Why You Can Trust CNET Wyze Video Doorbell Pro Review: Prime Chime
Editor's Choice: This $90 wireless doorbell cam offers unmatched value with few drawbacks.
Like
- Fantastic value
- Free cloud storage
- Wide and tall field of view
- Reliable performance
Don't like
- Slight alert latency
- Slightly pixelated resolution
Product details
- Setup Moveable, outdoor/indoor
- Resolution 2560 x 1440 (2K)
- Storage Cloud storage
- Google/Alexa Compatibility Both
- Field of View 150 degrees
In 2020, Wyze launched the $50 Video Doorbell (it was only $30 at launch, but Wyze's prices have gone up), a wired-only buzzer with lots of features to recommend it, and spotty performance holding it back from greatness. The budget-friendly developer is back at it with another sub-$100 video doorbell -- this one wireless and a lot smarter than the first.
The Wyze Video Doorbell Pro is $90 (roughly £70 or AU$140), wireless and it includes a plug-in chime. It's got all the features you'd expect from a modern video doorbell, and a few surprises, too. On paper, just like Wyze's last attempt, this thing looks like a winner. The question is, can it live up to the promise?
This time, it turns out, the answer is yes.
Up and running
Wyze's website touts a 30-second mounting time for the Video Doorbell Pro, and if you use the included 3M strip, it'll take even less time than that. There's the usual battery charging, firmware updates and app installation necessary to truly get started, but Wyze really has streamlined the installation process impressively.
Once the buzzer and the chime are up and running, using them is a breeze. When someone presses the button, you get a nice, loud chime, both from the included plug-in device and the phone (if your volume is up).
You also get prompt alerts if someone approaches the doorbell but doesn't ring it -- for instance, to drop off a package.
Once you've pulled up the live stream, you can use two-way talk to converse with the visitor or delivery person. I tested the doorbell over a few days, and the alerts were consistently quick, but not so quick that I could catch a fleet-footed delivery person before they'd dropped the package on my step and headed back out for the next house. A few seconds of delay is par for the course with most video doorbells. The Video Doorbell Pro might've cracked the almost impenetrable $100 price floor for wireless video doorbells, but another product will have to solve that alert latency problem.
Where Wyze wins
What's really impressive about Wyze is that despite the low price tag it has a lot of premium features, including a 1:1 aspect ratio and a 150-degree horizontal and vertical field of view. That means you get a super clear view of a package left right below the buzzer, and an equally clear view of a friend's face who's crowding the camera.
While the square 1,440x1,440-pixel resolution wasn't quite as clear at longer distances as I would've liked to see, it did its job. The dynamic range of the camera means that sections of shade near areas of direct sunlight don't result in loss of detail.
Wyze is bigger than some other wireless video doorbells, like this Blink Video Doorbell. But it's not too chunky.
Out of the box, Wyze offers one of the best free cloud storage plans around. You'll get free storage for 12-second clips on a 14-day rolling basis. There's a 5-minute cool down period between recordings. No, it's not bulletproof security, but it's more than most major brands offer without a monthly fee.
If you do subscribe to Wyze's $2-a-month cloud storage service, the cooldown period vanishes and you get 14 days of rolling storage for clips of unlimited length. It also adds smarter notifications that can distinguish between people, pets, vehicles and packages.
In short, this thing offers a lot of value.
A couple of hiccups
In the Video Doorbell Pro, Wyze solves many of the performance problems that bogged down its original $50 video doorbell. But the Pro isn't perfect: as I mentioned, notifications can be a little slow, video clips occasionally cut at strange moments and the resolution isn't quite as crystal clear as it could be.
Another minor annoyance is the fish-eye effect of the 1:1 aspect ratio. Sure, it's great to have so much visibility, but the warping at the edges of the image doesn't look quite as nice as pricier video doorbells with similar fields of view, like the Arlo Essential or Ring Pro 2.
None of these issues are deal breakers, but they do hold the video doorbell back from blowing its competition out of the water completely.
Getting Wyze
The Wyze Video Doorbell Pro is one of the best values on the market. It's cheaper than Ring's most affordable wireless doorbell, and it has better features all around. It's also a lot smarter than other cheap wireless doorbells, like the Blink Video Doorbell.
If you're interested in wireless video doorbells, this is among the best you could find -- and certainly the best value around. No, it doesn't have some of the high-end features of much pricier devices (like radar sensing), but it's a fantastic gadget for most people.