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Does it work with smart home platforms? If so, do the smart features work well together? 

Today, a smart home device is expected to work with at least one major smart home platform. Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit are the main ones you need to look for. Apple support is harder to find but if the rumors are right Apple is due to release its own security camera before long and support should become more common.

Note that the Matter home standard, which enables cross-platform functionality and other tricks, isn't really available for video doorbells. The Matter standard has been very slow to add video functionality and it's just not ready for home cams of any kind yet.

Privacy and security

Video doorbells capture a lot of everyday moments and many of them store that footage in the cloud. One of my priorities is checking a brand’s track record with privacy practices, digital storage and overall security.

You’ll see I discuss topics such as how readily a doorbell maker hands over video to the authorities or how they have responded to data vulnerabilities in the past. This is also the reason why some doorbells didn’t appear on my list: Wyze, with repeated security flaws as recently as the September 2023 video-caching issue that let others look through strangers’ doorbells, didn’t make the cut.

Video storage and subscriptions

Video storage is integral to the video doorbell experience. With so much video automatically captured, I focus on how that video is uploaded, its storage limitations and how easy video is to access or share. Saving video footage is especially important if you want to report a porch pirate to the police or save a similar unpleasant event to take later action. (But sometimes you just catch animals being cute.)

Video storage varies greatly across doorbell devices. Some allow a certain amount of free online video storage but many require monthly subscriptions to store video in the cloud or greatly increase storage options with a subscription. That's best for people who want a history of video events to access and don't want to micro-manage video. It's also the only option that works with conversation video search like what Google Gemini provides.

Other doorbells have the option to use local storage with a microSD card, a less expensive option that requires significantly more manual video management. I like to see as many free and user-friendly options as possible in video doorbells, with the assumption that you have enough home tech subscriptions as it is.

AI recognition and alerts

AI and video doorbells are a useful -- and increasingly common -- combo. I look for AI software that can correctly identify packages, pets or even the faces of people in your contact lists and send you more accurate alerts about what’s happening (and if a package unexpectedly vanishes). On the other hand, I also like to see smart motion detection that can easily ignore passing cars or falling leaves to cut down on unnecessary alerts.

Wired vs. wireless

Wired versus wireless is largely a matter of preference but it’s an important preference. Wired doorbells always have power and can often be wired into an existing door chime. Wireless models are far more flexible in terms of placement but you’ll need to recharge them every several months or so and they won’t connect to a hardware chime. One isn’t necessarily better than the other and many doorbells offer both options but it’s important to think about how you’d prefer to use one.

Latency

If your smart doorbell camera takes a long time to send a push notification after someone rings your doorbell, then you risk missing your visitor completely. You also need to be sure you're getting notifications when something sets off the motion detector, as you can set the motion sensor of most video doorbells to notify you of activity happening near your door, even if no one rings the buzzer. If you have latency problems, start with your Wi-Fi connection. If it isn't strong where the doorbell is installed, you might consider moving it (or, more easily, getting a Wi-Fi range extender). Sometimes it's a software issue instead, which is why app quality is an important part to review.

Live view quality

Doorbells are often exposed to direct sunlight but many others are installed under porches, near shady trees and in all sorts of other settings. It's important that the camera has night vision and can handle any of these scenarios so you don't get stuck with a nonfunctioning product that can't see faces under a porch. 

Audio quality

If the doorbell's microphone and speaker don't work well, you're going to have a tough time communicating with whomever's there. I tested this out multiple times to see how the doorbell's audio sounds over our phones, narrowing down the best video doorbell camera options for conversation.

Testing to determine the best video doorbell is similar to testing any other home security camera. In testing about two dozen of the latest video doorbell models, I focused on usability, app controls, motion and object detection, how clearly the camera picks up details with its resolution and its field of view. Because doorbells have two-way audio, I also test clarity and keep an eye on battery life too.

Motion detection and audio

To test motion zones, I first determine the zone and then move around it to see when I get an alert and when I don't. The goal is to discover how precise those zones really are. For two-way talk, I'll have a conversation with a partner on the porch via the doorbell to listen for clarity and latency.

Part of this process also involves experimenting with AI recognition features like recognizing a package, a person with a package and a person taking a package away -- and if doorbells can tell the difference.

Smart home integration

Like smart locks and home security cameras, many top-notch video doorbells will allow the camera to be integrated with voice assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. I download the respective apps, connect the video doorbell and see the ease (or hassle) of using voice commands to control the doorbell camera, plus how easily the doorbell cam integrates into the wider ecosystem of smart devices. 

If you want to read more about CNET's review process, check out the in-depth article on how we test home security cameras and video doorbells.

Don't treat video doorbells like other security cameras. They need a low position close to the door so they can scan packages, forms and even faces. Usually about four feet from the bottom of the door is the recommended distance. Your installation guide will have more specific instructions.

It also may be necessary to angle the doorbell away from walls or posts to give it a better viewpoint. Most doorbells come with an angle addition to the mount for this purpose. I use one of these add-ons myself to turn my primary video doorbell away from the wall.

If you rent an apartment, video doorbells are a bit more complicated. Tenants should ask permission before installing a video doorbell. Usually, security devices like these are owned and managed by the landlord but sometimes they'll make exceptions. And if you're in an apartment building, you probably aren't allowed to post a video doorbell outside your door at all. There aren't any adhesive models available so you'd have to drill holes; plus, it's usually seen as a privacy violation for other tenants. Instead, consider using the Ring Peephole cam as the best video doorbell camera workaround.

I came away from Ring's latest battery doorbell impressed by all the features packed inside, especially the innovative Alexa Plus conversations you can enable, but it's still a little rough around the edges -- and very expensive. I'm also testing out Blink's new 2K+ doorbell, which is a serious contender for the best budget model.

I recently switched out the Eufy S330 model for Tapo's D225 doorbell this spring. Eufy's two-cam model is fine but overkill in most situations and I'm not a huge fan of its app. Tapo's doorbell is a better fit with its suite of free features, especially as people are looking to save money. And this fall I upgraded the Blink Doorbell to the 2nd generation model, which includes a Sync Module Core for local video storage and other notable improvements while still being very affordable.