I need to put a camera on my porch as it’s about the only area inside or outside the house without any coverage currently. I do have an outdoor camera that which does capture people walking towards the porch.
So one question is would I be better off installing a regular camera in one of the corners of the porch, as I already have an existing old school doorbell. Or should I just replace my existing old school doorbell with one of the doorbell cameras.
The other question is if I should get one of the doorbell cameras instead of a regular camera which one do I get. I’m not so concerned if it’s hardwired or battery. What is important is that I want continuous recording and not just clips or continuous cloud only recording. I see there are only three doorbell cameras that have either built in storage or SD storage. What isn’t clear on the models that offer storage (local or SD) is if they do continuous recording. Some say they do but others aren’t specific if they are continuous, continuous o ly with cloud, or only clips.
Can you guys please provide some clarity and input. Thank you.
Opinions will vary. Personally my porch camera is sitting on the lower window sill inside the house in the guest bedroom. I had a v2 there but just ordered an OG to replace it. Higher up in the same window, I have a v4 pointed away from the porch that shows arrivals and departures.
There is no correct way to set up a cam. Some people prefer external cams. I like mine in an environmentally-protected enclosure such as inside my house.
There are many options such as bulb cams and doorbell cams. Luckily Wyze cams are very affordable. If you find something better, you can put the cam somewhere else.
I have 4 Wyze Cam v3 cameras watching the outside of my house. All are inside double pane windows looking out. The bottom left camera watches my front porch.
I’ve got several of the Wyze cans looking out windows to cover the outside in various areas instead of installed outside. There are custom and 3D printed mounts to mitigate the reflections I’ve just gotten creative with poster board and duck tape myself to reduce the reflections
Unfortunately I have a massage front porch that’s fully covered and don’t have a single window that overlooks the front porch. I’ll need to install something outside for the porch so I can see who’s at the door or if my packages have been delivered yet.
Like others have said, I think that’s largely a matter of personal opinion, application, and goal. I had been considering a video doorbell for a while to replace my “dumb” doorbell button but wasn’t really seeing what I wanted until Wyze released Video Doorbell v2 a couple of years ago, and among its features were two that really appealed to me and prompted my purchase:
It wires to my current low-voltage AC and can ring my home’s existing built-in mechanical chime.
It offers local microSD storage with continuous recording without requiring a subscription.
The only thing that has really disappointed me about that doorbell is that it doesn’t provide great coverage of the porch surface, so it’s not always possible to tell in live view whether or not a package has been left there. For a while, I considered adding a second camera up in a corner to look down and provide full porch coverage, but I wasn’t sure how to do this neatly (providing power to that location while keeping the cables out of the way, etc.). I ended up creating and printing a 3D model to give the camera a downward angle, and that worked out really well for me. (Wyze later released the Video Doorbell v2 Wedge Kit, which is probably a simpler solution.)
I think either option (Video Doorbell or Cam) can work, but it really depends on your situation, location, needs, etc.
First off, my understanding in the Wyze world is that “local storage” equals “microSD slot”. Second, I have personal experience with only Video Doorbell v2 and Battery Video Doorbell. The other model with a microSD recording capability is Duo Cam Doorbell.
Video Doorbell v2 is intended for a wired installation only. Since it’s designed to receive continuous power that way, it gives the user the option of continuous or events-only recording.
Battery Video Doorbell allows Events Only recording if you’re using it as a battery-powered device. If you try to select Continuous, then the app presents a message: “Not Supported / Continuous recording is not supported in battery mode.” If you have an adequate transformer and wire it to your current doorbell’s AC, then it will allow you to select continuous microSD recording.
Duo Cam Doorbell I haven’t used. It requires the rechargeable battery pack to be installed even if it’s being used in a wired installation, and I believe that its behavior with respect to microSD recording is the same as that of Battery Video Doorbell.
I realize you wrote this earlier:
One of your take-away messages here should be that you’re going to want to wire whatever you get if continuous microSD recording is a must-have.
I still haven’t decided what I’m going to do about this. I like how Battery Video Doorbell shows more of my porch without requiring a downward-angled mount, but I’m not a fan of the pronounced fish-eye effect, and I think Video Doorbell v2’s colors are better (it has a Wide Dynamic Range option that I hope they add to Battery Video Doorbell).
I don’t know what your lighting situation is on the porch, but that might give you the option of something like Lamp Socket v2 plus Cam OG. I’m currently trying out something like that at my driveway and have been really pleased with it so far.
So if the Duo Doorbell Camera, and it seems like there are three versions, requires to be hardwired AND to have the battery installed does that mean that the battery still need to come out and be recharged or does the hardwiring keep the battery topped door I can’t justify hardwiring abd having to remove the battery to recharge I love the concept of the door but ai might have to consider the regular doorbell that records to asap but only requires hardware and no battery or maybe a regular camera up in the corner where I can capture the porch for faces and packages in the floor not ideal but a define choice
Video Doorbell v2 (which I have) doesn’t have a battery and requires wiring for power (like a typical “dumb” doorbell button). It does have a decently-sized capacitor that will keep it powered for several seconds (maybe up to half a minute or so) when power is disconnected. I imagine that keeps it going during power blips and during the voltage drop that can occur when the doorbell chime is being actuated.
Battery Video Doorbell (which I have) has an internal rechargeable battery that can be charged via its USB-C port or continuously when wired.
Duo Cam Doorbell (which I do not have) requires its removable rechargeable battery pack to be installed even when it’s wired, and wiring it keeps the battery charged, but I believe it’s actually the battery that powers the device’s operation. I think as long as your transformer and wiring meet the specified requirements you can leave it wired in place (with the battery installed) and have that continuously record for you without the need to remove the battery. I don’t know what effect that has on the battery’s longevity, but at least with the removable pack you can replace the battery at some point in the future if that becomes necessary. That wouldn’t be possible (or not as easily practical) with Battery Video Doorbell and its internal battery.
Perfect. If all correct this is exactly the information I was hoping for. Thank you.
I think I’ll likely be going with the latest Duo cam. The only that has an angle for the bottom cam for easier porch floor viewing as well as finally including the chime. I’m unsure if I want to use the Wyze chime or my current old School doorbell speaker.
You’re welcome. I hope it’s helpful. Post other questions if you have them.
If I hadn’t already fabricated my own angled mount for Video Doorbell v2 by the time Duo Cam Doorbell was released, then I would’ve considered that one myself for the porch floor coverage. I think that one had a lot of problems when it was initially launched, but it’s been out for over a year now, and I believe Wyze has largely mitigated most issues with firmware and app updates.
I think you can use both simultaneously, and all three allow you to use certain Wyze Cam models as accessory chimes, as well. If you want any of these doorbells to actuate your home’s built-in chime—and if the chime is compatible—then you’ll want to purchase and install Chime Controller. If you don’t plan to use your existing doorbell’s chime, then you can bypass that using the included Jump Wire or just wire the FRONT and TRANS wires together with a nut at the chime box (I’d label them first if just wiring them together). Having a multimeter available can be helpful when installing and troubleshooting these things.
