Update Dec 2020: Cleaned up specs table. Added EZVIZ DB1C. There are also many more options available now compared to back when this thread started. If you have one you'd like to add, PM me along with specs and sample video.
The purpose of this thread is to share my findings comparing RTSP compatible doorbell cam options. Closed-system, or cloud based doorbells are automatically excluded (This is a continuation from my post on the DB11 here to see why). Many new doorbell cams were announced at CES this year (2019) in January, but most have not hit the market yet or are still incompatible with ONVIF. Doorbird is also a viable option for some since it checks most of the boxes for required features, but I did not include it here as the performance is low for the high price point, and there have been several quality complaints.
SUMMARY OF FEATURES
Following is a comparison chart based on information and feedback from everyone here. Thanks to all the people who posted information! This list is meant to compare the models I've tested as best as possible (I do not own the yousee model). I will try to update with known issues as they are reported or as I find them.
*DC Power not officially supported
SUBJECTIVE COMPARISONS, FORUM FEEDBACK, & KNOWN ISSUES
ADVANCED FUNCTIONS/HACKS
Integrating doorbell button notifications to home automation systems
APIs have not been found yet to read doorbell button events, so some users have suggested creative ways to send button press events to other home automation systems. In my case, I'm using a simple relay wired in parallel to the power wires. When the button is pressed, voltage drop causes the relay to be tripped and you can send a simple on/off signal to any custom switch (alarm sensor, zwave switch, etc).
My doorbell install uses DC 12V, so a standard automotive 12V relay such as this one works well, but the concept should be similar for AC powered installs.
SDM5
@whoami ™ came up with a neat workaround by hacking the supported USB chime to trigger a relay. Details in his post (220) in the SDM5 thread. His method is for triggering a doorbell chime, but the same principle can apply to triggering home automation.
Use ONVIF to send PIR events to BlueIris
(Why does this matter? PIR is usually a reliable way of detecting motion, sometimes more accurate than software. In some cases, it may be better to trigger alerts based on the camera's onboard motion detection and send this alert to BI in order to lower false positives)
If you want the doorbell PIR to trigger blueiris, take the following steps in BI. First verify your camera is capable of sending ONVIF streams (not just RTSP). In camera configuration in BI:
SAMPLE VIDEOS
(My own videos are mounted from the same exact location, recorded at highest FPS possible for each model, 4096kb bitrate)
Hikvision Gen 1 (DS-KB6003-WIP) credit to @VorlonFrog
Hikvision Gen 2 (DB1)
Dahua (DB11)
The purpose of this thread is to share my findings comparing RTSP compatible doorbell cam options. Closed-system, or cloud based doorbells are automatically excluded (This is a continuation from my post on the DB11 here to see why). Many new doorbell cams were announced at CES this year (2019) in January, but most have not hit the market yet or are still incompatible with ONVIF. Doorbird is also a viable option for some since it checks most of the boxes for required features, but I did not include it here as the performance is low for the high price point, and there have been several quality complaints.
SUMMARY OF FEATURES
Following is a comparison chart based on information and feedback from everyone here. Thanks to all the people who posted information! This list is meant to compare the models I've tested as best as possible (I do not own the yousee model). I will try to update with known issues as they are reported or as I find them.
| Hikvision DS-KB6003-WIP | Hikvision DS-HD1 (EZVIZ DB1) | EZVIZ DB1C | Dahua DB11 | Yousee SD-M5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First seen | Sep 2017 | Aug 2018 (branded by EZVIZ) | June 2020 | Jul 2018 | Jul 2019 |
| Spec Resolution | 12FPS @ 2MP (can be increased with newer firmwares) | 15FPS @ 3MP (can be changed to 30FPS) | 15FPS @ 2.4MP | 25FPS @ 2MP | 25FPS @ 2MP |
| Image Sensor | 1/2.8" | 1/2.4" | 1/2.7" | 1/2.7" | |
| 1920x1080 | 1536x2048 | 1536 x 1536 | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 | |
| Viewing angle | 180° Horizontal 96° Vertical | 105° Horizontal 180° Vertical | 170° Horizontal 170° Vertical | 140° Horizontal | 145.8° Horizontal |
| Lens | 1.96mm @ f2.2 | 2.2mm @ f2.4 | 2.1mm | 1.9mm | 3.6mm |
| Weatherproof | IP54 | IP65 | IP65 | IP55 | IP55 |
| Onboard IR LED | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Motion Detection | PIR | PIR | No PIR. Software AI | PIR | Software |
| Compresssion | H.264 | H.264 + H.265 | |||
| MicroSD | 128GB max | 128GB max | 256GB max | 32GB max | 128GB max |
| Network | 2.4GHz | 2.4/5GHz | 2.4/5GHz | 2.4GHz | 2.4GHz |
| POE | No | No, but can be DC powered. DC12-24V* | No, but can be DC powered. DC12-24V* | No, but can be DC powered. DC12-24V* | Yes |
| Works with existing Chimes | Mech & Electronic | Mech & Electronic | Mech & Electronic | Mech & Electronic | Not supported |
| Wireless Chime | ? | ? | Sold separately | Sold separately | |
| RSTP or ONVIF support | RTSP | RTSP | RTSP | RTSP | RTSP |
| ONVIF for Laview, Hikvision, Nelly's versions | NO ONVIF | ||||
| Cloud Dependent | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO |
| Price (inc shipping to US) | ~130-180USD | ~120-150USD | 99USD MSRP | ~130-150USD | 85USD |
| API support | Limited | Limited | None | None | None |
| SIP support | NO | NO | NO | NO | NO |
| 2 Way Audio | In app | In app | In app | In app/Blueiris | In app |
| Case colors | White/Black/Silver/Grey | White/Black (RCA) + Brown in some versions. | White only | Silver | White/Black |
| Angled install brackets | Included in Nelly's, LaView, EZVIZ, and RCA versions | 1 flat, 1 angled bracked included | RING Pro brackets are a close fit | Ring pro brackets close fit with modification | |
| Advanced config (Windows) | Batch Config Tool | Batch Config Tool | Batch Config Tool | Dahua Config Tool | |
| Manufacturer Page | DS-KB6003-WIP | DS-HD1 | DB1C | DB11 | SD-M5 |
SUBJECTIVE COMPARISONS, FORUM FEEDBACK, & KNOWN ISSUES
| Hikvision DS-KB6003-WIP | Hikvision DS-HD1 (EZVIZ DB1) | EZVIZ DB1C | Dahua DB11 | Yousee SD-M5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video Quality Notes | Stock colors overly saturated. A lot of softness in daytime. Focal range seems more narrow compared to conventional lenses. | Good color accuracy. | Good. Some artifacts | ||
| Low Light Performance | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | ||
| Wifi Signal Strength (When installed in same location. Measured on Unifi AP. Lower is better). Anything below 50 is excellent | -36dBm | -40dBm | -44dBm | ||
| Build Quality | 4/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | ||
| Ease of Install (hardware) | Easy. Might require upgraded AC transformer to provide stable power. | Easy. Might require upgraded AC transformer to provide stable power. | Easy. Might require upgraded AC transformer to provide stable power. | ||
| Ease of Install (software) | Some reports of pairing problems in app | Many users report pairing problems in app. Serial number from QR code doesn't always match. Use manual mode. | |||
| Known Issues | Runs very hot! Spec sheet claims to have PIR, but unclear if it works. Most recent reports from users confirms PIR works | No ONVIF support | Some report mech chimes ring 10 times. Try setting to electronic chime from app. SD card is supposed to support 64GB, but only works up to 32GB. | May be out of focus from factory. If so, requires doorbell to be disassembled and lens manually adjusted. Reported by vandyman and cinnman. Comes with POE injector. Low FPS (5-10) reported | |
| Notes | Rebranded as LTS/Uniden | Rebranded as RCA/LaView/Nellys/EZVIZ/others. Firmwares interchangeable. | Also sold as generic unbranded "1080 wireless wifi" doorbell on aliexpress. | ||
| Forum Link/Reviews | Sweet! LTS is releasing an ONVIF compatible doorbell with SD card slot and 940nm IR | New RCA HSDB2A 3MP Doorbell IP Camera | Review: EZVIZ DB1C | Review-Dahua DB-11 Video Door Bell | YooSee SD-M5 doorbell: 1080p, PoE, RTSP, Onvif, only $66 |
| New RCA HSDB2A 3MP Doorbell IP Camera |
Integrating doorbell button notifications to home automation systems
APIs have not been found yet to read doorbell button events, so some users have suggested creative ways to send button press events to other home automation systems. In my case, I'm using a simple relay wired in parallel to the power wires. When the button is pressed, voltage drop causes the relay to be tripped and you can send a simple on/off signal to any custom switch (alarm sensor, zwave switch, etc).
My doorbell install uses DC 12V, so a standard automotive 12V relay such as this one works well, but the concept should be similar for AC powered installs.
SDM5
@whoami ™ came up with a neat workaround by hacking the supported USB chime to trigger a relay. Details in his post (220) in the SDM5 thread. His method is for triggering a doorbell chime, but the same principle can apply to triggering home automation.
Use ONVIF to send PIR events to BlueIris
(Why does this matter? PIR is usually a reliable way of detecting motion, sometimes more accurate than software. In some cases, it may be better to trigger alerts based on the camera's onboard motion detection and send this alert to BI in order to lower false positives)
If you want the doorbell PIR to trigger blueiris, take the following steps in BI. First verify your camera is capable of sending ONVIF streams (not just RTSP). In camera configuration in BI:
- Instructions for Hikvision models
- Set Discovery/ONVIF port to 80
- Set path to /Streaming/Channels/1?transportmode=unicast&profile=Profile_1
- "Get events with PullPointSubscription" must be checked
- In the camera, go to PTZ/Control tab. Enable PTZ, select Hikvision from the Network IP dropdown.
SAMPLE VIDEOS
(My own videos are mounted from the same exact location, recorded at highest FPS possible for each model, 4096kb bitrate)
Hikvision Gen 1 (DS-KB6003-WIP) credit to @VorlonFrog
Hikvision Gen 2 (DB1)
Dahua (DB11)
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