Reolink Doorbell Battery Review: This Video Doorbell Sees Everything

Smart doorbells have become a staple of modern home security systems, offering solid defense against intruders, porch robbers, ding-dong ditchers, and other miscreants. And who doesn’t want to be notified in advance about even a well-disposed guest in the age of social distancing?

Traditional doorbell cameras, however, have a significant drawback. They typically have a 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio, which is great for seeing people’s faces, but lack the vertical field of view necessary for viewing things below your line of sight—including packages left on your doorstep. The Reolink doorbell battery solves this problem with a 1:1 aspect ratio that provides a full view from head to toe of visitors and provides a more comprehensive view of the surroundings outside your door.

Design and Features

The doorbell has a clean, modern design with a matte black finish. The button, microphone, lens, and motion and light sensors are subtly integrated into the doorbell faceplate, leaving the essentials almost invisible. This minimalist design makes the doorbell relatively discreet, ensuring that it can blend seamlessly into most home exteriors.

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

The head-to-toe aspect ratio of the doorbell is expanded with a 180-degree diagonal field of view (150 degrees horizontally and vertically). It records 2K video, 4 megapixels in daylight, and can distinguish between people, vehicles, and packages, even at night. The microSD card slot provides up to 256GB of local storage (card not included), which can be expanded to 1TB when paired with the $100 Reolink Home Hub and a pair of 512GB microSD cards.

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best video doorbells.

Configuration and installation

The doorbell can be powered by a 7000mAh battery or, if you’re replacing an existing wired doorbell, by this device’s transformer (8~24VAC, 5VA-40VA). In either scenario, the first step is to pair the doorbell with the Reolink mobile app. The process is similar to other smart devices, where you add the doorbell and then follow the app’s instructions to connect it to your Wi-Fi network (note that this device supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks). It only took me a few minutes.

If you are permanently connecting the doorbell, you will need to locate the doorbell – pressing the button on the existing doorbell and following the signal is a good tactic – remove its cover and use a multimeter to read the transformer voltage. Once you have confirmed that it is within the required voltage range, you can start the installation. The included Reolink setup guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to power down the doorbell, remove it, and connect and mount the Reolink doorbell. Please note that you will need to provide your own tools.

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Wireless installation is much easier. Once the doorbell battery is fully charged using the included USB cable, you can choose your mounting location. Reolink recommends mounting the doorbell 48 inches (1.2 meters) above the porch, and the company provides a mounting template to ensure accuracy when drilling holes. If you’re mounting the doorbell to brick, concrete, or another hard surface, insert the included wall anchors; if you’re mounting to a soft surface like wood siding or stucco, you can skip this step. Then, screw the mounting bracket to the wall and snap the doorbell into place.

If you’re doing a wireless install, you probably don’t have a doorbell. Reolink offers two options, both sold separately: the aforementioned Reolink Home Hub can double as a doorbell, or you can opt for the $20 Reolink Chime, which plugs into a wall outlet. The company provided me with the latter for this review.

Efficiency

When someone presses the doorbell, you get a phone notification similar to an incoming call, which you can either reject or accept. In the latter case, you use your phone’s audio and video to communicate with the visitor. These interactions worked smoothly and without lag during my tests.

You will also receive alerts when any of the three types of motion are detected. These settings are highly configurable. You can configure each of them individually using the sensitivity slider to increase the accuracy of alerts and filter detection objects by size. You can also mask non-detection zones for each type of object that NO I want to monitor. The detection setting worked well in my tests, letting me know about activity at my door without bombarding me with unnecessary notifications.

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

In my evaluation, the doorbell captured sharp video with bright, accurate colors. My narrow porch caused significant fisheye distortion, but the vertical view captured everything from the step outside my door to the sky above my neighbor’s roof.

Operating your doorbell and managing its settings is similar to using a home security camera. You can access the live video feed from your doorbell via the Reolink app, where you can record video, issue canned responses like “Hi, leave the package at the door. We’ll pick it up later,” or even set off an alarm to scare away suspicious visitors.

The app also lets you manage your doorbell settings. It will detect your current mechanical or digital doorbell and adjust its settings accordingly. If you opt for the Reolink doorbell, you can choose from 10 sounds and assign different ringtones to each type of motion detection. Alternatively, you can connect the doorbell to Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa to receive voice notifications via a compatible device instead of audible alerts.

Is it worth buying a battery for the Reolink doorbell?

There are cheaper doorbells out there than the Reolink Doorbell Battery, which retails for $145.99. Best of all, the new Ring Battery Doorbell Pro, which also provides a head-to-toe view, costs just $100. Unlocking all the features of this doorbell, however, requires a subscription to the Ring Protect Plan: $5 per month or $50 per year for one Ring device; $10 per month or $100 per year for all Ring cameras and doorbells. The Reolink Doorbell Battery offers full functionality without any subscription fees, although you will have to make a one-time expense for one type of storage (e.g. a microSD card or one of the storage devices connected to the Reolink network).

For many users, this will be a better option in the long run, especially in today’s overheated economy where most of us have to save every penny.