SwitchBot Smart Video Doorbell and Monitor Review

Design and Installation

• Easy installation, with all basic equipment included in the box
• Included 4.3-inch monitor is easy to use
• Doorbell is fitted with spotlights

If you’re put off by the thought of a complicated installation, then you’ll be pleased with the SwitchBot Smart Video Doorbell. Unsurprisingly, you’ll need to create a SwitchBot account via the smartphone app to set up the doorbell, but this takes just a few moments. From here, you simply need to add the doorbell to your app by following the on-screen instructions.

There are a few ways you can install the doorbell, either by mounting the device via the included adhesive strip or by drilling screws into your door frame. If you prefer one method over the other, you won’t need to buy additional tools separately, as the adhesive strip and screws are all included in the box. There’s even a corner mount included for tighter front doors and porches too. Considering the likes of Ring require you to purchase no-drill and corner mounts separately, that’s a big plus for the SwitchBot.

You can also choose to hardwire the doorbell too, if you want to power the doorbell directly from the monitor. Otherwise, you’ll need to remove the doorbell to charge it via the USB-C port.

I opted for the adhesive mount which was seamless and took a matter of minutes, though I should say those minutes were probably me fussing around and making sure the mount was totally stuck on. 

Then came pairing the monitor to the doorbell. Again, this was simple and required plugging it into a socket and following the on-screen instructions. You can either attach the monitor on the wall, with the included metal bracket, or simply use the sturdy kickstand instead. Personally I think the monitor is best used as something portable, so you can choose to plug it in different rooms, but to each their own. 

The monitor is equipped with a built in 4GB SD card for local storage, which can be upgraded up to 512GB. While you don’t need a subscription for the SwitchBot Smart Video Doorbell and Monitor, you can sign up for cloud storage, which starts at £2.99 a month for Basic and £3.99 for Premium. Signing up also unlocks pet and vehicle detection, while the Premium plan allows for AI-powered automation, descriptive alerts and smart reports too. 

Otherwise, the SwitchBot Smart Video Doorbell itself has a simple design, with a large button at the bottom that’s hard to miss. It’s also equipped with two spotlights on either side of the camera.

Features

• Motion detection
• Two-way communication works, but can be patchy
• Matter compatible
• Monitor is easy to use and allows you to see live views, speak to visitors and check video playback

The app is the easiest way to control the doorbell’s settings, although I did come across some issues which I’ll go into later. From here you can link your doorbell to a compatible SwitchBot Smart Lock, snooze the camera and sound the alarm. You can also turn features like the spotlight, night vision and motion detection on or off here too. 

Dive deeper into the settings and you can further adjust what your doorbell captures. For example, you can set your detection area which is extremely useful if you live on a busy road with lots of foot traffic, the sensitivity level of motion detection and set schedules. While all users will be able to be notified when a human is detected, you’ll need the subscription for vehicles and pets. 

I found I had to play around with the sensitivity level a bit. You’re given an option between 1 and 10, with the higher sensitivity increasing the detection range, so I initially opted for the middle ground of 5. This level was slightly hit and miss as sometimes it simply didn’t pick up deliveries and even a friend popping in briefly. However, other times it would work as expected. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, as it does prevent too many unnecessary notifications.

You can also set the recording time, which I’d really recommend doing. I had mine set by default to five seconds which is, unsurprisingly, far too short. 

As mentioned, I did run into a few annoying issues with the app. It had a tendency to lag and struggle, especially when trying to watch the video playback where it would stutter or skip videos altogether. The app also sometimes took a while to load the live view, though this was something I noticed when I had been using the app recently.

Another slight issue was with the two-way communication. Each side of the conversation experienced quite a delay, and visitors reported that I sounded patchy when communicating through the app. However, when I used two-way communication through the monitor, visitors said I sounded clear, albeit with a slight delay.

The monitor is impressively easy to use with two large buttons to start or end communication. There are also four smaller buttons above for checking in on the live view, watching playback, lock/unlocking the picture and opening the menu. There are also pre-set responses to play for your visitors, but really it’s probably easier to just enable the two-way communication instead. As I said earlier, while you can hang the monitor up on a wall, I do think it’s better as a more portable device. 

Finally, the Smart Video Doorbell is Matter compatible and can be paired to smart home assistants like Alexa. That helps if you want smart speakers to chime when a caller comes, but you can’t answer a ring from a smart display, so the monitor may still be useful.

Video Quality

• 2K video resolution is bright and clear during the day
• Night vision isn’t the best but spotlights help

The SwitchBot Smart Video Doorbell has a 2K video resolution which, simply put, does the job. The quality is bright and clear during the day, however the picture naturally starts to lose detail the further away an object or person is. Up close, people’s faces are clear and distinguishable during the day. 

Things get a bit trickier at night. Although there is night vision present, the doorbell doesn’t pick up people and other passers-by when light levels drop. However, it does a great job at detecting people when walking up the path to my front door. The spotlight is bright and ensures a more detailed picture.

Should you buy it?