Many video doorbells require a subscription to store camera images, but more roads lead to Rome. You can also buy a smart doorbell without a subscription and save images locally. We list four great options.
Smart doorbell also works without a subscription
Some people think that a smart doorbell without a subscription will not work. That is not true. The doorbell simply does what it was made for – being able to remotely see who is at the door and keep an eye on things – even if you don’t pay monthly. For example, you will receive a notification when the parcel deliverer or neighbor is at the door.
Advantages of a doorbell with a subscription
However, a doorbell subscription does have advantages, of course. You can use it to review camera images without local storage (such as an SD card). Instead, you ‘just’ stream the images from the cloud and you don’t have to worry about it.
The exact conditions differ per manufacturer, but with most parties you can look back images up to a few days for a few euros a month. This is useful, for example, when you have been burgled. By looking back at the camera images you can check whether the thief has visited before to check.
Smart doorbells without a subscription
Are you not in the mood for another subscription? That’s no problem. There are a lot of video doorbells on the market for which you do not need to purchase a subscription. Instead, they store camera images locally. When the SD card is full, you can simply move the videos to a hard drive. With some doorbells, you can also save the camera images to a cloud service, such as Google Drive.
Below we list four doorbells without a subscription, in order of price. We also briefly indicate the main advantages and disadvantages.
1. Eken V5
Are you looking for a cheap smart doorbell without a camera? Then take a look at the Eken V5. A memory card fits in the doorbell so that you can save camera images locally.
Speaking of which, the Eken V5 has an HD-ready resolution (720p). This resolution is not super sharp, but you can easily see who is at the door. The affordable doorbell also has an intercom so you can talk to the person at the door.
The Eken V5 also has disadvantages. For example, we regularly hear complaints about a delay on the line, so that you miss the sound of the bell. A small nuance here is that this can also be due to the WiFi signal. It is also a pity that the Eken V5 does not have HomeKit support, although you cannot actually expect that for a video doorbell in this price range.
→ View the Eken V5 at Bol.com (55 euros)
2. Hombli Smart Doorbell V2
Compact, stylish and very easy to install: that is the Hombli Smart Doorbell in a nutshell. The small doorbell is slightly more expensive than the Eken V5, but it feels firmer as a result. We also think the app is a bit clearer and we have never had any problems with connectivity.
Unfortunately, the Hombli doorbell does not work with HomeKit. It looks like Hombli is going to set up its own ecosystem instead. With the Hombli app you can set and operate all kinds of other products from the manufacturer.
That app works fine by the way. You will receive a notification in no time when someone is at the door and you can understand each other perfectly. The smart doorbell without a subscription has an SD card to save images. If you are done with this at some point, you can always purchase a Hombli subscription.
→ View the Hombli Smart Doorbell V2 at tink (129.95 euros including chime)
→ View the Hombli Smart Doorbell V2 at Bol.com (129.99 euros)
3. Eufy by Anker Video Doorbell
If you are looking for a slightly more expensive video doorbell without a subscription, then the Eufy video doorbell is worth a look. This comes with 16GB of internal memory so that you do not have to send video images to the cloud, but can also store them locally.
You do need an Eufy base station for this. Camera images are first sent to this station, after which you can view them in the Eufy app. You don’t have to worry about privacy, because the images are encrypted. So nobody can watch what is happening at your front door.
Another plus of this smart doorbell without a subscription is the 2K resolution. As a result, visitors come into focus and you can easily recognize people.
A significant disadvantage for Apple users is that the Eufy video doorbell does not work with HomeKit, Apple’s platform for smart homes. This is also not going to happen in the future. You can of course use the Eufy app.
→ Watch the Eufy Video Doorbell at Bol.com (199 euros)
→ View the Eufy Video Doorbell at Coolblue (199 euros)
→ View the Eufy Video Doorbell at MediaMarkt (199 euros)
4. Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell
You may have noticed that most smart doorbells without a subscription don’t work with Apple HomeKit. This does not apply to the Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell. This namely has HomeKit integration so that you can, for example, ask Siri to view the camera of the doorbell.
Moreover, you do not need a subscription to view video images because it contains a memory card. Also nice is that the Netatmo doorbell is very extensive. For example, you can connect the doorbell to your current chime to hear sound in the house when someone rings the doorbell.
One drawback of the Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell is its price tag. This smart doorbell is certainly not cheap without a subscription. This ensures that there is little to be compromised on quality. Availability is also unfortunate: the smart Netatmo doorbell is not always in stock.
→ View the Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell at Coolblue (261 euros)
The choice is huge
Are these the only smart doorbells without a subscription? Certainly not! The choice is huge. For example, you can also go for the Eken V7 (the better version of the V5 discussed above), Arlo doorbell or Robin ProLine.
The latter is fully integrated into HomeKit so that you can indicate via the Home app, for example, when the doorbell should start answering, for example when someone rings the doorbell. The Robin ProLine is not cheap and also in terms of availability it is a bit of a struggle: the video doorbell is not always in stock.
Monthly theme of May: Living
This whole month stands iPhone in the sign of a theme: Living. We do not only consider smart doorbells without a subscription, but also look at, for example, what you can (cannot) with Google Home on iOS. We will of course also be testing a lot of cool smart home products, so keep an eye on the site.
-
Which smart doorbell works without a subscription? These are 4 good options
-
Filming the public road with a smart doorbell: what is allowed and what is not?
-
Tip: This is how you stream music to a Sonos speaker with AirPlay 2
-
Using HomePod as an Apple TV speaker: this is how you do it
-
Smart house, smart pet: 5 playful apps for your furry roommate