Review: IMOU Doorbell 2S Kit boasts smart tracking and a chime
Video doorbells are all the rage these days and now home security specialist IMOU has again entered the fray with the launch of its Doorbell 2S Kit. It includes everything you'd expect but with a couple of features that make it stick out from the crowd.
The kit comes with two devices. First off is a video doorbell with a rotating lens that allows for a 180° field of view. It can cover the entire front of a house while tracking movements closely. The 4:3 aspect ratio is suitable for the corridor in front of the door, capturing head-to-toe images of people and objects.
I found the images to be very decent, but what really impressed me was the infrared night vision mode. This worked brilliantly and was as good as - if not even better - than some of its more expensive rivals.
The doorbell will only show and notify up about important and necessary clips thanks to some clever tech – reducing unwanted notifications and false alarms. It boasts a 0.3 seconds detection time to catch any movements when the doorbell detects someone approaching the door means that users will be informed quickly of any activity. The doorbell also has a loitering detection feature that notifies when people are staying in front of the door after a preset duration.
The second part of the kit is an indoor chime. Yes, you get a chime included. So many times this is, rather frustratingly, an added extra that you have to fork out for. The IMOU chime connects to the doorbell via 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, and also acts as a Wi-Fi extender as well as offering indoor storage of the SD card, which helps to protect the recording. There are ten different chime ringtones to choose from for event alarms and snooze schedules.
The camera offers the usual two-way talk call functionality you'd expect, but there are a few extra goodies I wasn't expecting. You can record a voice that can be used to scare away an intruder or welcome people with a personalised touch.
You can connect the doorbell to the IMOU app, which allows you to control the device and meddle with the settings. Local storage is free, but a very reasonable subscription of £3.49 a month will give you an automatic cloud back-up.
There is no solar panel but the 5,000mAh rechargeable battery can be recharged by USB-C and, when fully charged, lasts up to 120 days under normal conditions. The doorbell can be used standalone with the rechargeable battery or it can be hardwired for continuous power using the hardwired kit that is included in the box as standard.
For the price, you can't really go wrong. You get a lot for the money, and the inclusjon of the chime gives it an edge in my opinion.
What users say
"Works great so far. Robust device, charges quickly, battery lasts a good while. Chime is loud. Pan tilt is good, but field of vision is already excellent."
"In summary, a great doorbell, but not always easy to hear in all parts of the house, can't purchase an additional chime, and can't work with Google or Alexa. These are big drawbacks to an otherwise outstanding camera."
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