The best video doorbells - security for your home wherever you are

Experts have identified what they call ‘The Hype Cycle’ for new  tech.

According to consultants Gartner, whose reports are considered to have the weight of academic research, The Hype Cycle says that any radical new invention is greeted with excitement and media attention. This leads, they say, to inflated expectations; there is then a ‘trough of disillusionment’ as interest wanes and some companies pull out of projects exploiting the new tech.

That’s followed by the ‘slope of enlightenment’ when early adopters start to realise the new whatever-it-is is rather good. Finally, there’s a period when it becomes we ever did without it.

Why video doorbells are so popular

Video doorbells are a perfect example of this cycle. The first, Doorbot, appeared on the American equivalent of Dragons’ Den in 2013 – and despite lots of gee whizz, was rejected.

Rebranded the next year as Ring, the company was bought by Amazon for $1 billion in 2018.

Today a video doorbell is almost a must-have – whether to scare off people eyeing up stuff on your porch, to ask delivery drivers to leave the package next door, or to check if friends or relatives have come by.

Even as a tech addict, I resisted a video doorbell until three years ago, when models that didn’t require mains wiring and were easy to self-install became common.

I bought mine at John Lewis & Partners for over £200 and wouldn’t be without it. Today you can get a terrific one for under £100.

Even so, a lot of friends are still amazed when we’re far from home and the postman appears on our phones to ask if he should put something through the letterbox or leave it next door. So video doorbells are not quite at the stage of, say, smartphones or WiFi, which were once for the geeky and now the norm.

The big changes in the past few years have been the near-universality of battery powered, easy-to-fit devices with prices ever dropping – helped by a clutch of cheaper but good Chinese-made models.

And increasing numbers no longer require a subscription – those irritating monthly payments are optional on all products.

Another, more cultural, change: if there’s been a burglary or some crime in the street outside, the first thing the police do today is ask people if they have doorbell footage. 

The best video doorbells

So, to recommendations. Arlo is one of the top names in home security. You won’t go wrong with its 2K Doorbell RRP £139.99 (Amazon).

The same goes for Google’s Nest Doorbell RRP £179.99 (Amazon).

For lower prices and less sophisticated features, I would suggest sticking to reputable brands, so Blink’s Video Doorbell RRP £59.99 (Argos) is good, but you will need to wire in your existing chime or spend £10 on a wireless one. A bargain, then, for the adventurous.

My best cheaper offering is Tapo’s D210 RRP £44.99 (Amazon) which includes the chime.