SkyBell's smart buzzer puts outdoor security into focus

[MUSIC] Hey guys. I'm Megan Wollerton for CNET Appliances, here on a front porch on a chilly January morning with the SkyBell WiFi Video Doorbell. Now, we've reviewed a couple of smart doorbells in the past and had some misleading results. Better than to say that SkyBell is perfect, but it's definitely a step past the other ones we've seen so far. So, this camera doesn't have an HD video quality so you're gonna get a grainier video feed, but it won't have a lot of that streaky unpleasantness that Door Bought and Ring had that made it difficult to see who was at your front door to begin with. You also won't have as many bandwidth concerns if you don't have a super, super fast wi-fi connection. So here's the gist. When someone rings the doorbell. Or if someone just stands in front of the motion sensor for up to ten seconds. You will get a push alert that will link to the video feed. From there you will have a two way talk function where you can hold down a button to talk and then release to listen. This part actually didn't work that well. It was kind of like. A poor phone connection where you hear every few words and aren't quite sure what they're saying. I experienced some other limitations during the installation and setup process. So the other smart doorbells I've reviewed have both battery powered and wired options, so if you don't have a wired doorbell. You can still use it. This one is wired only, which allows for the live streaming and some of the other, more advanced features, but it means that a lot of people will be left out of the equation. You won't be able to buy this $199 doorbell and install it, if you don't have the wires set up. It also doesn't work with an intercom system, and if you have a digital doorbell that's a computerized door chime that comes from a speaker rather than a traditional bell. You will have to spend some extra bucks on Sky Bell's adapter, which will take a little bit more effort. You'll have to go to the source of your door bell chime and actually do some more installation work to get everything up and running. One other thing to note is that if you had a traditional door bell installed before. This round shape might not fit in the same space quite as well. For example, door bell that was previously installed was right here and it fits very seamlessly. But you will notice there's some overhang. So while I would say that Sky Bell is the best DIY smart door bell I've seen yet, it does have a few kinks that it needs to work out, so it's not perfect. But it will get the job done. If you want to see. Who is at your front door. Thanks for watching this review of Skybell. Be sure to check out the rest of our coverage on CNET.com. I am Megan Mullerton for CNET appliances.