard to decide which smart doorbell to choose, and right now I am considering Skybell HD vs Ring Pro doorbell.
Ring Pro has better audio quality, motion detecting is the best among other doorbells and also the app which never let me down. Video quality is great, but not the best. It does work with a lot of different smart home gadget but doesn’t support IFTTT yet.
Skybell HD delivers the best colorful videos in day and night time, and it works with IFTTT. Also worth to consider it because it does come with seven days free cloud storage for the videos. The audio is a little bit slow and the motion detector isn’t configurable like Ring Pro and a big minus for me was issue with the app sometimes.
Which one will I choose between them? I will go with Ring Pro doorbell because I like how it looks and video quality is enough for me and has perfect audio quality without delays.
Best Value for the Money
If you are on the budget and trying to save some money, then the best smart doorbell for the money will be Ring Video Doorbell. It has good video and audio quality with fast app response. It also shares the same app as Ring Pro. The only major differences between Ring vs Ring Pro doorbell is video quality and motion detecting functions.
Another reason why I like Ring doorbell it because you can just charge it once a year and don’t need to cut any wires in the house and just charge it and attach it to the house wall the front door.
Why didn’t I choose Skybell HD? Because it’s more expensive and the only significant differences between Ring vs Skybell l is video quality, but the price tag is bigger.
Conclusion
It all comes which functionality you need or like the most of the doorbell and how much money you would like to spend.
If you are ok with the video quality of Ring doorbell and don’t need advanced motion detecting system, then it will do all the job for you. And you don’t need to cut any wires because it does have a built-in rechargeable battery.
If you are looking for better video quality and motion detecting, then you can pick up Ring Pro doorbell.
Need cloud storage, but you don’t want to pay for it then your best bet will be Skybell HD.
And the August doorbell cam has the best design and will be great choose for people who already own will get the smart lock from them.
There are many other doorbells on the market which people interested to compare. Many readers asked me to review first generations of Skybell, Doorbird vs Ring, Zmodo vs Ring and even to compare hidden doorbell Kuna vs Ring doorbell. I didn’t include to compare 1st and 2nd generation of Skybell vs Ring doorbell in this review because I didn’t have currently and the quality wasn’t there in this model to compete. Also, I decided didn’t include Zmodo doorbell since reviews aren’t good online, but I will plan to add it in the future. I am interested in get my hand on Kuna doorbell since it’s hidden and it also comes with external lighting.
Thank you for reading my compariosn of top rated video doorbells. Please leave a comment which smart doorbell you bought or would like to buy and why and also let me know if you have any questions.