SpotCam Video Doorbell 2. Review
Summary
SpotCam Video Doorbell 2 is a good value for money and offers all I need from a video doorbell. It is available in the following languages: free The 7-day cloud recording option is an excellent addition, and is what makes this product superior to the Eufy Doorbell for the same price.
There are pros
- Priced competitively with included chime
- There are no ongoing fees unless you choose to subscribe to additional services
Cons
- It isn’t as effective as the other brands.
- Subscription fees for AI object detection are high
- Maybe not cheap enough to be noticed amongst the crowd
They are my absolute favorite piece of smart tech. However, they can be quite expensive; the latest Ring Video Doorbell 4 and the Arlo Essential Wireless Video Doorbell are both £179.
The SpotCam Video Doorbell 2 comes in at a much more wallet-friendly £89 with the added bonus of including a chime speaker and free 7-day cloud recording. Ring will charge you £19.99 for a chime and Arlo £44.99. This is a great deal, as it’s half the cost of big-name brands and doesn’t incur ongoing costs (although there are optional subscription services).
Specification
We did not find any products.
- Full HD 1080P
- Panorama fisheye lenses 180 degrees
- Night vision with IR LEDs
- False alarms can be reduced by intelligent active motion detectionfree and paid services)
- Audio with Voice Changer – Full Duplex Two-Way audio
- Cloud storage for free 7 days to track back
- Wire-free Bluetooth and design make everything simpler
- Compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT
Set-Up
It was easy to set up, and is similar to other IoT devices. Bluetooth is used to make the setup easier, passing the details of the 2.4Ghz WiFi network.
You will find it annoying to have to turn off the free To get seven-day cloud storage you must go through the subscription setup process. Thankfully they don’t require you to provide card details, and it only takes a few seconds, but I would have thought this would be enabled as default.
You can adjust various settings within the camera setting. HD Video is available. You can adjust the image quality and see night clearly.
A feature I love is being able to add email alerts above the regular push alerts.
You can also set up an alert schedule, so you don’t get bothered while you are sleeping.
This installation was better than most. There are four screws that secure the backplate in place. However, there is also some 3M tape available to attach it to anything.
Performance
Video
It is clear enough. I’d say it is similar to the performance you get from Ring. But it costs much more. Eufy, Arlo and other brands offer better quality. It is not important to me that the video doorbell has amazing quality. All I need is to be able to see who’s at the door and get timely notifications.
Although the fisheye lens has a wider verticle field than Ring, it is not nearly as sharp as Arlo’s 1:1 aspect ratio.
Even though night vision can be acceptable, Ring Video Doorbell 3 performed about the same, but Video Doorbell 4 is better.
Motion Detection
Performance in motion detection is below-par. SpotCam doesn’t allow you to customize things.
Although the specification says it employs intelligent, active motion detection, I get far more false alarms that Eufy/Ring/Arlo.
The garden is securely fenced from the street, and it is not possible to set it off. It is possible that this is what older IP surveillance cameras were triggering from shadows and swaying plants.
Battery
While the battery seems to be in good condition, I haven’t had it for long enough to fully drain, so I doubt that 6 month claim. Based on my current usage, I’d expect more like a monthly charge. You can reduce your battery consumption by changing the image settings, or even using the video AI Service.
The only difference to Eufy is that you need to disassemble the doorbell in order to charge it. You’ll be without one for hours. The removable batteries of Ring and Arlo are my favorite, as you can easily swap them out for a new one.
Other brands make it difficult to take the doorbell off, but this is possible with ease. It is easy to take the doorbell off to charge it, however it can be easily taken away by an intruder. I wouldn’t regard it as a significant issue, but I guess it depends where you live.
WiFi Performance & Notification Lag
Notification lag is a problem with video doorbells, which can often be caused by bad WiFi.
So far, there doesn’t seem to be a serious issue with this camera. Although loading events and live streams takes a while, they load quickly.
Video AI – Advanced object detection
SpotCam is lauded for its ability to offer a variety of services, free They offer basic cloud recording as well as the ability to save to microSD.
They will charge $5.95 per monthly for basic human detection. For $9.99, you can get an outdoor service package that includes missing object, human and vehicle detections, as well as virtual fence.
Eufy takes care of all these things free, and Ring/Arlo do most of this as part of their subscription packs which are around £2.50 per month.
I assume the SpotCam subscription will cover all the SpotCam devices you may have, but Ring Plus is still only £8/month for unlimited devices and 30-day video history.
Cloud Plan Recording
SpotCam cloud recording plans, while more expensive than the Video AI plans, are still quite reasonable.
You can get 30 days of recording for .95 (£2.08) per month or per year per camera, which is less than what Arlo and Ring charge for a single device (£2.50/month). However, there are no bulk options, so if you add several cameras around your home, the costs will mount up, whereas Ring caps out at £8pcm.
Pricing and Other Options
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The SpotCam Video Doorbell 2 is £89.99 and includes a chime.
Eufy Security 2K Wireless video doorbell was the most reliable option that I’ve used. It is currently priced at £179, the same as Ring and Arlo, but it regularly drops to £134. The home base works as a chime, and the overall quality and performance are well worth the extra price (at £134).
Alternatively, there is the 1080P eufy Security WiFi Video Doorbell Kit for £89.99. The kit includes a chime. Although I haven’t tried it yet, Eufy says it is great. SpotCam has the disadvantage of not having a camera. free Cloud recording for 7 days; however, it provides on-device AI human detection free All are welcome.
Then Ring also has their Ring Video Doorbell for £89, there is no chime, and you will need to pay £2.50/month or £24.99/year to make the most out of it. Although I’ve not tried it, Ring is sure that this will work well.
In general
SpotCam Video Doorbell 2 offers a good value when considering the price. Because of the included chime, it is quite affordable than the Ring. free cloud recording.
Problem is, the Eufy 1080P is often the same price as the SpotCam. However, the Eufy 1080P does not have cloud recording.
Ideally, I’d say the SpotCam should be £10-20 less to make it stand out from the more reputable brand names. The SpotCam is still an acceptable video doorbell. It’s worth checking out the Amazon discount that regularly occurs.
Last Updated: 2022-12-25. Affiliate links/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
