If I had to spend my own money today, I’d buy the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2. Not because it’s the flashiest, but because it’s the one that actually works every single day without making me want to throw my phone at the wall.

I’ve had one for two years now. The head-to-toe view is the reason I’m not replacing it — I can see a package on my porch and the face of the person dropping it off in the same frame. That’s not a gimmick. It’s caught two porch pirates in the act, and the 1536p resolution is sharp enough to read a license plate from 15 feet away. The Pre-Roll feature is the sleeper hit too — it records four seconds of grainy footage before motion is even triggered, so you see the person walking up, not just appearing at the door like a ghost.

The honest con is the subscription. Without the $5/month Ring Protect plan, you’re stuck with live view only — no rewatching anything. And if your doorbell transformer is weak, you’ll be buying a $15 upgrade before you even install it. But the app is rock solid, the motion zones actually work (my neighbor’s tree stopped setting it off after a 2-minute setup), and it’s the only doorbell I’ve never had to reboot.

If your budget is tighter, get the TP-Link Tapo C210 instead. It’s $30, it’s not a doorbell, but it’s a pan-tilt indoor camera that’s stupid easy to set up. The motorized head follows motion, the 2K image is genuinely surprising for the price, and it has a microSD slot for local storage — no subscription, ever. The con? The plastic feels cheap, the app is basic, and the night vision is mediocre beyond 20 feet. But for $30, it’s the best “set it and forget it” security cam you can buy. I’ve got one pointing at my back door and it’s never let me down.

Check it on Amazon

If money’s no object, go with the Google Nest Cam (Battery, 2nd Gen). It’s $180 and it’s honestly not the sharpest or the fastest. But the smart alerts are on another level — it correctly tells the difference between a person, a car, and my dog. That means I don’t get a push notification every time a squirrel runs by. I only get pinged for actual humans. And the magnetic mount is genius — I pop it off and clip it to my backpack when I walk the dog. It’s held up through rain and snow without a hiccup.

But here’s why I’m not buying it as my main camera: without the $8/month Nest Aware plan, you get three hours of snapshot history. That’s it. Three hours is useless if you leave for work. And the speaker is so weak that yelling “hey, that’s my package” sounds like a muffled whisper. For that price, I expect to be able to scare off a thief, not politely ask them to reconsider.

I would not buy the Eufy S330 as my main pick, even though it has no subscription and a 4-6 month battery. The image quality is great (2K is noticeably sharper than Ring), and the built-in 8GB storage means you never pay a monthly fee. But the app is clunky — it takes three taps to get to live view, and notifications lag about two seconds. And the included chime sounds like a 1990s Nokia ringtone. I muted it after day one. It’s a great second camera, but not the one I’d trust as my primary.

Seriously. Just get the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2. You’ll thank me in 6 months.

Check it on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

📚 More Buying Guides

You might also like: