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Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 9:39 am
by Trinity765
Does anyone have any experience of doorbell camera, security devices?
I'd like one without a monthly subscription unless it's a must. There's loads of cheap ones available but I've no idea if they are any good.
I'd like one that has a motion detector as well as activated by the doorbell, good quality images night and day, battery powered, wifi enabled and storage.
I had a Blink indoor camera keeping an eye on my Mum which worked fine - I could check in on her from anywhere and there were no subscription fees. The Blink doorbell camera comes with "30-day trial of the Blink Subscription Plan or locally with the Sync Module 2 and USB drive". What is that and do I need it?
Is a Ring camera worth the investment/subscription?
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 9:54 am
by Buckaroo
Trinity765 wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 9:39 am
Does anyone have any experience of doorbell camera, security devices?
I'd like one without a monthly subscription unless it's a must. There's loads of cheap ones available but I've no idea if they are any good.
I'd like one that has a motion detector as well as activated by the doorbell, good quality images night and day, battery powered, wifi enabled and storage.
I had a Blink indoor camera keeping an eye on my Mum which worked fine - I could check in on her from anywhere and there were no subscription fees. The Blink doorbell camera comes with "30-day trial of the Blink Subscription Plan or locally with the Sync Module 2 and USB drive". What is that and do I need it?
Is a Ring camera worth the investment/subscription?
Ring doorbell are good and we pay the annual subscription. It's been trouble free. Once the boundaries are set, plus parcel detection, you're good to go. Downside is when you are not at home and have a poor signal. Countless times we've been shouting at the delivery driver to leave the package, but they're already in the van driving off by the time we've connected. Positives are the history video and audio. Solved a good few mysteries!
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 10:02 am
by Felix
Eufy seems good (Friends have them) but there can be a delay from detection and recording. If your front door faces up the garden path then great but if the path is side of the door then not so great. Recording is free and stores locally (Free) or a cloud (Not so free)
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 10:16 am
by Ditchfinder
So if you buy a blink doorbell, a sync module and plug a usb into the sync module you don't have to pay for cloud storage subscription. Make sure you put a new USB stick in though as old one's have much slower read/write speeds. You should be able to watch live and interact without the USB but it won't store clips so unless you can respond immediately on a good connection you need whoever rings the bell to hang around for a minute or so.
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 11:39 am
by Taipan
We also use the Ring doorbell. I think its about £8 a month, but I'm more than happy with that, as I also run 4 addtional (Ring) cameras all in conjunction with their alarm system and it works very well for us.
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 11:45 am
by Trinity765
Ring yearly subscription is £50. I begrudge paying anything
(at all, ever) 
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 12:42 pm
by v8-powered
Have a Eufy one, along with 4 of their other cameras. Gets about 6 or 8 weeks on a charge, works well with good clear images day or night.
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 12:45 pm
by Mr. Dazzle
We have Ring cameras. All they ever seem to do is answer idle questions about whether or not the cats are in.
The one time they would have been useful - when someone drove in to Mrs. D's parked car and wrote it off - the footage was no use

They generally can't read number plates at night IME 'cause said plates just light up bright white.
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 12:48 pm
by Couchy
I use blink with a sync module and usb so no subscription works no problem

Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 2:18 pm
by Taipan
Mr. Dazzle wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 12:45 pm
We have Ring cameras. All they ever seem to do is answer idle questions about whether or not the cats are in.
The one time they would have been useful - when someone drove in to Mrs. D's parked car and wrote it off - the footage was no use

They generally can't read number plates at night IME 'cause said plates just light up bright white.
I agree they are (shite

) a long way off of being a pro spec high def video cam, but out of interest did you have colour night vision on?
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 2:27 pm
by Mr. Dazzle
No, greyscale.
Still not as bad as my parents ones though. They kept getting "somone is outside your garage" notifications in the night. It was the moon

Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 2:35 pm
by KungFooBob
Mr. Dazzle wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 2:27 pm
No, greyscale.
Still not as bad as my parents ones though. They kept getting "somone is outside your garage" notifications in the night. It was the moon

Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 3:13 pm
by Mr. Dazzle
How did you get the footage from their camera?
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 3:16 pm
by Taipan
Mr. Dazzle wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 3:13 pm
How did you get the footage from their camera?
KFB is an international man of mystery and sometimes he even leaves boxes of milk tray with his calling card on ladies pillows!
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 3:19 pm
by KungFooBob
L33t h4x0r, innit.
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 4:28 pm
by Sadlonelygit
Mr. Dazzle wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 3:13 pm
How did you get the footage from their camera?
£500 + expenses innit
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 5:39 pm
by the_priest
Eufy here with HDD storage with the Homebase 3 unit. Adding two more camera's as well.
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 5:46 pm
by Felix
Is the lead of the church roof really that expensive?
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 6:05 pm
by Nordboy
Taipan wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 11:39 am
We also use the Ring doorbell. I think its about £8 a month, but I'm more than happy with that, as I also run 4 additional (Ring) cameras all in conjunction with their alarm system and it works very well for us.
Also use Ring and pay the £8 a month. I have five outdoor and one inside garage camera so pretty much 360 degree coverage of the house. Our house is quite long so have to play around with the positioning so I can keep a reasonable signal. All my outside cameras are battery only as well. The front doorbell and the front drive cameras go through two batteries every 8-10 weeks or so but the other outdoor camera batteries seem to last 3-4 months. I've bought spare batteries over the years I've had them so now have two for each outdoor cameras (one for doorbell) and two spare to make it easy to change over with no dropout.
Re: Recommend me a wireless, camera doorbell
Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 6:08 pm
by ChrisW
You don't need a subscription for the Ring doorbell - you still get alerts & can see a live view but footage isn't saved.
I've got one and bunch of the indoor / outdoor ones, mains and battery. Battery life is surprisingly good.