I tried two different security doorbells before the Night Owl, one wired and the other battery powered...both garbage. I have neighbors and family that have installed Ring and I was trying to steer clear of Ring for the fact that they have way too many false detections and didn't want my phone going off all day. I also learned that Ring charges extra for live video and extra for cloud storage.
I found this doorbell by complete accident on Best Buy's website and saw that they were sold out. I got on Amazon and saw that it was sold in here, but was shocked that out of the hours I spent trying to find a good security doorbell it did not come up unless directly searched. The Night Owl came to around $85 and compared to other high end doorbells was a steal.
The Night Owl comes with extremely easy instructions that a child could have understood. I paired with my Wi-Fi and got ready to mount. As a side not, the camera on this thing is 1080HD and if your internet or Wi-Fi is sub par, I guarantee the footage is going to lag. (I only have mid-tier cable internet) The kit comes loaded with a Sundisk 32gb sd card, the same type needed for a GoPro. It has 2 mounting screws, however I upgraded the mounting hardware to better wall anchors since I have stucco. After mounting and playing with the sensitivity, I set to low and haven't had one false detection. The app works perfectly and I really don't get the low ratings for it. The sensors in the camera are almost intuitive and it sends out allerts immediately. The speaker is clear and loud when talking through to someone at the door. I've even been notified when my child has come to the door and was able to speak to them without them ringing the bell. The Night Owl is wired by way of the two wires that are used for any basic doorbell and it even came with a screwdriver so no tools are required. Anyone can install this thing unless you have the attention span of a goldfish. I can pull up footage stored in it at any time as well as access live video at any time. The doorbell also comes with 24 hour support which is a huge plus and the company is out of Florida.
The 4 pics I uploaded with this review show the settings in the app and pics for morning, afternoon and night. The night vision is excellent, but I don't have any pics of it as it's not necessary for my home.
5 stars!
(UPDATE) I was having connectivity issues last week and had to call the company. Customer service was excellent and walked me through the process of what was wrong. The cache for the app on the phone has to be cleared periodically, after it was cleared it worked perfect. I'll start clearing about once a month.
I purchased the Night Owl Security 1080p Smart Doorbell with 32GB microSD Card, Black (WDB2-32SD) in April 2019 for around $70. That is a pretty good price, especially since there is no subscription fee, which is why I purchased it over competing doorbell cameras. Recordings are saved to the microSD card inside the doorbell camera.
After receiving the item, I immediately checked the microSD card. The card comes inside the doorbell camera, on the side. Just push on the rubber and it will pop out. I found that the microSD card was 16GB and not 32GB as advertised. It was also noted as 32GB on a printed label stuck to the bottom of the box. This was unexpected. So I contacted Amazon customer service about it, and they graciously refunded $10 so that I could purchase a 32GB microSD card. So buyer be ware of this problem, and let Amazon know if you have the same problem. I ended up finding a Kingston 64GB microSD card for under $10 on Amazon, and purchased it. After receiving it, I put it in the doorbell camera and formatted the card using the Night Owl app.
After getting the Night Owl doorbell installed and the Night Owl Connect app installed on my smart phone, I was able to view both live and recorded motion triggered events. However, sometimes the app says that the microSD card is not working. This is a false alert. If you back out of the camera view and go back in, it does not say that and works fine.
Including the microSD card issues, here is my list of positives and negatives...
POSITIVES:
1. The doorbell video is HD and looks clear, even with the night vision.
2. I connect to it wirelessly, directly to my AC WiFi router. No hub is required.
3. The doorbell camera was fairly easy to install, replacing a doorbell button. And it looks nice.
4. The Night Owl Connect app was easy to install, register, and login.
5. When the doorbell button is pressed, it rings inside the house and sends an alert to the smart phone.
6. Answering the alert on the smart phone allows you to talk to the person at the door by pressing and holding the microphone button on the app.
7. Recordings can be saved from the microSD card to the smart phone via the app.
8. Powered by house wiring from the previous doorbell button. No batteries required.
NEGATIVES
1. The package came with a 16GB microSD card instead of the advertised 32GB card.
2. The doorbell camera installed against a brick surface exposes the wiring in a small gap between the device and the brick wall. (I plan to cover this with electrical putty.)
4. The app erroneously and intermittently says that the microSD card is not functioning. It is a false alert. It works fine.
5. The time line interface on the app is almost analog in nature. You have to scroll back to red marks that indicate recordings. This can be slow and cumbersome. I would prefer a list of clips that have a date/time stamp on them.
6. To save recordings to your phone, as they may get erased later when space runs out on the microSD card, you have to play the recording and click the Record button while it is playing. This is also analog in nature. It really does not make sense to do it this way. Clips (files) are easier to work with, and should be able to be exported (saved).
7. When pressing the doorbell button, it also makes a ring sound outside. I have not found a way to disable that. It's not a big deal, but neighbors may hear it.
8. There is no PC based interface to view the doorbell. It is only available for iOS and Android.
Overall, I like the Night Owl doorbell camera, for the price. Hopefully the company will make the app interface easier to use with recordings, and make a version available via a web-based app or Windows/Mac software. This would be a big plus.
This is a great product
Just finish havong it installed and it works greart. The view is fantastic. Install is a little tricky but you may have to delete and reinstall the app to get it working but once it does it has a great view.
Highly recommend. We tried a Ring doorbell before and were disappointed. So we decided to buy a Night Owl. And we love it! It is very sensitive and responds to the slightest change. High quality image and easy to use app. Must have!
As described
Feature Product
- 1080P Smart Doorbell
- Replaces your existing Doorbell
- Works with Google Assistant
- Real-Time Dual Sensor Alerts to your Smart Device
- 2-way audio enabled
Description
1080p Smart Doorbell with 32GB microSD Card
Great camera for the price. No monthly fees and hooks up to existing doorbell power. Android app needs a bit of work, the month isn't accurate, and the SD card that came with mine was only 16 gb not 32 and it's busted too. Bought a 128gb card for it anyway, it worked after that
So far so good. You can use at home even when no internet connection. Very good image quality and easy to install.
Setup is easy and works pretty well so far. There are a number of "false" motion notifications even with it set to low sensitivity, but that seems to be settling down a bit. I was able to add a second phone after chatting with support as it's a new feature and I don't believe documented in the manual yet. The only problem is that the 2nd phone is not receiving notifications and tech support is checking it out. Hopefully it's an easy fix. All in all, I like it, and for the price and free storage I think it's great so far.
Works find, installation is for old and newer electronic doorbell (newer requires a component add to the doorbell, not the button)
Love this product read a lot about ring charging monthly so I decided to go with this product!! Only thing is the sensor is very sensitive I have a tree infront of my house and whenever it is windy I will get a message motion on the door due to the tree branch moving
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