FabianTwo years after the launch of the first products, there will be new additions to the Hue Secure range in October. After initially being cautious about the Hue Secure Video Doorbell, I am now very curious about it. In this article, I’d like to explain exactly what it’s all about.
I’ve already used smart doorbells myself
Unlike a floor lamp or a simple smart home camera, you can’t just replace a doorbell on a whim. Nevertheless, I’ve used several products on my front door in the past. I started with the Nest Hello, but at some point the subscription costs became too high for me. Then I used the Aqara G4 for a long time, but it had a very limited field of view and wasn’t really waterproof.
I currently use the Eufy Video Doorbell E340 in combination with the manufacturer’s Homebase. Two cameras with a wide field of view, local video recording, and no subscription costs. Perfect, really. However, the doorbell is extremely slow to respond: it can take more than 15 seconds from pressing the button to the stream appearing on my iPhone – by which time many parcel delivery drivers have long since taken off.
The Hue Secure Video Doorbell could score points with these details
In terms of speed, Philips Hue could score a hit with the Hue Secure Video Doorbell. The camera has an integrated Zigbee chip that can communicate directly with the Hue Bridge. When someone presses the doorbell button, the lights in the house and the smart door chime can be activated immediately. No detours via Wi-Fi, through some cloud, and back through Wi-Fi. At the demo at the Hue event in Berlin, it worked impressively fast—the lights actually started shining immediately after the doorbell rang.
But what about video transmission? In the demonstration, it was also pretty fast, with the live stream to the camera available within two to three seconds. I’ll find out for you in October whether it works just as well in practice.
And then, of course, there’s the general integration into the Hue system. The doorbell also functions as a motion detector, so that the smart lighting in the front yard or next to the front door can be switched on automatically as soon as someone moves in the entrance area. And the function of deactivating the chime and only being alerted to visitors at the front door by a light effect is often only available from many other manufacturers via detours.
Opening up subscriptions is an important step
One step in the right direction is the relaxation of the subscription paywall. In the future, you will be able to access the video recordings of the last 24 hours without a paid Hue Secure subscription. And let’s be honest: that should be absolutely sufficient for the vast majority of users. If an important event does occur, you can simply save the relevant video within one day via the Hue app.
Hue Secure Video Doorbell
$199.99 / €199.99
These points are essential to consider
However, there are a few details about the Hue Secure Video Doorbell that you should definitely consider before purchasing. The doorbell is not compatible with existing door chimes, so the bundle with the smart chime for $199.99 is pretty much a must. This makes the Philips Hue doorbell easily $50 to $80 more expensive than many other models on the market. That’s something you can’t ignore.
Before installation, you should also note that the Hue Secure Video Doorbell does not come with a built-in battery. It must be hardwired and requires a 12-volt power supply. You may need a new doorbell transformer for this.
Philips Hue explains how the installation works and what exactly the smart chime can do in two videos.
Any chance to make the chime work on sonos speakers with something like home-assistant.io ?
Have they fixed all the issues with the cameras yet? It’s been two years since the launch and the cameras are still absolute sh!t. Buyer beware.
The Hue Secure Doorbell sounds really promis, especially with how fast it connects through the Hue Bridge compared to Wi-Fi models. I like the motion sensor integration too. The price and hardwir requirement might be drawbacks but the seamless lighting control is a big win.
For a larger house, I’d like to know if there is an option to have more than one chime connected to the doorbell, because so far I was not able to find that.
Thats no problem, you can add multiple chimes.
It’s a step in the right direction but my doorbell is on my gate, so really need a doorbell that I can locate there as well as have the ability to press a button on the video call to open the gate.. Philips do make one but it’s not Hue-based and thus requires another app and has an ugly screen for the wall. I really want the video to appear on my iPhone and/or the wall mounted iPad in the kitchen area. NetAtmo also have something but again it’s another app I don’t want. Still waiting..