Other Video Doorbells to Consider

I’ve tested several other video doorbells. These are the ones that narrowly missed out on a place above.

SwitchBot Smart Video Doorbell for $100: I don’t love the design of this wide doorbell, but it does come with a wee display that you can use to view who’s there and answer. This could be handy for folks who don’t want to rely on a phone and it lets anyone in the house check who is calling. Video quality is decent, though the frame rate is limited to 15, and the display is low res. You can record locally, and there’s a subscription option if you want cloud storage. Sadly, I found the display was often slow to wake up, and sometimes I had trouble playing back recorded videos.

Philips Hue Secure Video Doorbell for $170: After a fiddly installation, you get a stylish doorbell offering sharp 2K resolution day or night and a wide view that takes in your whole porch. Notifications are swift and reliable, and you can sync up your Hue lights in interesting ways, but if you don’t already have a Philips Hue setup, I’d pick something from above. There’s no local storage option and you must buy a Smart Chime separately. Although you can get 24 hours of video for free, the false alerts will drive you mad. You must subscribe (from $40 a year) to get vital features, like people detection, activity zones, and back-to-back video recording.

Wyze Battery Video Doorbell for $66: Another solid budget option, you get decently sharp 1536 x 1536 resolution video with a 150-degree field of view from this doorbell. You can record locally on a microSD card and there’s good smart home connectivity, but you need a Wyze subscription, from $3 per month, to get person, package, pet, and vehicle detection, back-to-back video recording, and rich alerts (it’s not worth getting without this subscription). The indoor chime is sold separately, and if you want advanced features like facial recognition or descriptive alerts you have to pay more ($10 or $20 a month).

Photograph: Simon Hill

Logitech Circle View Doorbell for $200: As close as you can get to an Apple video doorbell, this compact hardwired doorbell boasts a 160-degree field of view with a 3:4 portrait aspect ratio that takes in your whole porch. Video is crisp and clear, in bright or low light, and the live feed is impressively quick to load. The notification system can tell the difference between animals, people, and vehicles, and will start to recognize familiar faces over time. It works directly through the Apple Home app, though there are pros and cons to Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video. Ten days of encrypted videos are stored in your iCloud account (if you have a 50-gigabyte subscription or higher). Alerts come via Apple devices, but your regular chime will also sound when this doorbell is pressed. I love that live video pops up on the Apple Watch or Apple TV when someone rings the doorbell. The complete lack of support for Android or Alexa will turn some people off, and I encountered several issues with this doorbell cutting out and having to be rebooted at the fuse box.

Amazon Blink Doorbell for $70: One of the cheapest doorbells worth considering, (wait for one of Amazon’s frequent discounts to save even more) the Blink Video Doorbell only needs two AA batteries to run for months. But you need a subscription unless you buy with the Sync module (I recommend it). The Blink Basic subscription is $3 a month or $30 a year. Video quality is 1080p with a limited field of view (135 degrees horizontal and only 80 degrees vertical). The lack of HDR shows in mixed light, with bright areas blowing out and shaded areas losing detail. If you have a person at the door with light behind them, it can be tough to see their face. Notifications lacked images or video and were slightly slower than some of the competition, but they always came through. The two-way audio is passable.

Nest Doorbell (Battery) for $180: If you can’t hardwire your doorbell, the battery version of our top pick is still a great doorbell. I tested it alongside several competitors, and it consistently outperformed them. Alerts are swift, and notifications include animated previews that make it easy to decide whether you need to act. While the resolution isn’t the sharpest (960 x 1280 pixels), and the field of view is 145 degrees, Google compensates with HDR video at up to 30 frames per second.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Doro Hemma Doorbell for £150: A simplified smart doorbell for seniors is a solid idea, and Swedish maker Doro gets plenty right with the Hemma. It is a battery-powered doorbell that’s easy to install and use, offering a 1440 x 1440-pixel resolution with a decent frame rate (30 fps), local recording via microSD card, and a plug-in ringer that gets loud enough to hear throughout the home. It worked reliably during testing, and the mobile app is deliberately straightforward, with a handy option to pass calls off to a trusted friend or family member (they’ll need the app too). The two-way audio works well, there’s a handy zoom function when you livestream, and there’s a siren to scare folks away. It is simplified, so there are no privacy zones or package alerts, and it may be too sensitive for busy front doors, though you can set it to alert just for doorbell rings. Battery life is decent, though the battery is not removable, so you need to take the doorbell off to charge or use a portable charger. Sadly, it is only available in the UK and Europe.

SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro for $170: If you’re looking for a solid security system, SimpliSafe is likely on your radar, and for folks with a SimpliSafe setup, the Video Doorbell Pro fits in neatly. Former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano found it sensitive at first, but, after an update, she says it worked nearly perfectly, sending swift alerts and offering a good, clear view of her porch. Footage maxes out at 1080p, but the camera supports HDR to banish glare and has a 162-degree field of view. It does have to be wired, and you need a subscription from $5 per month to record videos, but SimpliSafe also offers the option of professional monitoring (from $32 per month), which is a rarity for doorbells and might make sense if you have a complete security system with them.

TP-Link Tapo (D230S1) Smart Battery Video Doorbell for $106: For folks seeking a local storage option that doesn’t require a monthly fee, Tapo’s smart video doorbell is worth a look. Notifications come through swiftly and include a still image; video quality is excellent, even at night, and the indoor hub takes a microSD card and doubles as a chime. On the downside, it is chunky, and the onboard AI (which is supposed to recognize people, pets, vehicles, and packages) is flaky.

Tough to Recommend

We didn’t like every video doorbell we tested. These are the ones we don’t recommend.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Imou Doorbell 2S Kit: Aside from being large and ugly, the Imou doorbell offers crisp video recording up to 2K with a 166-degree field of view, and it has a unique trick: the lens can rotate through 30 degrees to track subjects. The large size allows for a big battery, but this doorbell can also be hardwired. The kit includes a plug-in chime with a microSD card slot for local storage. Unfortunately, testing side by side with the Arlo, it failed to pick up some events. I also had major connection issues after changing my router, despite retaining the same network name and password. I had to reset the chime, which temporarily deleted the doorbell. It’s only available in the UK.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Reolink Video Doorbell (Battery): We liked Reolink’s wired doorbell, listed above, so I was excited to try its first battery-powered model, but it was a disappointment. It offers up to 2K footage with a 1:1 aspect ratio that gives you a complete view of the porch, but you must turn HDR on in the settings, and it has a relatively low frame rate (15 fps). I like the option to go subscription-free, but it means putting a microSD card in the doorbell itself, and this is a relatively easy doorbell to remove. Reolink suggests up to five months of battery life, but my first review unit died after less than two and refused to recharge. Reolink sent me a replacement, which is performing better, but when it does run out, the rechargeable battery inside cannot be removed, so you have to take the doorbell off to recharge it. Factor in the slightly confusing app, relatively slow loading times, and connection glitches, and this is impossible to recommend.

Ezviz EP3x Pro

Photograph: Simon Hill

Ezviz EP3x Pro: This is a far better-looking doorbell than Ezviz’s previous models, and it’s nice to see solar panels as an option for doorbells, though you will need a porch capable of catching some rays. The video quality is good, and you get a split view (like the Eufy above) that includes packages or waiting cats on your doorstep. The distortion correction works well, and there is optional color night vision with a built-in light, though it only works at very close range. I appreciate the 2FA, with fingerprint login, and 32 GB of onboard storage (cloud storage is an optional extra). Sadly, if you use the solar panel, you can’t connect to your wired chime. The lack of HDR is disappointing, human detection was a bit off (it frequently said I was a cat), and I had issues with alerts failing to come through on some Android phones. (Even after following Ezviz’s instructions, they never worked reliably on my Xiaomi 14 Ultra.) This model is not yet available in the US.

Botslab Video Doorbell 2 Pro: The flaky setup procedure required a couple of restarts, and physical installation was no better, as the screws supplied were so cheap that one of the heads broke off. The camera has a fisheye effect, but you can correct it with different views. I liked the VR mode, which provides a 180-degree view of your front porch. It comes with a handy plug-in chime, alerts seem reliable, there is an HDR option, and you can record locally (32 GB included) or in the cloud. You can also set a detection range, which could be handy for street-facing cameras. But the app is confusing, with an AI tab that lists various skills available for purchase. There is a login history and a limit of two devices signed in at once, but no 2FA, which makes this impossible to recommend. It is versatile but also relatively expensive.

Swann SwannBuddy Video Doorbell: This doorbell comes with a wireless battery-powered chime and the option of local storage, but the positives end there. The video quality is poor, the app is painfully slow to load and glitchy, and the doorbell frequently fails to register motion. I found the battery life disappointing. I must also question the decision to provide local storage via a microSD card inserted in the doorbell (the chime would make more sense and be more secure).

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Galen Buckwalter didn’t hesitate to get a craniotomy in 2024 as part of a brain implant study at Caltech. The 69-year-old research psychologist wanted to contribute to cutting-edge science that could help other people with paralysis.

Buckwalter has been a quadriplegic since a diving accident at age 16 left him paralyzed from the chest down. The six chips in his brain, made by Blackrock Neurotech, read activity from his neurons and decode movement intention. They enable him to operate a computer with his thoughts, feel sensation in his fingers that he had lost, and, more recently, make music with his mind.

Known as a brain-computer interface, or BCI, the technology is being developed by Paradromics, Synchron, Elon Musk’s Neuralink, and others to restore communication and movement in people with severe motor disabilities. But Buckwalter’s experience shows that the technology can be used in ways that are not purely functional—for instance, as an outlet for creative expression. Other BCI recipients are using their implants to make digital art with their thoughts. A 2023 gallery exhibit at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, DC, displayed works by BCI recipients Nathan Copeland, James Johnson, and Jan Scheuermann.

Buckwalter has been working with Caltech graduate student Sean Darcy, who developed an algorithm that allows him to create musical tones on a computer with his thoughts. Buckwalter, a longtime musician with the Los Angeles-based punk rock band Siggy, has used some of the tones he has composed in the lab in a song called “Wirehead,” also the name of the band’s latest album released on March 15.

WIRED spoke with Buckwalter about what it’s like to make music with his mind. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

WIRED: You recently started using your implant to produce musical tones. How did that come about?

Galen Buckwalter: Even before I was implanted, I saw this clip that was going around YouTube of mushrooms, where if you put electrodes on mushrooms you get this biosonification. It will amplify the electrical activity going on in a mushroom, and you get these really cool sounds. I saw that and thought, if a mushroom can chirp like that, I want to know what my brain sounds like. That was something that was on my agenda that I wanted to do with the Caltech team. From day one, I was talking to all the researchers about it, and this amazing grad student, Sean Darcy, heard about it. He spent his time on weekends and nights coming up with this software that translates what I think into the ability to manipulate tones.

So you’re able to create musical tones just by thinking. How does that work?

Each neuron has a baseline firing rate. All these neurons are firing to some extent, but what we do is identify neurons that I have volitional control of. My six implants each have 64 independent channels to record from, and we have a big screen with all 384 channels on it. So, if I think about moving my toe up and down, a bunch of channels will light up. There seems to be a directional set of neurons that it picks up from just the extension and flexion of my toe.

What Sean does is he assigns a tone to the baseline firing rate. If I activate that neuron, the pitch will go up, and if I suppress it, it will come back down. I think about moving my index finger, and then think about moving my pinky, and I can do that for as many channels as I have volitional control over. Right now I can do two tones at once, but if you go above that it starts to feel like you’re rubbing your head and patting your stomach at the same time.

As artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technology drives a fundamental shift in how the motor insurance industry manages risk, Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) has landed a cash injection worth $350m to scale development of its global road safety platform and advance AI models for real-time driving risk assessment and crash detection.

Founded in 2010, CMT claims to be the world’s largest telematics and AI company for safer mobility. The company grew out of the CarTel project at MIT, which began in 2004 under the direction of Hari Balakrishnan and Sam Madden. They developed mobile sensing systems to collect and draw inferences from sensor data on mobile devices, partnering with Boston taxi companies to measure traffic and road conditions.

CMT believes that telematics technology has become a transformative force in the insurance industry, offering unprecedented insights into driving behaviour, crash detection and vehicle usage. It says that by using driving data from vehicles, phones and internet-connected devices – with driver consent – insurers can better identify and positively influence risk, personalise insurance policies, and promote safer and more sustainable driving habits.

The company claims to have built what it regards as arguably the most advanced road safety platform in the world – one trusted by 21 of the top 25 US auto insurers and active in 25 countries. Its AI platform fuses sensor data from smartphones, connected vehicles, dashcams and internet of things (IoT) devices, with real-time AI models for driving risk assessment and crash detection. Furthermore, the company claims that to date it has already prevented over 100,000 crashes, protected 55 million drivers and engaged people in safer driving through 140 programmes worldwide. 

CMT believes what makes its approach distinct is that it functions as impact-driven technology: empowering drivers to make safer decisions while giving insurers the data-driven tools they need to personalise policies, reduce losses and better serve their customers.

Fittingly given CMT’s target audience, the $350m strategic investment was co-led by global asset manager TPG and Allianz X, the strategic investment arm of leading global insurer Allianz. It also included contributions from State Farm, whose Drive Safe & Save is said to be one of the most widely used telematics platforms in America. 

The strategic investment is accompanied by long-term commercial agreements with various Allianz Group operating entities, including Allianz Partners and Allianz Versicherungs-AG, to collaborate on data-driven insurance and service offerings across Europe for retail customers, automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and mobility partners.

“[This] investment strengthens our work to create safer roads, stronger communities and a better future, and we’re energised by our partnerships with TPG, Allianz and State Farm,” said William V. Powers, co-founder and CEO of CMT, commenting on the move. “Every crash we prevent, every life we protect, and every driver we help improve, brings us closer to solving one of the world’s biggest challenges. We’re applying the full power of AI to transform mobility on a global scale to help save lives, reduce costs and support more sustainable transportation.”

Allianz regards the partnership with CMT as enhancing its strategic capabilities, fostering innovation and promoting safer mobility by combining telematics solutions with its global expertise as a leading motor insurer and assistance services provider.

“At Allianz X, we don’t just invest; we build the capabilities and partnerships that shape the future of insurance and mobility. By combining CMT’s telematics solutions with Allianz’s global reach, we shift from reacting to risks to preventing them,” noted Allianz X CEO Nazim Cetin. “This deal exemplifies how we use strategic foresight to enhance Allianz through innovation, improving customer experience and promoting safer mobility for all.”

Tomas Kunzmann, CEO of Allianz Partners, said: “We are working closely with OEMs and automotive partners globally to drive forward the future of mobility. CMT’s technology enables us to provide even more tailored and data-driven insurance and assistance services to our partners and customers, ensuring peace of mind along the whole customer journey.”

TPG is making its investment through The Rise Funds, the multi-sector strategy of its global impact investing platform State Farm, and sees CMT’s real-time risk platform as a natural extension of its broader strategy of applying AI and data to improve outcomes for the customers and communities it serves.

“CMT demonstrates the power and potential of impact-driven technology,” said Akash Pradhan, business unit partner for The Rise Funds. “With the company’s data and DriveWell Atlas AI models, we are empowering drivers to make safer decisions, while also helping to make auto insurance more affordable. We are excited to partner with CMT, Allianz and State Farm to expand the company’s leadership position in AI-driven telematics.”

Sara Frankowiak, State Farm vice-president and actuary, said: “For State Farm, the investment reflects its commitment to leveraging technology to better serve the more than 90 million policies it holds across the US, including through more accurate risk assessment that benefits customers directly.

“CMT’s platform moves us closer to a world where crash prevention is possible for every driver. As a mutual company with a history of helping people protect what matters most, safer drivers mean better outcomes for everyone – and lower cost of coverage for our customers.”