Many people are considering smart home devices for their home, but haven't quite made the leap yet. Part of the reason may be due to not knowing how Doorbell Cameras certain smart home devices work and possibly, some fear that the devices maybe too difficult to use.
For others, it can come down to something as simple as cost and questioning if it even makes sense to spend the money.
I get it. Converting your home into a smart home can get expensive depending on which devices you decide to purchase.
One of the questions I've seen buzzing around lately concerns smart doorbell cameras and their cost. After looking into it and comparing some popular options, here is what I can tell you.
How much do doorbell cameras cost?
The cost of doorbell cameras can rangegreatly. It depends on the model and features available, as well as if you would prefer professional installation or plan to do the install yourself. Most newer doorbell cameras range from $99.99-$349.99.
Okay, I know what you're thinking, that's a pretty wide range. The good news is that in this article, I'll explain what creates that range in the price.
I'll go through a few of the popular features of doorbell cameras and show you which factors can affect the total price. Let's get started!
Key Doorbell Camera Options
Let's do a deep dive into some of the key features and benefits of doorbell cameras and what it will cost you.
Video Resolution
High quality video resolution is very nice to have, but it's not always a necessity. It strictly depends upon your preference.
If you're trying to keep the price low, you'll want to stick with 720p quality. Doorbell cameras displaying 1080p (a.k.a. full HD) will kick you right out of the $99.00 price range before even considering any other features and specifications.
If you haven't owned a doorbell camera before, you probably won't notice the difference in quality between 720p and 1080p. Although, I will admit, full HD quality can provide some stunning video feedback of that guy walking towards your front door to ring the doorbell.
Power Source
Power source options can also add to the cost of a doorbell camera. Low-end models will come with the option to use batteries or to be hardwired. Nothing too fancy.
When you get into models that range from $199.99-349.00, you're going to have the option to either hardwire the doorbell or use what's known as "Hardwired with Power over Ethernet(PoE)".
Although this does fall under the power source options category, PoE also involves the quality and speed of the internet connection. In simple terms, PoE supplies power along with a data connection through a single ethernet cable
This option removes the need to connect wirelessly to your router and eliminates latency and connection problems. Hardwired connections are always faster and more reliable than using wireless connection options.
Lower end models won't typically include PoE hardware or capability.
If there was one reason to opt for the higher end models, I'd argue that the option to connect via PoE is something you want included. I'm all about speed and when I lose Wi-Fi connection or experience slow connection speeds, I get severely frustrated. PoE will help this issue all together.