Blink Vs Nest Vs Ring Doorbell: Which One Should You Get?
When a visitor or someone is knocking at your door, you can easily get a live view from doorbell systems. These are great for the security, and protection of your home and yourself.
There are various types of doorbell systems available on the market. In the Blink Vs Nest Vs Ring Doorbell comparison, the Nest Doorbell surpasses the rest in functionality and ease of use.
Price and Availability: Blink VS Nest VS Ring Doorbell
All three doorbells are widely available on the local market and on Amazon. The price points however differ a bit.
Here’s the price list for each doorbell system:
- Amazon’s Blink Doorbell: $59.99 (Buy here)
- Google’s Nest Doorbell: $179.99 (Buy here) | $96.79 (Amazon Discount)
- Amazon’s Ring Doorbell: Starts at $64.99 (Check options here)
How Different Doorbells Work: Blink VS Nest VS Ring Doorbell
Video doorbells are one of the most complicated devices. Not because the doorbell itself is a complex piece of machine, but because the features are not standardized at all.
Here’s how these doorbell systems work:
Detection Methods
All three doorbell systems have motion detection systems. The Blink doorbells have standard motion detection for any movement in the footage.
The Nest doorbell takes it a level higher by differentiating between people, packages, pets, and vehicles with more targeted notifications. Nest doorbells use machine learning technology to do this.
The Ring doorbells stand out for their 3D motion detection feature. It can pinpoint motion and the distance from the sensor.
Here is a table with a summary of each doorbell’s detection systems:
Detection Type | Blink | Nest | Ring |
Motion | High | High | High |
Person | N/A | High | High |
Face | N/A | High | N/A |
Package | N/A | High | Medium |
Animal | N/A | High | N/A |
Vehicle | N/A | High | N/A |
In this criterion, the Google Nest doorbells far outclass the other ones.
Footage Quality
Each type of doorbell system’s video has a distinct advantage over the other.
The Blink doorbells provide 1080p HD video along with infrared capability. The videos are moderately clear during the day and night.
The Nest Doorbells also work on 1080p HD with HDR+. The addition of HDR enhances the video quality. The Nest doorbell 2nd generation has a fish-eye distortion fix.
Nest doorbells provide the best realistic imagery under all lighting conditions.
The Ring Doorbells however offer 1536p HD+ video capturing. The footage is extremely clear during the night and low-light situations like the dawn and dusk.
Notifications
One of the most crucial aspects to consider is how the device performs when someone rings the doorbell. The notification type is different for all three doorbell systems.
The doorbells have dedicated apps to access footage and other notification data. You can manage whether or not you get a notification.
The Blink app shows a notification for any detected motion in its view. Here’s how it looks:
The Ring doorbells have an option called “Rich Notifications” on the Ring app that you can toggle on and off. It shows a picture of the live footage and states the thing that it detects.
Google’s Nest doorbell provides a moving GIF image of the object in its field of view. The image is clear and there is no distortion or blurriness when it moves.
Overall, the Nest doorbell’s notification system is the best. You get real-time updates on the GIFs and you can unmute the mic on the nest from there.
Power Options
Both the Blink and Ring doorbells have dual power options. You can either plug it in with an existing doorbell system or use AA batteries to power wirelessly.
These two doorbells give the users more versatility and convenience to set up the doorbells based on their unique home setups and preferences.
The Nest doorbells fall short in power source as they only provide a wired connection for power. However, it allows continuous power and reliability without the need for battery replacements.
Two-way Audio
All three doorbells have built-in speakers to communicate through their respective apps. The audio is muffled and there is a 2-3 seconds delay. The Blink doorbell does not have any additional features.
The Ring and Nest doorbells have an automated smart reply feature with prerecorded messages. These also have noise cancellation and other features for seamless communication.
The Ring doorbell has Audio+ with enhanced audio quality as well.
App Speed
On every term, the Blink doorbells fall short. It is hard to use and the app is very slow. It takes a lot of time to bring up the feed and the communication through the app is horrendous.
The Nest and Ring apps are really fast and offer the best audio and video quality. The UI/UX is simple and settings are easy to change according to your personal preferences.
Unique Features and Home Ecosystems: Blink VS Nest VS Ring Doorbell
Each doorbell system has a unique set of features that differentiate it from the rest. As the features are not standardized the variety increases and the difference from one doorbell system to the other is massive.
Also, these companies sell a whole smart home system that sets each doorbell apart from its competitors.
Let’s see what uniqueness each doorbell has to offer for a better comparison:
Blink Doorbells
There’s not much to talk about the Blink doorbells. The only advantage it has over the other two is the extended battery life and operation during power outages.
Another good thing about this doorbell is the user-friendly installation process. Apart from this, the Blink doorbell is the worst among the three.
Nest Doorbells
The Nest doorbell sits at a position where it is good overall for all user ranges. It has object identification, integration of Google’s AI technology, and precise motion detection of various types of objects and living things.
Another nice feature of the Nest doorbells is the face recognition. It can remember and recognize familiar faces and the notification changes to who is on the door. This is the best selling point for Nest doorbells.
Ring Doorbells
Among the three doorbells, the Ring doorbell has the most amount of unique features. If you are integrating this into your home eco-system then you have all of these options as add-ons to install:
- Ring Alarm
- Ring Doorbell Pro
- Ring Alarm Flood
- Freeze Sensor
- Ring Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Listener
- Ring Stick Up Cameras
These features don’t come cheap. You have to renew your subscription every month which can accumulate into a lot of money for just a doorbell system.
How to Choose the Right Doorbell for Your Smart Home Ecosystem?
Product offerings for doorbell systems are diverse. When you buy one of these, more often than not, you are manipulated into buying other smart products from the same company.
Footage quality and integration into smart home systems play a big role in deciding which doorbell system to get. Here’s a breakdown of the footage area:
Criterion | Blink | Nest | Ring |
HDR | Yes | Yes | No |
Resolution | 1920X1080 | 1920X1080 | 1536X1536 |
Max FPS | 30 (Day) 20(Night) | Fixed 30 (Day) Up to 30 (Night) | 15 (Day & Night) |
Recording Length | 5-30s | 10s-3min | 15s-2min |
Night Vision | 2X850NM IR LED | 5X850NM IR LED | N/A |
- Overall, The Google Nest Doorbell System offers the best all-in-one solution for any home. The Ring doorbell is also a good option if you can afford the extra subscription charges.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which doorbell is the best for your home?
Google’s Nest Doorbell (Wired, 2nd Gen).
What is the best doorbell camera for clear night vision?
Almost all doorbells have night vision cameras but among the best are Nest, Arlo, and Ring Doorbells.
What is the most significant disadvantage of a doorbell camera?
It is a narrow field of view. Another problem with these cameras is the limited range they cover which leaves blind spots.