6 reasons you should get a video doorbell (and 2 reasons you shouldn't)

A video doorbell might be the first, or only piece of smart home tech you ever buy, but it's also one of the most useful. If you're on the fence about whether or not to buy one, we've compiled a list of all the reasons you should make the jump – some of which you might not have considered.

Video doorbells aren't right for everyone though, so we've also included a couple of drawbacks that are important to bear in mind.

Reasons to get a video doorbell

1. Dodge unwanted visitors

A video doorbell can help you give guests a warm welcome, but it can also help you give unwanted callers the cold shoulder. The wide-angle camera of a video doorbell gives you a great view of who's calling, and many models offer pre-recorded messages so you can ask them to leave at the tap of a button in the app.

One recently released doorbell, the IMOU Doorbell 2S, has a voice-changer so you can speak to unwanted callers while protecting your identity, and home security company Swann has developed an AI assistant that generates responses on the fly when someone calls. You can even choose the demeanor of your doorbell, with options including polite, disinterested, and aggressive.

2. Give instructions to delivery drivers

How many times have you come home only to find a parcel left on your doorstep in broad daylight? If, like me, the answer is ‘quite a few’ then a video doorbell might help. Rather than the delivery driver ringing the doorbell and finding no one is home, you can use your doorbell's app to speak with them directly when you're away from home, and ask them to leave the parcel with a trusted neighbor, or in a space place.

Some doorbells can give automatic voice responses that tell couriers where to leave deliveries, which is very useful if you're going to be at work and unable to use your phone.

3. Monitor rental properties

If you own a rental home, having a video doorbell may be a good way to communicate with tenants, as well as contractors and cleaners who are coming and going. It will help to improve security too. Most apps will let you add several video doorbells to the same interface for easy monitoring of several properties at once.

However, remember if you are renting out properties via companies such as Airbnb you must disclose the use of any external security cameras, including video doorbells, in the home’s listings. See Airbnb's terms and conditions for full details.

If you use Airbnb, you might also want to take a look at our list of the best smart locks, which will allow you to assign temporary entry codes to short-term renters. No more lost keys, and you can set the code to expire after they've checked out.

4. Check up on family

If installing a security camera feels a bit intrusive, a video doorbell is an ideal device for tracking the movements of family and guests in a more subtle way. For example, thanks to their motion sensors, they can capture footage of the kids leaving the house for school or the dog-walker coming back in the afternoon.

Many doorbells have person-detection, so you can receive an alert on your phone when someone approaches the door even if they don't ring the bell. This is often only available to subscribers though, so be prepared to make a small monthly payment if that's a feature you need.

5. Capture crime

If you happen to capture a porch pirate or, worse, someone breaking into your property, video footage may be invaluable in helping the police catch the suspect. Even if the thief manage to steal the video doorbell (not easy as most devices come with a special security pin), then it’s likely the footage will be stored in the cloud or a hub inside your home, so can still be retrieved.

Bear in mind that if a crime has been committed, it’s important not to share the footage on social media as this may be seen to prejudice a trial if the incident goes to court.

The sight of a video doorbell might even be enough to deter would-be criminals, since they know they're being watched, and some of the latest doorbells can use AI to detect if a person is lingering outside your home for an unusually long time.

6. Greet guests

Last, but certainly not least, there's the primary purpose of any video doorbell: letting you see who's calling and give them a friendly greeting.

You can do this using a mobile app, but if you don't have your phone with you, many of the latest devices come with a chime that you can plug into the hallway which sounds when someone comes to the door (although this is usually an optional extra). Many video doorbells are also compatible with smart speakers, so you can get two-way audio even if there's no picture.

Reasons not to get a video doorbell

1. Premium pricing

The best video doorbells vary hugely in price, with some models costing almost twice as much as others. Generally speaking, if you opt for a cheaper doorbell, you'll often need to pay a monthly subscription fee for some of its more advanced features. Cheaper video doorbells are also unlikely to let you store video footage at home, so you'll only be able to watch the action live on your phone, or pay to store it in the cloud.

Ring is the biggest name in video doorbells, and offers three membership tiers with monthly and annual payment options. For more details, check out our guide to Ring subscriptions.

2. Audio and video lag

When a video doorbell works well, you should be able to hear and speak to callers in real time, with no delay on either side. Unfortunately, however, this isn't always the case, and there can sometimes be a significant lag on one side of the conversation. We always make sure to address any problems with latency when we review video doorbells here at TechRadar. Take a look at our full guide to the best video doorbells to see which ones we recommend.