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Get a Great Video Doorbell Without a Subscription
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Great Gadgets, Inside, Outside

Get a Great Video Doorbell Without a Subscription

Did you know you can get a great video doorbell without a subscription? I’d wanted a video doorbell for the longest time but refused to pay a monthly or annual fee. So I searched long and hard to find a well-reviewed brand that would record and save high-quality, motion-activated videos in a smartphone app for viewing without a subscription. The winner was Eufy!

Eufy is no fly-by-night brand. It’s owned by Anker Innovations, a company known for its cutting-edge technology creating smart devices and appliances for home and entertainment. Anker products, such as portable chargers, cables and USB plugs, are all over Amazon with excellent reviews. In addition to video doorbells, Eufy has a slew of home security items to choose from. So video doorbells are not their first foray into this forum.

In This Post

Eufy Video Doorbells

The Eufy video doorbells are available as a single or double-camera device that can be hardwired or powered via its internal rechargeable battery. A subscription is not required to save and view the motion-activated video clips, so there are no hidden costs or fees.

The Dual Video Doorbell

With two cameras in one device, there are no blind spots, which is why I purchased two Eufy Dual Video Doorbells.

Both doorbells came well-packaged. The HomeBase paired quickly with my Wi-Fi and both devices.

They were easy to install. I hardwired the front doorbell in place of my existing doorbell. With a doorbell by the back door, I’m utilizing the rechargeable battery that comes inside the device.

I have my doorbells set up to chime via the HomeBase, which has several ringtones to choose from. The volume is adjustable so you can hear it from anywhere in the house.

Features & App

The Eufy S330 doorbells have several great features. Here are a handful worth highlighting:

  • Two motion sensors to alert you when someone is at or near the door: 1. a Radar detector that picks up movement, and 2. a PIR (passive infrared) that senses heat.
  • With two-way audio, the doorbell doubles as an intercom, allowing you to speak with whoever is at the door.
  • Infrared LED lights are motion-activated to enable night vision.
  • Smart AI will recognize faces you save and announce them when they’re at the door.
  • Delivery Guard protects your packages and reminds you to pick up uncollected items.
  • The doorbell can be paired with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to work with your smart home.

Once paired and installed, setup is straightforward in the Eufy app (Apple and Google). In the app, you can customize the settings, adjust notifications, view outside in real-time, speak with whoever is at the door, and watch back recorded events. All without a subscription.

Here is an example of the notifications you can receive on your smartphone. I have it set to show me a thumbnail image of the video.

You can invite family members to access the app. By accepting, they too can receive motion alerts and notifications, speak with someone at the door, and view recorded events.

Image Quality

As you can see in the screenshots below, the 2K HD image quality is excellent. I can very clearly see when I get a delivery and by whom, which is why I had to block out the delivery man’s face – you can easily see who he is.

Reviews

Don’t take my word for it; here are snippets from some of the Eufy S330 Dual Video Doorbell reviews I read:

  • Consumer Reports: “Overall this model has Excellent video with higher quality detail than most video doorbells, Very Good data security offering a high level of protection from your data being hacked or stolen, [and] responds very quickly to be able to speak with a visitor.”
  • Good Housekeeping: “Our testers gave this doorbell camera top ratings for ease of use and were impressed by its video quality.”
  • PC Magazine: “The doorbell performed well in testing. The upper camera delivered sharp 2K video with bright colors and the package camera provided a crisp image of my doorstep area. Delivery Guard features worked flawlessly—the camera always issued a response when someone approached a package left on my doorstep and the Package Live Check feature always located and identified a package delivery and supplied video of when somebody approached the box. Face recognition also worked as intended.”
  • Popular Mechanics: “Like our other video doorbell picks, the Eufy Dual has two-way audio so you can communicate with guests, an easy-to-press button, and solid night vision. But unlike most of the other options, it offers exceptionally good resolution, works wired or with a battery, and integrates into either an Alexa or Google smart home. Your clips are saved both locally and to the cloud without a subscription.”
  • Tech Advisor: “The Eufy Video Doorbell Dual is one of few genuine competitors to the Ring Video Doorbell, offering great video quality, responsive notifications, AI-driven features, and, crucially, the lack of monthly fees for storage and additional functionality.”

Get It

Get it, you won’t regret it. We’ve been using the Eufy Dual Video Doorbell S330 with HomeBase and S330 Addon since July and have been very happy. Just FYI, you must have the HomeBase, then you can add additional video doorbells (Addons).

Eufy video doorbells are competitively priced with big-name doorbells and may even cost more than devices with names you don’t know. But Eufy has no subscription fees. The purchase price is your only out-of-pocket expense since there are no monthly or annual fees to add up.

The best prices as of this writing are:

MerchantEufy Dual Video Doorbell S330 with HomeBaseEufy Dual Video Doorbell S330 Addon
AmazonOn Sale for $199, Reg $259On Sale for $139, Reg $199
Best Buy$259.99N/A
Walmart$259.99On Sale for $139, Reg $199

Both Eufy S330 Doorbells can be hardwired or powered via the rechargeable battery that comes inside the device.

The online information for powering the doorbells is confusing and misleading. Even though it says battery-operated, they do come with the hardware and instructions for hardwiring, should you choose to.

If you have or get the Eufy Dual Video Doorbell, please let me know how you like it!

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