Best wireless doorbell: the best wire-free audio, video and smart doorbells for your home

From a classic ding-dong to a futuristic video feed, the best wireless doorbells can bring a touch of personality – and security – to your home. 

When a knocker just won't do, a wireless doorbell can offer your guests a welcoming chime as they reach your home, or a useful intercom for delivery workers in an age of social distancing. And, with camera-equipped doorbells, you’ve the peace of mind that there’s always an eye on your door, whether you’re there or not.

Wireless doorbells are a convenient, simple-to-install and often affordable DIY job for your home, letting you improve how audible a guest at your door is from any corner of your castle. Our top picks here are all battery powered, meaning there’s no need to fiddle about with wiring to get them working throughout your house. With plenty to choose from, here’s our top picks of the bunch.

Installed in minutes, capturing sharp HD video and even offering motion detection, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus is our top pick for the best wireless doorbell you can buy today. It’s not the cheapest on the list by a long shot, but its overflowing feature list makes it more than just a doorbell.

Features

With a full 1080p resolution camera, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus connects over Wi-Fi, and can work alongside your Amazon Alexa voice assistant, letting you use devices like the Amazon Echo Show (as well as your phone, of course) to see who’s at the door and speak to them, or trigger a hallway smart bulb to light up once the buzzer is pushed.

Night vision functionality lets you get a look at your guest even in low light, with pre-roll motion-triggered video letting you see who’s coming to the door before they’ve even buzzed. There’s even a separate solar charger accessory you can get to keep the battery charged – well, in places where the sun shines, at least!

Cloud storage

Its biggest drawback however is that its recorded video (not the clips you see live as someone is at the door, but those it captures in the background that are useful for security purposes) require a separate subscription. It’s an additional fee that you have to factor in, but adds extra peace of mind without the need for a separate security camera.

Live in a smaller apartment block or a flat? Perhaps a video doorbell then seems a bit excessive – after all, you can get up and be at your doorway in seconds. But that’s not to say you don’t want to see what’s happening outside without getting out there yourself. Ring’s Peephole camera might fit the bill – a compact connected camera giving you a view beyond your doorway, both in terms of digital video and a physical spy hole.

Features

Installed in just minutes, the battery-powered Ring Peephole Camera measures just 4.4 x 2.2 x 1.1 inches, and yet packs in Wi-Fi connectivity, a night vision enabled 1080p video recording camera and the smarts to make it work with iOS and Android phones, as well as Alexa-powered voice activated devices.

Recognising motion and even knocks on the door it is placed on, it lets you see on your connected mobile devices who is at the door and answer them with a two way microphone, and even set it up as part of smart home gadget routines – perhaps turning on a radio while you’re out if motion is recognized so as to give the impression to a burglar that you’re home.

Compact drawbacks

The nature of the peephole lens however has its inherent issues. Like a peephole, there’s a slight fisheye effect which, while giving you a wider view of the outside world, still creates some distortion around the edges. And, like other Ring products, if you want to maintain a library of historic recordings from the camera, and view them at your leisure, you’re going to have to sign up to one of Ring’s cloud storage subscription plans.

If you want a more affordable Ring doorbell, and one that doesn’t scrimp on the connected features of the more enhanced models, the standard Ring Video Doorbell (here we’re specifically speaking about the 2020 model) remains a great option. Like its stablemates it can connect to smart phone apps for remote video coverage, while also integrating with Amazon Alexa for smart home control, and retains the rechargeable battery form factor that allows it to be wireless.

Features

It may be cheaper, but that doesn’t mean the Ring Video Doorbell (2020) is any less accomplished. Like its pricier brethren it offers 1080p video capture, Wi-Fi connectivity, and Android and iOS app support for observing your door and notifications when motion is detected or a doorbell is pushed, letting you view what’s going on from afar.

Installation is easy, and the camera does a good job of distinguishing motion between approaching humans and, say, passing cars. Alexa routines can be programmed to work with the camera too, letting you make your connected lighting, for instance, work in tandem with the Ring’s own security features, such as night vision.

While its Wi-Fi isn’t as powerful as some models, and it doesn’t offer the same pre-buffered video as the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus, for most people this will get the job done nicely.

Non-removable battery

The main drawback for this cheaper model sits with its battery, however. While it can optionally be wired into a wall to the mains, its wireless nature relies on its internal battery. Unlike other Ring products, it can’t be removed and replaced with a backup battery, meaning that between every 6 to 12 months, you’re going to have to remove the whole doorbell and bring it inside for a charge.

That’s not a huge inconvenience, but does undermine the point of an always-watching security-focussed device. And yes, you guessed it, if you want to keep an online record of what the 2020 Ring Video Doorbell captures through its camera, you’re going to have to sign up to the company’s subscription service for online storage.

Perhaps you’ve already got a security camera at your front door, or find the thought of surveillance all around your home a bit ‘Big Brother’ like for your taste. The Avantek Wireless Doorbell is a simple but effective wireless doorbell that can be set up in minutes and offers melodious doorbell chimes around your home, without breaking the bank.

Features

There are three main components to the Avantek model – the outdoor, battery powered bell itself, and then two wall-powered receivers that ring when the doorbell is pushed. With the outside component powered by a removable watch battery, the trio can effectively cover a 400m range, giving your whole home coverage for when the doorbell is pressed.

That doorbell is protected from the elements by an IP55 waterproof casing, and can run for three years off its battery, placed on your wall either by an adhesive pad or an included screw mounting system.

The ringing receivers themselves offer 52 different tunes that can play when the doorbell rings (and LED flashes for the hearing impaired), and have five volume levels – one reaching a ridiculous 115 decibels, which Avantek says is similar to a full blown rock concert!

Not so smart

The main drawback from the Avantek model compared to the Ring options above is that it lacks smart home functionality. There’s no camera surveillance, and it can’t be integrated with Alexa, the Google Assistant or Apple’s HomeKit for connected monitoring of your home from afar. It’s superb in its simplicity, but might be a little too traditional for the tech fans in your home.

The most affordable option on our list, the 1byone Easy Chime keeps things simple with a fool proof, one receiver, one outdoor buzzer, set up. It’s not as feature-rich as other options on this list, and its range and number of ringtones is smaller too. But for many households, especially smaller ones, its bargain price and core features will do the trick.

Features

The 1byone Easy Chime’s outdoor bell is powered by two AA batteries, and can connect to its mains-powered chiming receiver at distances up to 100m away. With LED lights for the hearing impaired and 36 CD-quality tunes to pick from, the bell is more than loud enough to be heard over the din of a household, with three volume levels including a nap-time option that is great for sleeping infants. IP44 weatherproofing will ensure it works at extreme temperatures and in the rain, too.

Car fob confusion

Like the chime-only Avantek model, the 1byone Easy Chime has no Wi-Fi functionality, and cannot be programmed to work alongside other smart home devices that may connect to the likes of Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. A more quirky problem is that, according to some users, certain wireless car key fobs have been known to trigger the doorbell’s chimes unexpectedly.

This can be easily rectified by changing the frequency that the receiver works on, as instructed by the doorbell’s manual. But it’s a faff that the other pricier options don’t suffer from.

The Novete Wireless Doorbell system is pretty much a blow-for-blow match for the Avantek option, from their feature sets right down to the price points. While we’ve got a soft spot for the Novete’s slick design (available in black or white with blue lighting highlights), the two work so similarly that, for most people, it will really come down to a choice between which is cheaper at the time of purchase. They’re almost entirely evenly matched. 

Features

So, without sounding like a broken record having read this list’s Avantek entry, here’s a quick overview of what’s again on offer. Battery powered outdoor bell? Yep. Two mains powered chiming receivers? You got it. A substantial wireless range? Yes, the whole 400m. IP55 waterproofing, 52 melodies, five volume levels and LED indicators? Yes, yes, yes and double yes! If the Avantek has it, the Novete can lay claim to it too, making it another superb option.

Large wall receivers

Like the other audio-only models on this list, the Novete system can’t connect over Wi-Fi to other devices around your home. So as well there being a lack of a video feed, it can’t integrate with smart home devices that you may have connected to an Alexa or Google Assistant voice helper.

There’s another slight drawback in that the Novete ringing receivers are a little on the long side, meaning they may be a little tricky to place where there isn’t much clearance between a plug socket and a surface or object below them. But their chic look and affordability make them an otherwise great choice.

How to buy the best wireless doorbell

Your first move here is an easy one – is it actually a wireless doorbell kit? Some of the smartest video doorbells include wireless functionality that lets them stream video to your phone or other devices. But they still need to be connected to electrical wiring in order to work. Make sure you’re going for a kit that has battery-powered functionality – and not just during its set-up stage, but throughout its entire operation.

Secondly, consider your precise needs. Do you already have a home security camera system set up? Then perhaps a video doorbell on top of that is overkill, and you could save some money by going for a simple chime device instead. Remember that many of the video doorbells out there include continued cloud-based video hosting costs, so that’s an extra fee you have to factor in each month in many cases, and may be surplus to your needs.

Lastly, how big is your home? If it’s a sprawling mansion, you might need to get a wireless kit that has several chime units, so that you can hear the bells all around the building. Note though that many of the video doorbell options have accompanying app options, so you’ll get notifications to your phone when the buzzer is pressed, provided you keep your phone on your person to receive them in a timely manner!

What is the best wireless doorbell?

Though there’s lots to be said for the simplicity of an audio-only chime system, the video doorbells from Ring really are fantastic. The range of connected options, from video playback and recording to phone notifications is fantastic, and the fact it’s all achieved from a battery powered supply is remarkable. They’re not only great alert systems, but a first step towards securing your home with a video camera installation too.

Given the range of features they support, you’d be forgiven for expecting the Ring Video Doorbell systems to be twice the price they are. But the scale of the Amazon machine, the parent company behind Ring, means they stay relatively affordable. Any of the Ring options above get our recommendation.