Looking for a good doorbell camera under $100, ideally with no subscription. I’d like it to have SD storage or a way to save locally. Thinking of either the Tapo D130 or Reolink. Any thoughts?
EDIT:
I ended up going with the Tapo D130, and I’m pretty impressed for $55! Video quality is sharp, night vision in color is solid, and it links up with my Synology NAS for storage. Definitely beats the Reolink in my experience.
Go with Reolink. If you add an NVR, you can record everything locally and link it with other cameras in one place.
Lyle said:
Go with Reolink. If you add an NVR, you can record everything locally and link it with other cameras in one place.
Doesn’t Reolink only work with its own NVR? My cousin had issues with connecting them to other brands’ NVRs. Maybe they’ve added ONVIF now?
@Julius
Yeah, but some models do support ONVIF. You just have to check the specs.
@Julius
Not necessarily. I’ve got a Reolink doorbell that records directly to my Synology. No Reolink cloud or subscriptions required. It’s been easy to set up and works great.
@Julius
I think newer models are more flexible. I’m using both the doorbell and floodlight duo with Frigate for 24x7 recording, and it works perfectly. Just make sure to check compatibility first.
Picked up a TP-Link Kasa doorbell on Amazon for about $30. It takes an SD card, and you can use the app to watch live or playback recordings. Haven’t installed it yet, but my other Kasa cams have been great. They’re affordable and offer local storage.
@Rick
Thanks! I decided to try the Tapo D130 to see how it works.
James_Olambo said:
@Rick
Thanks! I decided to try the Tapo D130 to see how it works.
Nice! Let me know how it goes!
@Rick
Do these cameras record over old footage when the SD fills up, or do they just stop recording?
leecole1 said:
@Rick
Do these cameras record over old footage when the SD fills up, or do they just stop recording?
They overwrite old footage. Mine gets about 15 days of storage with my current settings. Adjusting quality can probably increase that.
Might be out of your budget, but UniFi cameras store locally too.
Shane said:
Might be out of your budget, but UniFi cameras store locally too.
I wish there were a cheaper UniFi option that connects to UniFi Protect. Their current doorbell camera is huge, and I’m not a fan of the look.
@Julian
On the bright side, UniFi just added fingerprint and NFC support on their doorbells, so you can unlock smart locks with them now.
Reolink, for sure.
Reolink all the way!
I have a Reolink, and I absolutely love it.
I use Tapo wireless cams, and I’m impressed by the battery life, but I’m an old-school contractor, so I prefer wired setups. I’ve also tried Hikvision cams, which are subscription-free with their app.
Julius said:
I use Tapo wireless cams, and I’m impressed by the battery life, but I’m an old-school contractor, so I prefer wired setups. I’ve also tried Hikvision cams, which are subscription-free with their app.
Plus, if you have an NVR, you can connect them for continuous recording.
I’ve had a Ring doorbell for a while now, but it’s 720p, and I pay $60 a year for a subscription in Canada. Recently, I got a TP-Link Tapo camera that offers local SD card storage as an option. I’m considering getting their doorbell when my Ring subscription runs out.