I Tested the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell and Was Impressed by Its Sharp Looking Video and the Fact That It Doesn’t Need a Subscription

Sharp resolution at day or night, easy installation and use, and the fact that there’s no subscription are just some of what make the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell an easy recommendation. Having reviewed my share of doorbells, I found a lot to like and a few things that I’ve preferred on other models.

Still, the positives vastly outweigh the negatives, and, for the right person, the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell should be considered among the best video doorbells for their needs.

Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell: One-Minute Review

If there’s one thing that helps set the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell apart, it’s the fact that it doesn’t require a subscription. While there are some cheaper video doorbells out there (this one is still plenty affordable), not having a subscription saves up to $10 a month.

But price is just one factor to consider when choosing a video doorbell. With that in mind, I’ve looked at the various aspects of this model to see whether it’s worth recommending and there’s a lot to like. Along with skipping the subscription, it’s easy to install and use and can be used both wirelessly or hardwired – it took me about five minutes for installation and setup.

I always appreciate being able to use a voice assistant to improve my smart home, so the fact that the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell supports Alexa and Google Assistant is more than just a bonus, especially since it offsets the fact that this doorbell doesn’t come with an external chime.

Of course, the image quality is a sharp 2K as per the name. More importantly, it’s easy to see who’s at the door at night, especially when enabling its auto night vision mode, which allows for almost full color.

On the less positive side, there is a couple second delay when communicating through the video doorbell. And the fact that its field of view and aspect ratio don’t let me see any visitors at the door from head-to-toe does concern me and would be a dealbreaker if I lived in a different neighborhood.

Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell: Specifications

Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell: Installation and Setup

Installing the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell is simple, especially if you go the wireless route. You might need some DIY tools, but it’s a small list. I only needed a Philips head screwdriver, but you might also need a drill and a hammer depending whether you need to make holes for the screws and whether you need to use screw anchors.

Before doing anything else, I charged the doorbell with the included USB cable. Then I grabbed my handy-dandy Phillips-head screwdriver for the backplate. Lorex thoughtfully includes two angled plates that go behind the main backplate. One angles down, the other to the side. This way, if you have to place it in a higher location or off to the side, the doorbell will still face the doorway.

In my case, I chose the side-angled plate, put it behind the main baseplate and screwed them in using the two included screws.

I already had two holes from reviewing a few previous doorbells so I didn't need to drill new holes. But, if you don’t, Lorex also included the proper-sized drillbit to make the holes for the screws – much easier than trying to manually screw them in, especially when the door frame is solid wood like mine.

If you’re going to install the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell on drywall or material that won’t catch as well as wood, Lorex included screw anchors as well (don’t they think of everything?). Don’t worry though, this doesn’t require advanced DIY skills. Just possibly a hammer.

Once the base plate is secured, just push in the fully-charged doorbell until it clicks. There’s an included pin to press into a small hole at the top to disengage the doorbell from the baseplate if you need to remove it later.

Wired setup is more complicated only insofar that you’ll need to have the two leads from a previous doorbell to connect to the two terminals on the back of the video doorbell for continuous power. The included extension wires and caps will come in handy if the two leads aren’t long enough.

The software setup is about as easy as the quality of your internet connection (you should make sure to have your router set up in an ideal spot anyway). When I first went through the setup process, I was dealing with a deadzone in my place that I wasn’t aware of and the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell kept saying that my Wi-Fi password was wrong. But one Wi-Fi extender later, and setup took one try.

For the app, I had to download it, hold down the reset button until the doorbell talked (a few seconds), and then follow the instructions on the app. While on my phone, I had to connect to the doorbell like it’s a hotspot, then go back to the app, give it a password, and then enter the Wi-Fi password. After that, there are a few screens for customizing preferences. If you don’t have any network issues (you’ll see I’m not the only one who had this issue if you google it), the software setup will take less than five minutes.

Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell: Video Quality

I spent about two weeks with the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell. Here’s my experience during testing.

Daytime: There’s more to discuss here than just the resolution of the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell. Sure, the 2560 × 1920p aka 2K resolution is more than sharp enough to see the necessary details onscreen. I can easily make out the features and faces of anyone within range of triggering the camera (so about 13 feet). If someone is holding a package, I can make out where it’s from as long as the font on it isn’t too small.

But this video doorbell comes with a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is more limiting than other video doorbells with a taller view. The Lorex 4K Battery Doorbell (that I've previously tested for TechRadar) comes with a 9:16 aspect ratio that allows you to see a more inclusive picture when someone is standing at the front door, whereas the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell only shows from the chest up for anyone standing directly in front of it.

Nighttime: At default, the camera shows a mostly monochromatic image that, thanks to the 2K resolution, is legible and clear. I had no issue identifying anyone standing in front of the door after dark. Plus, turning on “Auto Night Vision” allows me to still see an almost full-color view of my front door even in the dead of night. This is pretty nifty and somewhat atypical. For comparison, consider that the Arlo 2K Video Doorbell’s night vision is only monochromatic (and adds some glare from the infrared LEDs).

Dynamic Light: During transitional times such as right before the sun sets, the area across the street from my house is pretty bright. When someone comes back into the house (less so when someone is waiting at the door), the camera obviously refocuses on the person walking in so that there’s a little delay in seeing them clearly. Outside of that moment of refocusing, what’s in front of the camera is clear.

Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell: Audio Quality

The audio quality on the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi ideo door bell is not pristine. You won’t necessarily want to serenade anyone through the doorbell (well, you do you) as the voice through the doorbell and through the phone is going to sound compressed. Think of what the audio quality of a phone call was ten or fifteen years ago. The sound is all mid-range with not a lot of nuance in volume with a little bit of distortion.

But, I was still able to hear the other person clearly regardless of which side of the doorbell I was on, and able to hold conversations through it.

As far as the doorbell chime, it’s loud, crisp, and easily notifies when the doorbell has been pressed. It’s too bad that it’s only heard at the front door and at the door. Being able to hear it in the rest of the house requires buying an additional chime (some video doorbells come with a chime that you can plug in an outlet in a shared area like a foyer).

Lastly, the siren sound that this video doorbell can produce is a good security measure, but is not all that loud – your neighbor from across the street would probably only hear if they were outside and looking in your direction. Still, it might be enough deterrence to an intruder that the video doorbell is doing something like calling the police (which it doesn’t do).

Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell: App and Smart Features

The layout of the app is such that navigating is intuitive. When I first open the app, I’ll see a boxout with the location name given to the doorbell during setup (“Front Door” in my case). Even before pressing on the boxout, there’s a slider for “privacy mode” as well as a button for settings.

Once the boxout is pressed, the full page for interacting with the video doorbell pops up. There’s a live preview that doesn’t always load that takes up a quarter of the screen here, a row of buttons that include refreshing the live view, showing this video doorbell next to other ones (selectable between one, three, and nine cameras), adjusting the resolution and volume, and expanding the live view.

Below, one can select to see previous recorded events, a timeline of events, as well as some icons for interacting with the camera. These include enabling a siren sound, a light, or privacy mode, as well as using automated responses, taking a snapshot or recording, and two-way talk through the doorbell.

There’s a tiny icon at the top to share access with other users, which I appreciate, as well as an ellipsis for access to deeper additional settings. There are quite a few different settings that can be adjusted here, most notably being able to adjust what part of the camera’s view triggers the motion detection. You can also turn on high dynamic range (HDR), Auto Night Vision, and add third party chimes.

The Lorex Classic App also has tabs for the smart home ecosystems it supports. I tested this with Alexa where I literally pressed one button for the setup – it took maybe ten seconds – though Google Assistant is supported as well.

Unfortunately, the only thing Alexa did was notify me when the doorbell was wrung. While I appreciate that and it somewhat mitigates the need for buying an additional chime if you have an Alexa-enabled speaker, I wish I could also use said device to communicate directly through the doorbell.

Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell: Motion Detection and Notifications

Once I installed the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell, I didn’t need to do any special testing of the motion detection and notifications. Why? Because with a household of five people and three pets, so many people go through the front door that I now have a complete timeline of the activity of the front door.

That is to say that the motion detection was almost immediately responsive and would start registering movement within 13 feet of the door. It doesn’t matter whether it’s in the middle of the day or at night (though the doorbell needs some ambient light to register movement), it picked up everything.

Luckily, it never registered any cars passing by or animals crossing our yard (we get deer and I have yet to get a deer video notification), so it only registered what’s within that 13 foot range. It’s worth noting that it hasn’t distinguished whether it’s seeing a person or animal during testing.

That said, there is a little bit of a time lapse when it comes to actually notifying me. When just registering motion in front of the door, I found that it took up to eight seconds to let me know. That’s not terrible, but it’s not great.

When someone presses the doorbell, it takes about a second to notify me that there’s someone at the door (which is much better). Of course, that lag also bleeds into communication so that when one person speaks, the other hears it about two seconds later.

Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell: Power and Battery Life

The Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell can be powered either through the included USB cable (it’s a micro-USB to USB cable, specifically) or through the terminals on the back via the leads from a previous hardwired doorbell. That latter route is a bit more complicated to set up, but has the benefit of never needing to be charged.

If you plan on using the wireless aspect for whatever reason (security options for renters are often different), you are somewhat limited by its battery life. If you plan on getting this video doorbell for a second home that you won’t see for months at a time, I would suggest hardwiring it especially if it will still get regularly triggered.

The battery life doesn’t get measured so much in hours as much as it does in events as it does generally lie somewhat dormant (of course, the live view is always going unless privacy mode is on). The 6200mAh battery can record up to 600 events on a single charge.

There are different battery performance modes available through the app. You can set it in power-saving mode to limit how much battery life is being used, but this also limits the recordings to a 480p resolution and only records for up to 15 seconds (with a 60 second interval between events).

The performance mode, which is what I had selected during testing, will record 2K video up to 60 seconds. The battery life on performance mode sat at 86% a week since the initial charge. That’s not bad, but does mean you’ll probably have to charge every month and a half or so.

When you charge, be prepared to have to wait a bit. When first installing this doorbell, I had to wait three hours for the battery to get to full and there’s no fast-charging available.

Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell: Connectivity and Reliability

As I mentioned in the installation and setup section above, the software setup is quick and easy if your Wi-Fi network is strong (there are ways to make your Wi-Fi faster if you need). This means that the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell’s performance and ease of use is directly related to how good your internet is. If you have a spotty connection, this doorbell won’t be able to overcome that – this isn’t CCTV, after all.

But the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell won’t be the weak link. I was able to access the live view along with all the past events and timeline, not to mention settings, right away through the app even if I was away. I can even send an automated response through the app while half an hour away by car and hear that the doorbell delivers the response in a few seconds.

As far as reliability goes, the video doorbell feels sturdy as it has a durable plastic shell. Its IP65 rating is good enough for just about weather conditions outside of being submerged in water (it’s water resistant but not waterproof). To that effect, the areas for the charging port and for the microSD port both have silicon covers that secure firmly in place.

And when it locks into the baseplate, it can’t be pulled out just by pulling on it. As long as the baseplate is screwed properly into place, the doorbell isn’t going anywhere until you use a pin to unlock it from the baseplate.

Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell: Privacy and Security

There are a couple things that reassure me about the privacy and security of the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell. First is the fact that there’s an easily findable and accessible privacy mode in the app that when enabled pauses the video feed and stops recording events.

Also worth noting on the privacy front is the fact that the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell uses a microSD card (32GB preinstalled, can put microSD card up to 256GB) instead of a subscription.

Not only does that save money in the long run, but it also means that whatever happens at your front door stays there (well, and on your phone). Nothing is getting beamed offsite. If you were to get a video doorbell that requires a subscription (consider the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus, which has $4.99, $9.99, and $19.99 tiers), you’re not only incurring that extra cost, but you have to trust that your router and the manufacturer’s data center is secure.

On the security front, the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell is tough to remove from the baseplate without the release pin, which makes it unlikely for anyone to try and steal it. Plus, you would get a notification and recording of the incident. Also, the reset button is completely hidden by the baseplate so that no one can reset the video doorbell while in its cradle.

The app itself can be set up to require a password, Face ID, and two-factor authentication, not to mention you set a password for the device when first setting it up. Lastly, if someone is harassing you through the doorbell, it does have a siren sound that you can trigger through the app. Now, it doesn’t do anything other than make an obnoxious sound, but it can be enough of a deterrence.

Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell: Price and Value

The Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell is a good deal, in no small part due to the fact that there’s no subscription , which also run between $5 to $20 a month. If you want to buy direct from Lorex, its MSRP of $199.99 is discounted to what I believe to be the real price of $129.99. It’s similar on Amazon where the MSRP of $169.99 is slashed to $99.99. While that’s not the consistent discounted price, it gets discounted enough that you can find it more often than not at that price.

If you need a chime, Lorex sells one for $59.99 (well, technically $47.99 since it’s “discounted”) or a bundle with the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell with Chime, which has an MSRP of $229.99 / discounted price of $149.99.

Much of the competition is priced competitively (and often cheaper) such as the Arlo 2K Video Doorbell, which has a listed price of $59.99 on Amazon but is also seeing discounts, currently at $49.99. Still, the Arlo doorbell requires a subscription that will set you back $9.99 monthly ($7.99 a month if you pay for a full year at a time).

To compare to another doorbell that doesn’t need subscription, consider the eufy 340 video doorbell. It retails for $149.99 direct and on Amazon (currently discounted to $99.99 on the latter site). Basically, if you get the Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell at any kind of a discount, you’re getting a competitive price that you should feel good about.

Next, learn the essential home security tips from the experts.