The 150 degree square viewing angle is enough to cover most of my porch. There is a blind spot just below the doorbell, but the Doorbell has a Dual Eufy (7/10, WIRED Recommend) is the only alternative I’ve tested that doesn’t have the same problem. Unfortunately, that sweeping view comes at the expense of a pronounced fisheye effect that almost makes you feel like you’re looking through a binocular. I like that I can zoom, but there is pixelation, even at the highest video quality.
The audio is good enough to get an idea of what’s going on, and you can have a two-way chat, albeit with a bit of lag. But it sounded small, and any distant noises were distorted. I love quick replies — you can tap to notify visitors you’ll be there shortly, or ask the courier to leave a package, but it would be nice to have the option to write Leave custom replies with your own voice.
Smart performance
Wyze via Simon Hill
Testing a variety of situations, I was impressed with the accuracy and responsiveness of the Wyze Video Doorbell Pro. It never misses a visitor, the ringer is activated instantly when the button is pressed, and the alert arrives on my phone relatively quickly. There’s some lag when I’m away and there’s occasional lag, but Wi-Fi or data signal strength is a factor no matter where you are.
Loading the live view takes three to five seconds. I like the clear timeline below that shows events as blocks. Videos are stored in the cloud and playback is quick, as long as you have a good connection. You can set the sensitivity and create a detection area to reduce false positives.
With a Cam Plus subscription, you get smart detection and can choose when to trigger notifications. Smart detection AI can accurately determine if a person, pet, vehicle, package, or some combination is at your doorstep, and video events show related icons. There is support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. I found the doorbell feed to load relatively quickly on the Nest Hub (compared favorably with Eufy).
The chase
You get a free month of Cam Plus with the doorbell. Otherwise, there is a 5 minute cooldown between recordings and a 12 second limit on video. You get free cloud storage, but no local storage option. It also enables smart detection and alert filtering options. If you don’t have a subscription, any movement will trigger an alert. Without a subscription, the camera limitations would be a deal breaker for me. Thankfully, it only costs $2 per month or $15 ($1.25/month) if you pay for a year in advance.
Another question with the Wyze Video Doorbell Pro is battery life. Wyze says a maximum of six months, but my testing shows more like six weeks. My patio is pretty busy and I’ve set it to highest quality with no cooldown and up to 30 seconds for records, so your mileage may vary. You also have to remove the doorbell to charge it. Wired doorbells usually have better performance, so it’s better to wire them up if possible.
My final concern is Wyze’s lax attitude towards software and security updates. For three years, the company failed to fix a major bug could have allowed attackers to remotely access videos and other images stored on the device’s memory card. It would require a local network breach, which is unlikely (this is Wyze’s response), but still. Privacy-minded people may also be unhappy with cloud-only video storage, although Wyze has stated that it will not share footage without a warrant or court order.
Then there’s the fact that Wyze discontinued support for the first version of Wyze Cam after its fifth birthday, leaving customers with little notice. Sadly, none of this is particularly unusual for the industry, and Wyze has beefed up its security team since then, but it might still give you pause.
Ultimately, the Wyze brand is all about value. For $94 plus shipping, the Video Doorbell Pro delivers on that front an impressive array of features and solid performance. It easily beats other budget video doorbells I’ve tested, so for those on a tight budget, I don’t see a better option right now.
