Swann Buddy4K UHD Wireless Video Doorbell & Chime | No Monthly Fee | Ultra-Wide 165° View | Smart Analytics | 2-Way Audio | Night Vision | Easy Installation | Indoor & Outdoor Surveillance | 4KBUDDY

Good camera without monthly subscriptions
Update: 03/03/25: awful value and awful product. Ordered in Dec. 2024 and provided storage card crashed out causing product to stop working. After new 18g wire and an hour with phone support, we determined the provided memory card was bad. Camera sends notifications fast, but it takes 20 seconds to “wake up” and connect through device. It defeats the point of a doorbell camera and the “ai” messages if after 20 seconds the person at your door is already inside or left due to no one answering…. Awful product and awful value.The provided memory card is cheap and crashes out which causes the dropped or no connection issues. There is no mounting hardware so you have to spend more to get it (angled). So after new memory card and additional mounting hardware you are already $40.00+ more into it. Do not buy this unless it is close to a $100.Their phone support is amazing though .. one of the last companies with great phone support.————–Old review:I recently purchased this doorbell to pair with my Swann 4K Ultra HD Security Camera System. While the picture quality through the phone app is decent, it’s closer to 1080p or lower, likely to conserve mobile bandwidth.The setup was incredibly fast, under two minutes, and it integrated smoothly into the Swann app. The picture quality is good overall, but I can adjust it if I need higher resolution for online use. I can also access the live feed via the Swann app when I’m away from home, as long as the system is connected to my home Wi-Fi. I did not need to buy a “Hub” to do this.A feature I really appreciate is the option to use an SD card instead of cloud storage. This is a huge plus for me, as I’m tired of being forced into monthly subscription fees for something I already own. While the option for a paid plan is there, I won’t use it and will consider switching systems if they try to force me into a paid model down the road.What I like about this doorbell camera:Fast setup and easy-to-use appNo need for a monthly storage feeSeamless integration with my Swann systemDoorbell accessory was already paired.What I dislike about it:It’s bulky. Compared to my old doorbell camera, this one is about half an inch thicker than my ezviz doorbell cam. It doesn’t take up much space length wise, but its bulkiness makes it look bigger when installed next to the door. While this isn’t a deal breaker, it might be more noticeable for people who prefer a sleeker design.There’s no angle accessory for mounting, which I really needed. My doorbell is positioned next to a side window, so I had to use my old camera’s angle attachment to get a better view of the doorway instead of the straight mounting bracket.The wires are fragile to connect to low voltage doorbell wire (you will need to make sure you have an upgraded doorbell transformer that can run doorbell camera’s. Connecting the doorbell wires was tricky, and I had to use wires from my old doorbell after the ones included broke off. Additionally, the doorbell’s design has zero clearance on the back, and it must be installed precisely for it to sit correctly. The anti-tamper screw doesn’t work unless the screws are flush, there’s no room for error during installation.Slow to “wake up.” This camera is the slowest to load on my network. It takes about 10-15 seconds to wake up, whereas my other cameras connect in about 5 seconds or less. If someone rings the doorbell, it may take multiple rings before the app connects. My other cameras send motion notifications within seconds, but this one takes about 10-15 seconds to send an alert.Despite these issues, I would still recommend this camera to anyone who already owns a Swann system or is tired of paying for subscriptions. With a few software updates, I’m hopeful it will become as responsive as the other Swann security cameras. I don’t see why this will be an issue… their other cameras are very fast to send notifications instantly… just needs a few software updates for this one.This is not a $200.00 camera setup. I would pay $100 to $160. At the moment this is not good value at $200+ (full price), so keep an eye open for a deal. It’s a good buy at $160 or less, wait or look elsewhere at $200.00. If you get it on sale and they fix the notification speed, this is a 4.5. At the moment it is closer to a 3.5 rating.

Love it!
It works amazing! I love the audio quality and picture quality. The night vision is nice because it catches my boyfriend coming home from night shift and to keep an eye on if someone else comes here since I’m alone at night.

Rarely stays connected and poor battery life.
I bought this as an add-on to my Swann Security system. The battery life is horrendous, and it never stays connected. The only thing that works is the doorbell function. Otherwise, this is a low-quality device. I considered buying more products from Swann, but this is now a no. The quality of this device is subpar at best. It was easy to set up, but now, this is just a glorified doorbell. I would also add that I have both doorbells, and they both have poor battery life. I am very disappointed.

So-so item with fish- eye view
Cons:No facial recognition and very hard to identify people’s face with 4k. I doubt this is 4k.Night vision is v shadowy blurry.Delayed live view and recordingBulky and not adjustable once installed.Bracket and screw holes did not match old wired door bellOn testing mode for a few days and may have to RTS.Fish-eyes view which I hate it.I have 2016 car back-up camera which views clearer and better by far than this 2024 doorbell. Am not a happy camper.Pros:Added device wireless to my existing Swann max range system.2 way communicationsPre-recorded replyCould hear outside noise

Tamper screw on underside of doorbell stripped the first time we needed to take it off the bracket and recharge it. No way to remove the camera without pulling it completely out of its drill holes. Do not recommend using the tamper screw as instructed by the manual.

setup was easy and clarity of the video and picture footage very good