# 'Splain to me front door cams **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2022, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872 "2022-03-11T04:56:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/21 "2022-03-11T16:18:52Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Just curious, but why are you against replacing the doorbell? The Google Ring (what I have, but it’s identical to other options) was super easy to install. Remove doorbell, plug Ring in instead, connect to wifi, done. Not against it, but I don’t see the necessity. The doorbell cameras I’ve read about on Amazon: - Can be hooked up to the doorbell wiring, but won’t adequately charge from it so you need to replace a battery or remove the doorbell cam to charge it, which means unwiring the damned thing (this was from a Ring review) every month. - Many require a subscription fee to see the front door video. I am totally not paying a subscription. $10/month was mentioned in one review. $10/month just to have a doorbell. - The well reviewed doorbell cams are expensive. $249 for the latest Ring model! For a freaking doorbell. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/22 "2022-03-11T16:29:01Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Can be hooked up to the doorbell wiring, but won’t adequately charge from it so you need to replace a battery or remove the doorbell cam to charge it, which means unwiring the damned thing (this was from a Ring review) every month. My ring is fully battery operated. Every couple of months or so I have to undo a single security screw at the bottom and the battery pops out. Once charged I pop it back in. I haven’t bothered to get a backup battery. I don’t think I pay any subscription fee. Maybe I forgot I do or maybe its part of my prime subscription. Not sure. ETA: OK. I just looked it up. Ring only needs a subscription if you want it to store recorded video. I must be paying for this somehow because I have access to the recorded videos. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/23 "2022-03-11T16:30:21Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > My ring is fully battery operated. Every couple of months or so I have to undo a single security screw at the bottom and the battery pops out. Once charged I pop it back in. I haven’t bothered to get a backup battery. > > I don’t think I pay any subscription fee. Maybe I forgot I do or maybe its part of my prime subscription. Not sure. Thanks @Folly. Which Ring do you have? Did it require a sync module? Did you wire it to your doorbell wiring? Are you happy with the video it shows you (some reviews complain that in full sunlight the subject is reduced to an unrecognizable silhouette)? How do you monitor the video - on a phone or PC or ? ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/24 "2022-03-11T16:34:26Z")
I paid 200 bucks at the time for the [Ring Video Doorbell 3](https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0849J7W5X/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). It’s slightly cheaper now. I didn’t have doorbell wiring to work with so I went with one that can operate battery only. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/25 "2022-03-11T16:35:47Z")
Our butts are owned by Amazon though. My paycheck just gets turned over to them. We have Alexas all over the place. The camera is fully integrated with them, etc. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/26 "2022-03-11T16:51:23Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > I want it to work _all the time_ , regardless of the doorbell. Then it has to be motion-sensing otherwise the battery would only last a few days, or it has to be wired, in which case you’d be replacing the doorbell or running additional wiring. Flush-mount doesn’t seem to be a thing, because the ideal place would be right where the door’s peephole or door knocker is. Anywhere you mount it on the door will be conspicuous and pretty ugly, and trying to recess it would compromise the door panel and make changing the batteries very difficult if not impossible without also making the camera easy to steal. I think you’re going to have to give up on one of your criteria if you want to find anything. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/27 "2022-03-11T17:02:27Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Can be hooked up to the doorbell wiring, but won’t adequately charge from it so you need to replace a battery or remove the doorbell cam to charge it, which means unwiring the damned thing (this was from a Ring review) every month. This is incorrect, my Ring works on doorbell power. My MIL got a Ring that didn’t work because their bell was super old and wasn’t letting enough power through (was probably 60 years old at least) but they replaced it for like $30 and it works great. My own parents have the Amazon version and again it runs off the doorbell wires no problem. The review you read might have been someone with a setup like my MIL’s - very old and very low electricity doorbell. > [@squeegee](#): > > Many require a subscription fee to see the front door video. I am totally not paying a subscription. $10/month was mentioned in one review. $10/month just to have a doorbell. The subscription lets you look at all recorded footage for a month back while the free version lets you look at highlights when there was movement for a few days. The free version is pretty handy by itself. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/28 "2022-03-11T17:05:06Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > This is incorrect, my Ring works on doorbell power. My MIL got a Ring that didn’t work because their bell was super old and wasn’t letting enough power through (was probably 60 years old at least) but they replaced it for like $30 and it works great. My own parents have the Amazon version and again it runs off the doorbell wires no problem. > > The review you read might have been someone with a setup like my MIL’s - very old and very low electricity doorbell. So they replaced the doorbell transformer to fix it? Not sure where mine is, but they’re usually reasonably accessible. Hmm. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/29 "2022-03-11T17:14:42Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > So they replaced the doorbell transformer to fix it Yeah exactly, it was actually inside the bell housing that hangs on the wall. They replaced it and then more power went through and the issue was fixed. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/30 "2022-03-11T19:10:52Z")
Hm, I found this review of the Ring 3 doorbell linked above (emphasis mine): > [@](#): > > [Not good for security device](https://smile.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R296APZG5Z1H5T/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0849J7W5X) > > Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2020 > > [Configuration: Doorbell only](https://smile.amazon.com/Ring-Video-Doorbell-3/product-reviews/B0849J7W5X/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_fmt?ie=UTF8&formatType=current_format)[Verified Purchase](https://smile.amazon.com/Ring-Video-Doorbell-3/product-reviews/B0849J7W5X/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_rvwer?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=two_star&reviewerType=avp_only_reviews&pageSize=10) > > I purchased the ring door bell a few weeks ago. It comes with one month of free recording service that requires the payment of a monthly subscription after that. I searched for a way to connect it to a dvr but there is no interface for that. At least not to the end user. There must be something or the company would not be able to record either. With the use of the service the response time to allow you to view what was recorded is very slow. **By the time the device connects to your internet and displays the video, that the person and or motion created, so much time has elapsed that the event is over and the person is gone. There is also no way to just watch in real time what is going on. By this I mean that there is no way to display a constant feed on a monitor inside your house.** Alexa will display the live feed but only for a short period of time. > **The lag time is so great that there is no way to really answer your door remotely. By the time you know who is there they are leaving and could just as easily breaking in.** > Pro: good camera resolution > good night vision > Con: No way to connect to DVR > Subscription fee required to continue remote recording > **lag time to great to be an effective security device** Makes me think I should just buy an analog camera and forget smart devices. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/31 "2022-03-11T19:15:31Z")
Maybe they are at the limit of their wi-fi connection. I haven’t experienced that at all. I’ve been working at home and I get the notice that someone is at my door a second or two before they reach the doorbell to ring it. (Actually, it is usually a package being delivered without the doorbell ringing. Amazon owns my butt remember?) ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/32 "2022-03-11T19:17:13Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > **There is also no way to just watch in real time what is going on. By this I mean that there is no way to display a constant feed on a monitor inside your house.** Alexa will display the live feed but only for a short period of time. I think this is true. I can tell my Alexa to “show me the front door” but it shuts off after 5 minutes or so. Personally I want it to do that since I’m running on battery power. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/33 "2022-03-11T19:21:23Z")
Curious it doesn’t have “pre-cord motion” where it’s basically always recording, but it only saves when it detects motion, and the saved recording begins 5-10 seconds before the motion event. That’s fairly standard in WiFi cameras. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/34 "2022-03-11T19:27:15Z")
That hasn’t been my experience at all either and i have a Nest doorbell cam and two additional cameras ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/35 "2022-03-11T21:59:29Z")
I have the Wyze original doorbell. I think they only sell the Pro now. It works fine. It was cheap for these kind of things, and was pretty easy to install. It does everything the OP wants, except that it’s also a doorbell. I can view it live, see who rang the bell, see who came to the door to drop a package, etc. I did pay $20/year to get some extra features, but that will lapse at the end of the month, as Wyze now offers more things for free. If I miss any of the features I lost, then I’ll pay again. One important thing to remember. **This is a toy, not a security camera.** I think many of these doorbells fall into the “toy” category. By toy, I mean that it can’t really be relied on to provide 24/7 coverage of all events like you’d expect of a real security system. For example, just this moment I got a notification that somebody was at the door, opened my phone and saw that it was my kid coming home from school, so I turned on the mic and said “hello”, but I didn’t get any response back. Did it work? Did she ignore me? Was it too quiet? I have no idea. Wyze also makes a [battery powered outdoor camera](https://wyze.com/wyze-cam-outdoor.html) that might better meet your needs. Put it up high, let it run, and occasionally recharge the batteries. It’s more expensive than the doorbell I got, though. I’ve generally been happy with Wyze stuff, with the big qualification that they are toys, but not overpriced toys. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2022, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/36 "2022-03-12T00:14:34Z")
I monitor my video doorbell: _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872/36))_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/splain-to-me-front-door-cams/960872.md?page=1)