Hue Secure Video Doorbell: Installation and first impressions

This morning, I found some time to install the new Hue Secure Video Doorbell with the Hue Secure Smart Chime. In this article, I would like to describe exactly what you can expect during installation and subsequent setup, as well as the settings offered by Philips Hue’s first smart doorbell. You can purchase the bundle for €199.99 in the Philips Hue online store.

Easy installation if the doorbell transformer is compatible

My house, built in 2017, originally had a doorbell transformer with only 6 volts. I replaced it several years ago with a 12-24 volt transformer to operate smart doorbells from Ring, Nest, Aqara, and most recently Eufy. The Hue Secure Video Doorbell requires at least 12 volts. So before installation, check the fuse box to see if you have a suitable transformer installed. The doorbell does not have a built-in battery and is hard-wired.

To do this, the existing chime in the house must also be bypassed and thus disabled. This is explained in the instructions and the appropriate materials are included. After that, you can continue at the front door.

For me, the installation was a breeze, but I didn’t feel like removing the adhesive residue from the Aqara G4. I’ll have to take care of that later. The Hue Secure Video Doorbell can be installed in a flash: the bracket and mount are simply screwed on. If the bell wires are too short, the appropriate extension materials are also included. However, this wasn’t necessary in my case.

I was able to easily attach the two wires to the back of the doorbell and then insert it into the bracket. Finally, it is secured at the top with a somewhat unusual screw so that it cannot be easily removed. Immediately afterwards, you can start the setup in the Hue app.

Add Hue Secure Video Doorbell to the Philips Hue app

Setting up the Hue Secure Video Doorbell in the Hue app is pretty self-explanatory and as easy as you would expect from a motion detector or switch. The special feature is certainly that the doorbell is not only connected to your network via Wi-Fi, but also establishes a direct connection to the Hue Bridge (Pro) via Zigbee.

This has a big advantage: the doorbell is transmitted in real time to the Hue Secure Smart Chime or selected lamps. With my previous Eufy doorbell, there was always a delay of around 2 seconds.

The most important settings for the smart doorbell at a glance

One highlight is undoubtedly the light alarm, which is not only super easy to configure but also very flexible. As soon as the bell is pressed, the selected lights can flash. The following options are available:

Select individual lights, rooms, or zones
Up to 10 time slots
Volume
19 ring tones
0 to 10 flashes
Color of the flash

Apart from the selected lights, the individual options for each time slot can be flexibly selected. I find this super practical and have not seen it from any other manufacturer.

The Hue Secure Video Doorbell can also be used as a motion detector for lamps. I simply selected the wall light next to the front door, which was previously controlled by a classic motion detector. Now I can do without it.

There are also activity zones and package detection, both of which can only be activated with a Hue Secure Plan. After installation, you get 30 days free of charge, after which it costs €3.99 per month and also includes video recording for a longer period of time. If you don’t want that, Philips Hue has promised to make the recordings from the last 24 hours free of charge.

What else caught my attention

In addition to the impressively fast light alarm and ringing, I was particularly impressed by the field of view. There is a lot to see on the left and right, but also above and below. Packages placed directly in front of the front door are in view. The 180 degrees specified by Philips Hue are quite realistic.

No corners were cut with the speaker in the doorbell either: it is quite loud and visitors at the front door can hear me clearly. Conversely, the audio seems to be a little quieter, but overall the quality is good. The maximum resolution of 1,984 x 1,984 pixels is also solid.

The Hue Secure Smart Chime has a small button at the bottom that can be used to mute the sound – you will then only receive notifications in the app and the light alarm. This is super handy when your little one is taking a nap. A small LED on the chime indicates the status when switching, but I would prefer a permanently red LED when muted. A timer in the app would also be handy for deactivating the chime for a limited period of time.

There are a few things I haven’t tried yet, such as connecting to Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. I’ll definitely do that before the final review. If you have any specific questions about the Hue Secure Video Doorbell in the meantime, feel free to ask them in the comments.