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Home | Home Security | Wyze Doorbell Review
This budget-friendly video doorbell has some tricks and our research found it’s worth the tiny price.
Best budget doorbell
Jun 16, 2022
5 min read
SafeWise experts have years of firsthand experience testing the products we recommend. Learn how we test and review.
When it comes to video doorbells, you get what you pay for. The Wyze Video Doorbell is one of the cheapest on the market, but with that low price, it makes some sacrifices in video quality. That said, it does come with some nifty features like theft deterrent and customizable chimes.
Pros
Theft deterrent
Customizable chimes
Package, pet, and person detection
128 MB local storage
Cons
Wired installation only
Poor night video
Narrow view
Compare Wyze Video Doorbell with other top video doorbells
Product | Best for | Price | Resolution (aspect ratio) | Field of view | Power source | Prerecorded messages | Learn more |
| Best budget doorbell | $64.98 | 1296 x 1728 (3:4) | 120º | Wired |
| View on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | $179.99 | 960 x 1280 (3:4) | 145º | Battery, wired |
| View on Google Store |
| Best for smart homes | $149.99 | 1536 x 1536 (1:1) | 180º | Wired |
| View on Amazon |
| Best local storage | $200.69 | 2560 x 1920 (4:3) | 180º | Battery, wired |
| View on Amazon |
| Best battery doorbell | $99.99 | 1920 x 1080 (16:9) | 155º | Battery, wired, solar |
| View on Amazon |
*Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.
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What’s in the box
Image: Alina Bradford, SafeWise
- Wyze Video Doorbell
- Wyze Chime
- Wallplate
- Wedge (horizontal, 30°)
- 4 wire caps
- 2 bracket screws
- 2 screws and expansion tubes
- 2 extension wires
- Fuse
- Quick start guide
The Wyze Doorbell is weird and wired
Image: Alina Bradford, SafeWise
For around $50, the Wyze Doorbell looks how you would expect. It’s tiny (only 1.5 inches wide, 3.25 inches tall, and 0.625 inches thick) and a little cheap-looking. It kind of looks like a toy doorbell you would find on a Fisher-Price playhouse.
We’re not sure that a visitor to your home would actually recognize the little domino-shaped box as a doorbell. The doorbell button doesn’t really look like a button, other than the little bell icon. It’s smooth and square. Very un-button-like.
It would feel strange just tapping on the thing hoping that it was a doorbell and not just a weird-looking security camera. It does have the little bell icon, but we would probably opt out and just knock.
Wired installation
The thing we disliked most about the Wyze Doorbell is that it’s wired. That means that if you don’t have the wiring for a doorbell already, you’ll need to bring in an electrician.
If you already have the wiring, installation is as easy as connecting a few wires, plugging the chime into the wall, wiring the chime, and setting up the Wyze app and Wi-Fi. This process just took us a few minutes.
Wyze Video Doorbell’s features are hit and miss
It doesn’t really matter what it looks like as long as it performs, right? We weren’t too thrilled with the Wyze Doorbell performance, either, but it does have a few handy features.
Poor video quality
We’ll just say it: the field of view isn't great. The Wyze Doorbell aspect ratio is 3:4 and that adds up to 120° on the vertical and just 88° horizontally.
Many top video doorbell cameras, like the Arlo Essential, Eufy Doorbell, or a Ring doorbell camera, have a field of view of 140º to 180º, giving you a good view of your yard beyond the porch. But you’ll spend three times as much for those video doorbells, so it’s all about getting what you paid for.
The Wyze’s view is good enough to watch your porch. For many folks’ needs, that’s good enough.
The video was also grainy. You could still tell who the person was, so that's something. We tested it right next to a Ring Doorbell that had a much clearer image, but of course, it sported a much heftier price tag.
Image: Alina Bradford, SafeWise
Color night vision
This smart doorbell cam does have color night footage thanks to an LED light that turns on when it senses movement. Without the light, the footage is black and white. Color footage makes things more recognizable. You’ll know if that’s your cat or the neighbor’s knocking over your porch decorations with just a glance.
We weren’t too impressed with the clarity of the night video, though. Faces were grainy, and if you have any outdoor lighting, like holiday lights or walkway lights, the camera was easily blinded, making the images washed out.
Theft deterrent
The Wyze Video Doorbell has a nice feature that lets intruders know you’re watching them—whether porch pirates or others up to no good. When it senses movement, it lights up to alert those around it that, yeah, this is a camera and you’re being recorded. Are you feeling lucky, punk? Okay, maybe we’re personifying this little doorbell, but the feature is still cool.
Extras
Like with most video doorbell cameras, you need to upgrade to a monitoring plan to get some of the coolest features. Luckily, Wyze’s plan is super cheap. Wyze Cam Plus is only $1.99 per month. With it, you get access to some nifty features:
- Fast-forwarding
- Person, vehicle, pet, and package detection
- Unlimited video lengths (instead of just 12 seconds)
- Cloud storage for 14 days
- No cooldown period (without a subscription, the camera will wait 5 minutes between recordings)
- Discounts on other Wyze products
The Wyze Chime is fun
The Wyze Video Doorbell comes with a chime that makes it easier to hear when someone is at the door. That’s right; it doesn’t ring your home’s mechanical chime. You have to replace your existing chime with Wyze’s, which means more wiring. We were bummed that there was an extra step to installation.
The chime is pretty cool, though. Using the app, you can change the chime to over a dozen different sounds beyond the normal “ding-dong.” We recommend changing the chime to an animal noise. You’re sure to smile every time someone comes to the door.
Final word
While the Wyze Video Doorbell isn’t the best on the market, it is the best of the cheapest doorbells. If you’re looking for an affordable video doorbell that does the job well enough, and you have wiring already in your home, we say take the plunge.
If you want to shop around, we’ve found the best video doorbells.
Wyze Doorbell FAQ
Nope. You can use it subscription-free. For more features, though, you’ll need to upgrade to Wyze Cam Plus, which is only $1.99 per month. With Wyze Cam Plus, you get access to fast-forwarding, person, vehicle, pet, and package detection, and unlimited video lengths.
Technically yes . . . if you have an electrician come in and install wiring for a doorbell. Otherwise? No.
No, it stores footage in the cloud or locally with internal storage. You watch your footage on the Wyze app.
We wish! You have to use the Wyze Chime.
The biggest difference is the Pro is wireless, so you don’t need existing doorbell wiring to use it. The Wyze Video Doorbell is a wired doorbell. Pro also has person and package detection without a subscription.
No, there's currently no way for the Wyze Video Doorbell to be added to your Wyze Home Monitoring service. Wyze plans to roll out this feature in the future.
How we reviewed the Wyze Video Doorbell
We have tested dozens of video doorbell cameras over the years. So, for our hands-on Wyze Doorbell review, we had heaps of experience to lean on. We compared the tiny tech to its competitors, pored over hundreds of customer reviews, talked to Wyze representatives, and evaluated other experts’ opinions.
Read more on how we review products and services on our methodology page.
Image: Alina Bradford, SafeWise
Disclaimer
Amazon: *Product prices and availability are accurate as of post date and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Safewise.com utilizes paid Amazon links.
Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.
Google: Google, Google Nest Secure, [any other related Google Products] and other related marks are trademarks of Google LLC.
Written by
Alina Bradford
Alina is a safety and security expert that has contributed her insights to CNET, CBS, Digital Trends, MTV, Top Ten Reviews, and many others. Her goal is to make safety and security gadgets less mystifying one article at a time. In the early 2000s, Alina worked as a volunteer firefighter, earning her first responder certification and paving the way to her current career.Her activities aren’t nearly as dangerous today. Her hobbies include fixing up her 100-year-old house, doing artsy stuff, and going to the lake with her family.
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