RemoBell S Review

What a difference a couple of years make. When we reviewed the original RemoBell back in 2017, we liked that it was completely wireless, easy to install, and that it delivered sharp 720p video, but were disappointed with its bulky aesthetics, lack of on-demand video, and laggy performance. The new RemoBell S is a much slimmer device that gives you on-demand HD video, free cloud recording, support for Alexa and Google voice commands, and interoperability with other smart home devices using IFTTT applets. Although the RemoBell S uses your existing doorbell wiring, it is still relatively easy to install and delivered sharp video and responsive motion detection in our tests, and its $99 price is hard to beat. All this earns it an Editors' Choice for video doorbells.

Design and Features

At 5.1 by 1.8 by 0.8 inches (HWD), the RemoBell S is a bit longer but slightly thinner than the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro. It has a silver enclosure and a black faceplate with a large round camera housing up top, an equally large silver doorbell on the bottom surrounded by an LED ring, and a microphone and speaker combo for two-way audio. The LED ring flashes blue rapidly when the doorbell is in setup mode, and flashes blue slowly when it is connecting to the router. A solid blue LED means the doorbell is connected and working correctly, a flashing red LED indicates that the doorbell is not connected, and a solid red LED means the doorbell is powering up.

The RemoBell S has a 1,536-by-1,536-pixel camera with a 180-degree field of view. The camera uses two infrared LEDS for night vision and offers video-based motion detection with user-defined motion alert zones and sensitivity settings. The doorbell generates push alerts when motion is detected or when the doorbell button is pressed and records video for both. You get three days of rolling cloud storage for recorded video for free, but if you want a 30-day storage plan it'll cost you $3 per month or $30 per year.

The doorbell uses the same mobile app (Android and iOS) as the Remo+ DoorCam. It opens to a screen with a doorbell icon and below that is a list of recent activities (missed and declined calls, motion events, doorbell rings, live feed requests) with video thumbnails and time stamps for each event. Tap any thumbnail to play, share, download, or delete the recorded video. To access doorbell settings, tap the three-bar icon in the upper left corner. This launches a menu with tabs for Devices, Viewers, Cloud, Account, About, and Support. The Devices tab shows you all installed Remo+ devices. Tap the doorbell to access Video Quality, Motion Sensitivity, and Motion Push Notification settings. Here you can turn Motion Zones on and off, select a Chime Type (mechanical or digital), and configure Night Mode settings (Auto, Off, On).

The Viewers tab displays the name, picture (optional), and email address of all authorized users, and the Cloud tab takes you to the Remo+ site where you can subscribe to a cloud plan. Use the Account tab to change your password or log out, and the About page to view the doorbell's firmware and serial number, app version, and network signal strength. The Support tab takes you to Remo's web-based support page.

The RemoBell S supports Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands that allow you to view live video on a compatible screen-equipped device. It also supports IFTTT applets that allow it to integrate with other IFTTT-enabled devices such as light bulbs, cameras, plugs, and sirens.

The doorbell comes with three mounting plates (thick, thin, wedge), a quick start guide, a screwdriver, a drill bit, a power kit and fuse assembly for connecting it to a mechanical chime, and assorted mounting screws and hardware.

Installation and Performance

Installing the RemoBell S is easy, but if you're not comfortable dealing with circuit breakers and wiring, find someone who is or hire a professional. I started by shutting down the power to my doorbell circuit and removing my existing doorbell. I attached the two included wire extensions to the terminals on the back of the doorbell, ran them through the hole on the mounting plate, and attached them to my existing doorbell wires. I attached the mounting plate to the wood siding on my house, removed the faceplate from the doorbell, and used the two mounting screws to attach the doorbell to the mounting plate. I replaced the faceplate and restored power to the circuit.

Once power was restored I waited a few seconds for the LED to begin blinking blue, at which point a voice prompt informed me that it was time to configure Wi-Fi. I downloaded the mobile app, created an account, selected Devices from the menu, and tapped the plus button in the lower left corner. I selected the RemoBell S from the list, chose my time zone, and entered my Wi-Fi password (the doorbell automatically uses the SSID that your phone is connected to). I was then prompted to use my phone's camera to scan the QR code located on the front page of the quick start guide. I then followed the instructions to connect to the RemoBell S using my phone's Wi-Fi settings, returned to the app, tapped Continue, and waited around 15 seconds for the doorbell to connect to my Wi-Fi. Once the voice prompt confirmed a successful connection, setup was complete.

The RemoBell S delivered crisp HD video in my tests, and while the image isn't as bright as I'd prefer, it's still very sharp. Black-and-white night video is also sharp, but the image could be brighter here as well. Video-based motion detection worked well, but I had to lower the sensitivity setting just a bit to eliminate alerts from passing cars. Push alerts for doorbell rings and motion detection arrived quickly, as did recorded video, which was just as sharp as live video, but appears in a fisheye format rather than the full-screen format that you get with the live view. Two-way audio came across cleanly with no distortion.

The doorbell worked perfectly with IFTTT applets. I created an applet to have a Philips Hue light turn on when motion was detected and it worked every time. Results were similar with my applet to have a smart plug turn on when the doorbell button was pressed. I was also able to view live video on my TV using an Amazon Fire TV Stick and Alexa voice commands.

Conclusions

There's a lot to like about the RemoBell S. It's a sleek-looking doorbell that's easy to install, and while the video could be a little brighter, it shows good detail both during the day and at night. The camera's motion detection works well, with virtually no false alerts, and two-way audio is clean and easy to understand. The price is certainly right, and three days of free cloud storage is icing on the cake. I wish recorded video was available in regular viewing mode rather than fisheye mode, but that's a minor gripe, and doesn't prevent the RemoBell S from earning an Editors' Choice for video doorbells.

RemoBell S Specs

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