Forget lumbering old door knockers; as of May 2025, one in five British homes has a ‘video doorbell’. These snazzy cameras can track deliveries, let you speak to visitors remotely and plenty of people think they act as a deterrent against burglars. (The Met Police has said it regularly uses doorbell footage to solve crimes.) That all sounds great, obviously, but which ones work the best?
The basics
Which? experts tested 51 video doorbells, ranging from a £35 model by TP-Link to a £300 one from Ubiquiti.
The method
First the whizzes at Which? graded each product’s camera quality, in a full range of light conditions, checking things like colour, contrast and sharpness. They also gauged the volume levels and measured the strength of motion sensors (a good video doorbell can detect movement from 2.5 metres away; a bad one may not detect any motion at all). And, lastly, they tested how easy each product was to use – for example, whether it was straightforward to save footage or take screenshots.
The thing to remember
Which? is a not-for-profit organisation, so all the money it makes goes back into making life simpler, fairer and safer for consumers. For the full range of expert reviews, visit which.co.uk/video-doorbells.
BEST VALUE: TP-Link Tapo D205 Smart Video Doorbell Mini
Type: Battery powered
What works? Lots. This has great camera quality and a decent motion sensor (it picked up movement three metres away). Plus it’s easy to install.
What’s the catch? You can save videos to a microSD card. But if you want to access ‘cloud storage’ – i.e. upload to a remote online server – there’s an extra subscription fee of £2.99 a month.
BEST MID-RANGE: Ring Wired Video Doorbell Pro (Gen 3)
Type: Mains-powered
What works? Again, great picture quality and motion detection (it spots movement from eight metres away). Plus, it has an option to play pre-recorded messages – like ‘leave parcel by the bins’ – through its speakers. Handy!
What’s the catch? You can’t store specific clips of old footage to your phone without a £50-a-year subscription. And, as it’s mains powered, installation is a bit fiddly; you might need an electrician.
BEST BLOWOUT: Ubiquiti UniFi G4 Doorbell Pro PoE Kit
Type: Ethernet power source
What works? Basically everything. The audio and video quality are tip-top, and the motion detection is outstanding (it senses movement from 15 metres).
What’s the catch? The installation is complicated (an electrician might be necessary). Also, if you want to save footage permanently you need to buy an extra storage chip for £190.
