Nest Doorbell (battery)
Doesn’t ring a bell
SMART DOORBELL ❘ £180 from Google www.snipca.com/39474
Google’s latest Nest Doorbell works as both a video camera and a doorbell. The camera captures 30fps video at a resolution of 960x1280 pixels, with a 145-degree field of view.
The device sends you alerts when people approach your door and when someone presses the button. The one thing it won’t do is go ‘ding dong’ because it doesn’t come with its own chime unit. However, you can wire it to an existing unit or make it ‘ring’ on any Nest smart speakers you may have.
There are plenty of installation options. You can either wire it to your existing doorbell wiring, have it professionally installed if you don’t have wiring in place, drill a hole and feed a supplied cable to an existing wall socket, or use its battery – the easiest option of all. Google states that the battery should last for up to two-and-a-half months, and it recharges via a USB-C port, though you will be without a doorbell for the few hours it takes to charge. Video footage can be viewed on a phone or tablet, and there’s two-way audio, so you can have a conversation with your visitor even if you aren’t at home.
This is all fairly impressive, but we don’t think it’s the best video doorbell for the money. For that, look to the Eufy Video Doorbell 2K (£179 from www. snipca.com/39484), which records video in far higher resolution (so images are even clearer) and comes with its own chime unit, so you can hear the doorbell ring even if you don’t have Nest devices or your phone to hand.
SPECIFICATIONS
960x1280-pixel video resolution • 30 frames per second • 145-degree field of view • 3.05m night vision • Wi-fi 4 (2.4GHZ only) • USB-C port for charging • 160x46x24mm (HXWXD) • 206g • Two-year warranty www.snipca.com/39474
VERDICT A decent video doorbell, particularly for those who already use Google smart speakers, but there are better options available ★★★★ ★
ALTERNATIVE Eufy Video Doorbell 2K (battery-powered) £180 This is generally a better choice because it gives you higher resolution, and comes with a chime unit