I researched the best doorbell camera as i’ve been trying to improve security around my home and keep an eye on deliveries while i’m away. i have been experiencing missed packages, random motion alerts at night, and not knowing who is at the door when i’m busy or not home. i went through reviews from trusted sources like reddit, wirecutter, and consumer reports and after comparing many options these kept coming up as the top choices:
Google Nest Doorbell camera
https://www.amazon.com/Google-Nest-Doorbell-Wired-3rd/dp/B0FN7FK9G4/
eufy Security Video Doorbell Camera
https://www.amazon.com/eufy-Security-Doorbell-Delivery-Compatible/dp/B0F5914CT1/
Ring Battery Doorbell Pus Camera
https://www.amazon.com/Ring-Wired-Doorbell-Newest-Model/dp/B0F151GFYR/
however, i am having trouble deciding which one would be better for me and i would love to get your expert advice and hoping maybe some smart home users or homeowners on this forum can also share their advice. i usually want something with clear video quality, reliable motion detection, and easy mobile notifications for daily use. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
This may or may not be for you, but after wasting a lot of money trying a lot of different options over the years, the one I’ve settled back on and am very happy with is the DIY option: a standard camera pointed at my front porch (I now use a Ubiqiti camera for this but have previously used a Foscam which was also fine), a Zigbee button and then Homey flows and an NVR (in my case Unifi Protect) to do the rest.
I always found the idea of 2-way audio to be far better than the reality as implemented by the several different and very expensive dedicated doorbells I’ve tried over the years. Maybe your delivery drivers are more patient than ours but it always took long enough to respond that they’d scarpered anyway. And anyone at the door you actually want to speak to will wait the extra 5-10s it takes me to walk to the door. It just didn’t really add anything for me other than expense. Your mileage may of course vary.
So I use the Unifi Protect app for recordings, person detection, live viewing including when away from home etc. It has a nice integration with Homey. I previously used some Mac software called SecuritySpy and DIY integrated it with Homey which also worked nicely and did basically all the same stuff. A Homey flow sends me a camera snapshot when someone rings the doorbell and it also plays a chime on all my HomePods (via Music Assistant app). Previously I’ve used various DIY hacks including a traditional doorbell chime with the button press contacts hard wired closed, plugged into a smart plug controlled by Homey to switch it on and off quickly. That also worked absolutely fine.
Unifi Protect has good person / animal / line crossing etc. detection and all surfaced nicely in Homey for notifications etc.
I guess the other use case that might make a dedicated doorbell cam worth it would be a downward-facing package cam. But again having had those in the past I don’t miss them. I can clearly see on the snapshot and video clip if someone has left a parcel on my doorstep (and also if someone else picks it up) even if it’s out of shot by the time they put it down - without having to have live footage of my doorstep. Again it sounded better than the reality in my experience.
My brother-in-law has been using Eufy’s doorbell-cam for a while now and he’s really satisfied with his setup. He’s using multiple Eufy cameras around their house so that was a natural choice for him. Setup really easy and the “two way audio” works OK.
He has not connected his Eufy setup to his smart home (at least yet… 
)
Yes Eufy is a great option, especially if you don’t like subscriptions since everything is stored on your HomeBase.
Tapo cameras are also a great option, but their doorbells are not supported by Homey
