A smart doorbell is the best investment I've made as a homeowner. More than a smart lock or a bunch of cameras, or the million Hue lights or the smart displays or the robot vacuum, my Nest Hello smart doorbell has become indispensable. In the Before Times, when I used to leave the house, it would let me communicate in pretty clear audio and decent video quality with anyone who rang the chime; these days, it lets me triage who's at my door so I know whether I need to open it at all.
When I bought the Nest Hello, it was nearly $300 and I didn't hesitate. I already had a home full of Nest products, and I bought it in conjunction with the Nest x Yale lock, which has also proven very useful, and most of the time they all work together pretty seamlessly.
Nest Hello Smart Video Doorbell | $50 off at Best Buy
The Nest Hello is a great investment at full price, but at $180, it's an even better bargain that will add tangible quality-of-life improvements to your home.
Ring is pretty well known for making video doorbells, but I had one before the Nest Hello, and the thing that always got to me was how long it took for the app to open and for you to be able to communicate after they pressed the button. Even on a wired doorbell, the Ring app just tanked connecting to Wi-Fi.
The Nest Hello was faster and more reliable on day one, and offered 24/7 recording through a Nest Aware subscription — though you still get three hours of recorded video without a sub — which makes it super easy to scrub through your history. It all just works, and I absolutely adore it.
