Reolink Video Doorbell Review
Summary: Reolink's Video Doorbell offers all the features you would expect from a mid-to-high range doorbell, without the ongoing subscription cost.
4.5
Doorbell without ongoing costs
I’m not going to build up suspense here – Reolink’s video doorbell is great. It worked better than I expected, the install was smooth, and there is no need for an ongoing subscription(!). If you want a robust and sensitive video doorbell that just works out of the box with no ongoing cost, it would be hard not to recommend Reolink, albeit its price tag is more aligned with the middle of the market rather than marketplace budget.
As usual I’ll cover the basics first. Surprise, surprise – it’s a doorbell with a camera. Another obvious fundamental for anyone who has never used one of these before – when the doorbell is used it will ‘call’ your smartphone by default. This segways nicely to why I have preferred Reolink’s video doorbell over budget alternatives – it comes with a Bluetooth chime, and plenty of ways to customise the default response and reply.
I’ve never enjoyed the way these products consistently default to a smartphone because I’m already bothered enough by notification overload – and despite the easy sharing of the QR code to my family so that they can have access privileges too, I usually end up being the pseudo-DM when it’s tech-related. The beauty of Reolink including the chime reminiscent of pre-smartphone doorbells is how easily it allows us to sidestep tech knowledge, smartphones, ease of use, etc – even if I still have to remind my mother-in-law that the groceries have been delivered to our door whilst I’m at work…
I’m a fan of simple, clean and black – so I think Reolink’s black video doorbell looks great. It’s not ostentatious, it has clean features without being too simple, and the coloured ring LED is significant enough that visitors will always know when the doorbell is functioning and where to press. I particularly appreciated how slim it is compared to similar competitors, given I only had a thin margin of doorframe to use (I wanted to cover the previous malfunctioning doorbell to avoid patching and painting). The transparent cover for the lens, microphone and IR LED was smudged within a few minutes of install – this hasn’t bothered me, and it’s easy enough to clean with a cloth wipe, but I know some of you might be more bothered by this than I am.
The install was easy. To emphasise how easy this was, I had a 14‑month‑old running from wall to security door playing peekaboo with me and assaulting the door I was trying to secure, whilst my older nearly‑4‑year‑old was watching Demon Hunters on high volume – and I still managed not to stuff it up. Reolink provides a paper template (so genius, so obvious in hindsight) – I lined up the screws with my driver, made some pilot holes, then once I’d lined up the baseplate everything was installed within a few minutes.
I chose the easy install option – battery powered (it took a few hours to charge via USB‑C after opening the box), Wi‑Fi, no wires. I didn’t really have an option to wire it into an existing wired doorbell – but Reolink provides plenty of kit to make sure you could manage that if you wanted, with very clear instructions in a written manual (I can’t believe how quietly grateful I am for paper when I get a written manual rather than having to constantly check my phone for PDF instructions). There is a wedge for the baseplate with a guide on why to consider it and how to install it – I elected not to given our door is recessed in an alcove. I’ve not had any issues with battery; after a week of use the battery is still at 97%, and it’s worth noting that we receive multiple packages a day, meaning the doorbell is triggered frequently (my mother‑in‑law and sister‑in‑law get a lot delivered here, sigh).
After install, it’s simple to set up with the app – after connecting to Wi‑Fi the instructions are clear with looping pictograms. Setting the detection zone is simple for animals, people and packages; use the touchscreen to zone off the area and it’s sorted. Pro tip: turn off the tamper alarm until you are sure you’ve finished… I made the mistake of turning this on. Suddenly I had the doorbell siren alarming in my hand, very loudly, which in turn triggered my older son to run around the house roaring, shouting “Demons! I’ll break you!” by which he meant the doorbell and the chime. It. Was. A lot. Everyone survived and the doorbell has been confirmed not to have patterns.
Most of my experience with smart doorbells has involved either budget options (less than $100) or similarly priced alternatives that all come with the requirement for a subscription. I loved that Reolink’s video doorbell was easier to install than all the budget options I’ve used before – it included all the advanced features I would expect from a mid‑range priced product ($169.99 AUD at time of writing) – but did not require an ongoing subscription. I cannot overstate how much I appreciate an all‑inclusive price, and that features that should reasonably be included are not locked behind a paywall. I can strongly recommend Reolink’s Video Doorbell if you are in the market for a great combination of both features and value without an ongoing subscription.
4.5/5 stars.
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