4 Ring Camera Alternatives That Are Actually Worth Trying – BGR

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Video doorbells have become one of the most popular home security upgrades, and for homeowners who value security around the house, they are an essential smart home gadget. Ring has played a large role in the adoption of video doorbells, as its lineup offers multiple price points and feature sets. It has made things like two-way audio, motion detection, and the ability to see your front porch from anywhere via a mobile app standard expectations in a video doorbell. But some Ring owners are returning their cameras, and the Amazon-owned company has also introduced a subscription service that is required to access certain features.

The market has come a long way over the years, and Ring is no longer the only name worth considering when it comes to a video doorbell. Things like local storage, compatibility with popular smart home platforms like Google Home and Apple HomeKit, and access to a camera’s full functionality without a monthly subscription are all available among Ring competitors. Several budget-friendly options have emerged as well. Utilizing expert and customer reviews, we’ve taken a look at them all. So if you’re in search of a smart home upgrade, let’s explore some Ring camera alternatives worth considering.

Google is one of the biggest names in consumer tech, and its Nest Doorbell lineup has a lot to offer. There are Google Nest Doorbell Battery and Google Nest Doorbell Wired options available, and we make it clear that the former is worth purchasing in our Google Nest Doorbell Battery review. While many video doorbells are still operating at HD resolution, this doorbell offers 2K video in both day and night modes.

One major benefit of purchasing a video doorbell from Google is the integration of Gemini, its AI model. This enables voice assistant features, but the camera is also able to distinguish between animals, people, and other things passing by your home, so you don’t have to worry about false alarms. The Nest Doorbell also fits right into the Google Home ecosystem, making it a good Ring alternative for those who have other Google smart home products.

The Nest Doorbell is somewhat expensive when compared to some other video doorbell models on the market. Both the wired and battery versions are priced at $180, which puts them more in line with some of the more expensive models Ring has to offer. But Google does drop the price from time to time, and with 87% favorable reviews on Amazon, the Nest Doorbell has a lot of happy purchasers.

Similar to Ring, Blink is an Amazon-owned company. The second-generation Blink Video Doorbell is one of the more affordable options on the market, retailing for $60. This video doorbell is a favorite of Amazon’s when it comes to discounts, as it will often drop into the $30 price range. This is also one of the easiest video doorbells to install, as it’s able to be set up in just minutes with a wired connection or wire-free.

In our Blink Video Doorbell review, we note that it provides excellent value, as it delivers features similar to what you’ll find in much more expensive doorbell cameras. It’s able to integrate with Amazon Alexa-enabled devices, provides a head-to-toe field of view to see if packages have been delivered, sends motion alerts to your phone, and supports two-way audio so you can talk to anyone who approaches your front door.

While the Blink Video Doorbell does provide good value all on its own, it also requires a sync module that’s not included with a purchase. This isn’t required for all features, but the Video Doorbell won’t be able to connect to the Blink mobile app without it. There is, however, a bundle available that includes the Blink Video Doorbell and Sync Module Core, and it’s priced at $70.

Arlo is a home security brand with a broad lineup of both cameras and video doorbells, and like the Blink Video Doorbell, the Arlo Video Doorbell 2K is a good budget option. This doorbell camera is priced at $50, and it features 2K video resolution with infrared night vision to ensure safety around the house after dark. It’s able to be installed with wireless functionality or with existing wires.

The catch with the Video Doorbell 2K is that Arlo hides some top-end features behind a monthly subscription. Cloud video storage and personalized alerts are among them. But the Arlo Video Doorbell 2K has received nearly 5,500 customer reviews at Amazon, with 86% being favorable reviews. Arlo also offers a 30-day trial of its subscription plan, Arlo Secure.

Several customers at Amazon report being extremely satisfied with the Video Doorbell 2K, with easy installation, good image quality, and ease of use with the app among their reasons. It’s not too limited without an Arlo Secure subscription, and as subscriptions go, it’s a fairly modest $8 per month for those who feel they need the added features.

Eufy may not come with the name recognition of brands like Ring and Google, but its Video Doorbell E340 has a dual lens configuration, which is something not seen in most video doorbells on the market. The E340 pairs a forward-facing camera with one that faces downward, allowing you to see if packages have been delivered. This makes it a particularly worthy Ring camera alternative for families and businesses that receive a lot of packages.

The Eufy Video Doorbell E340 is priced at $150, which makes it solid competition for several Ring models, though it is more expensive than what you’ll find among entry-level doorbell camera options. Eufy packages it with a number of different accessories at varying price points, and E340 2-packs are available for those who have several areas of their home they’d like to keep an eye on.

And while the E340 comes with a mid-range video doorbell price, Eufy positions it as the doorbell camera for those who don’t want to deal with subscription fees. It has 8GB of built-in storage that eliminates the need for a monthly cloud service, and for those interested in building out a full home security system, that storage capacity is expandable through accessories like the Eufy HomeBase 3.

The experts are who we started with in selecting these Ring camera alternatives. BGR has done hands-on reviews for some of the smart home products, and our reviews of the Google Nest Doorbell and the Blink Video Doorbell were instrumental in them being recommended as worthy Ring camera alternatives. 

When it came to lesser-known doorbell cameras, we leaned heavily on Amazon customer reviews. We sought out recognizable brands with video doorbell models that have a high percentage of favorable reviews. In both cases, we looked for products that offer a feature set similar to what you’ll find across the Ring lineup.