Looking at the various smart doorbells on the market, and I’m considering the Nest Hello. Any experiences with it, or others like Ring or Skybell?
I learned recently that there are smart door knobs.
We got a Ring after our house got broken into while my wife was home. It has worked great for us, although you really have to fiddle with the motion settings so it doesn’t go off for every car that goes down the street (depending on how your front door faces). Also lizards love crawling over ours and setting it off.
But for the most part it’s been nice when shady people came to the door (even when we aren’t home) and being able to tell them to bug off. Also being able to see when packages are delivered and you aren’t home.
I figured I’d just go with the Nest now that it’s out. Are there any downsides other than price?
I have a Ring, it’s ok… it definitely keeps people honest when they approach the door, with it’s colorful antics.
If you get a ring pro your transformer needs to feed 16 volts for easy drop in. Otherwise you’ll have do a bit of work. Either replace the existing transformer, or (if you can’t find it like me…) drill a hole and run a new wire in.
The Nest Hello is on sale today at Costco. $199.99 and includes a Google Home mini.
Ordered mine. Once I have it installed and have it running for awhile I’ll leave impressions.
I have a Nest Hello and while it is not perfect, I have been happy with the purchase. Almost no false alarms (maybe 1 or 2) on the motion detection in the last 3-4 months it has been installed. Installation was a breeze as long as you follow the pre-install checklist to make sure you are compatible. I had to drill an extra hole in the brick exterior of my home which was the hardest part. The included masonry drill bit was only really good for one or two holes before it is worn out, but hopefully that is all anybody should have to use it for. Overall I’m not sure it was 100% worth the price premium you pay over a Ring doorbell, but I already had a Nest thermostat so having both of them controlled through the same app on my phone is a nice perk.
Well that is a positive review, I might also get it installed in a few days.
Holy cow. Is she okay? That would terrify my fiance if that happened. She works evenings and sleeps late into the day.
Yeah, they threw a garden stone through the sliding glass door and when they saw her they ran (luckily they weren’t looking for a fight). It did really spook her bad and was one of the reasons we ended up selling that house and moving (she wanted to be in a neighborhood instead of surrounded by trees after that)…
What made us get a smart door bell though is the fact that they thought no one was home. What they do is go around and knock on doors. If someone answers they make up a bs excuse and run along, but if no one answers then they assume no one is home and attempt to break in. When they knocked on our door my wife was doing something and didn’t get to the door in time and saw them walking off.
So getting the Ring was so we could answer the door the next time this situation came we can answer, even if we aren’t home.
I live in a nicer neighborhood but there is quite a bit of foot traffic that comes by. Though I haven’t had a specific problem, I worry about a crime of opportunity with someone seeing what looks like an empty home and trying to come in while I’m away during the day.
I’m glad nothing happened there though, man. Seriously, it’s scary to think about stuff like that.
Thanks and me too. AT the end of the day though it is what it is and my wife has finally come to terms with the idea that if someone wants to break in they will and she is again comfortable staying home all day alone (she doesn’t work).
The best option is to just not be low hanging fruit (don’t have lights off at night to make the place look abandoned, have visible security cameras, the smart doorbell so they know they are being video recorded, etc…). None of it will stop someone dedicated but the goal is just to not be the slowest person running from the bear. Most break ins also aren’t looking for a fight, they just want the easiest path to a pay day they can get.
I hear ya. I’ll be installing something, I just haven’t decided what, yet.
What I haven’t tested is how long it takes the doorbell to stream + upload to a server, because it is seriously easy to just remove the camera.
Sometimes I get an alert, and I can’t connect to the camera, and I think someone just stole the camera.
My Nest Hello has been installed for a week and so far I love it. Was very easy to install and I am overly fascinated with seeing the different alerts and checking it. Somewhat surprised at the cars driving around my cul de sac at 2 in the morning.
Haven’t had anyone actually use the doorbell yet. UPS guy just knocked, don’t know if he didn’t notice the doorbell or if that is just what he always does.
Does the Nest Hello “require” a yearly subscription plan? I’m guessing Yes; I have a outside Nest Cam now and it’s very functional without paying the Google yearly.
Curious too, I would probably pick the up the nest but I don’t care how reasonable the monthly fee is, we hates them.
I was looking at the Skybell but the new slim version is apparently out of stock and has been for awhile.
We’ve had the Skybell HD for …maybe a year? It’s worked great. Wide, clear picture, the 2 way audio works well (although we rarely speak through it). Also, no subscription at all. Vids are kept in the cloud for a week before deletion, but you can download any video during that time to keep permanently. It does support 1080p. I don’t know why the thewirecutter thinks it maxes out at 720p.