I tried a wireless doorbell and it thrashed my Google Nest doorbell

11 July 2023 , 06:04

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The SECRUI wireless doorbell

Wireless doorbells have seen a massive upsurge in the past few years with major companies like Amazon and Google jumping on the bandwagon.

For many, wireless doorbells have become an extremely convenient way to ensure that you know who is at your door without the need for fiddly wires or drilling through walls to get everything connected.

And smart doorbells have become even more of a trend, offering households the ability to view who is outside and record any movement outside of their home.

I own a Google Nest doorbell which I didn’t think I really needed until I bought it. I picked it up from a Black Friday deal in 2022 and never looked back.

It allows me to record and use my phone to speak to delivery drivers and acts as a part-time security camera so I can keep an eye on anything around my street.

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But we’re going back to basics with the SECRUI wireless doorbell which offers none of the smart features of my Google doorbell and made me realise that my Nest doorbell had one very obvious flaw.

The SECRUI wireless doorbell comes in at just £13.99 on Amazon and can be picked up for cheaper during Amazon promotions like Prime Day 2023.

Opening it up, it comes with two pieces which includes the doorbell and the transmitter that you can plug into any electric outlet around the house.

It also comes with a bag of screws and wall plugs so if you want to fasten in the doorbell, you can do so but one of the handiest things included in the box is the option to use double-sided tape that you can stick onto your door frame. Extremely useful.

One thing that made me sceptical however was how well it would stick. I decided to place it right next to my Google doorbell right next to SECRUI using the double-sided tape and it wouldn’t budge.

No matter how much I pulled or tried to rip from the wood it wouldn’t budge. Another crucial factor I considered was whether the doorbell was water-resistant.

But I was pleasantly surprised that it was rated for IP55 – meaning it would be resistant to water and dust to a certain point so I wouldn’t need to worry about it dying during a rainstorm.

The receiver is also extremely easy to use. Just plug to into a wall plug socket and go. Easy peasy.

I placed it right next to my front door and it worked like a treat. I also tested it upstairs to try to see whether or not the advertised 1000ft range was true. It certainty is and was just as responsive as downstairs.

The SECRUI transmitter located right near my front door

The SECRUI is also LOUD. One thing that I struggle with on my Google Nest doorbell is to hear the Google Nest or Hub announcement when my doorbell goes off.

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If it wasn’t for notifications on my phone (or my barking dog), I could have easily missed some people at my door but SECRUI doesn’t have that problem.

It allows you to choose just how loud you want it to be on the side of the transmitter, making it great for elderly people who might be hard of hearing.

But there were two areas that the SECRUI doorbell absolutely thrashed my Google Nest one. That was responsiveness and customisation.

When you use the Google Nest wireless doorbell, there’s always a one to two second delay when you press it. That’s because the doorbell uses my wireless internet to record and broadcast to my Google Nest Mini and Nest Hub.

SECRUI doesn’t need to worry about connecting to the internet so it's fast and responsive. It’s made me realise just how slow my Google Nest actually is.

Another area where the SECRUI thrashed my Google Nest was the customisation. Google offers an extremely limited range of doorbell chimes when you buy one which must be accessed through the Google Home app.

But SECRUI offers 58 chimes from the standard ding-dong all the way to Happy Birthday if you have an occasion. Google offers me seven.

Granted, Google’s Nest doorbell offers me video recording and the ability to record any outdoor movement I want but when you compared the two, you realise what you sacrifice for the sake of having a smart doorbell.

Many people would argue that I’m comparing apples to oranges, and I am but the two comparisons show that if all you need is a doorbell to let you know who is at your door then the SECRUI is the way to go.

In many ways, SECRUI is more fitting of being a doorbell whereas my Google Nest doorbell is more of a hybrid security camera/doorbell as both do things better than the other.

SECRUI really surprised me and made me identify some major flaws in my Google Nest doorbell. Fast responsiveness, customisation and how loud it can go.

It lacks any unique or smart features that the Google Nest offers but does everything it can do so well that I would have no problem recommending it to friends and family.

Christopher Harper