Home security is such an important factor to consider and if you follow our reviews you will have seen our Ring security Special that included the Ring Video Doorbell 4. However, there are many other brands that also provide alternative video doorbells.
In this review, we continue our relationship with Swann whom we have reviewed a number of their security cameras the most recent being the Swann Corecam. We have also been testing the SwannBuddy video doorbell.
Unboxing
The SwannBuddy comes with a doorbell, simple wireless chime, plate for installation, 2x rechargeable batteries, 32GB micro SD card and USB-A to Micro-USB charging cable. You also get some stickers to indicate you are using Swann security. All of this is available for £169.99
The Swannbuddy video gives you the option of being able to stick or screw the plate to the wall but I recommend you use the screws as it will just be a little more secure. You will also notice there is an anti-tamper screw to prevent thieves from trying to disconnect the camera. This anti-tamper screw can also be found in the Ring video doorbell 4 we reviewed recently.
First Impressions
The Swannbuddy is a video doorbell that allows you to keep hold of recordings made when your doorbell is triggered which is something normally only allowed with a subscription as I have experienced with the ring doorbell. The key difference is the Swannbuddy is not dependent on being connected to your home smart assistant but is that a good thing?
The Swannbuddy as mentioned allows you to set up the doorbell by running off the provided batteries or you can get it connected to a power supply which will, in turn, keep the batteries charged all the time. The swannbuddy has a set-up that the doorbell is in the centre with the camera positioned at the top and the motion sensor sitting at the bottom.
The video footage is stored on a microSD card and you are provided with a 32GB option but if you wanted you could buy an SD card up to 128GB and it will be compatible. Lots of users will prefer this as it avoids the need to purchase cloud storage but the good thing with this doorbell is that option is available if you require but more on that later. The Swannbuddy is also compatible with the Swann app also useful if you have other Swann products in use. I will also discuss the Swann Security app later in this review.
Design
The Swannbuddy only comes in black and you will notice it’s made of plastic with a glossy finish. Size wise it comes in at 55mm x 32mm x 140mm (WxDxH). The button to trigger the doorbell is indicated by a bell icon in the middle of the button. You will also notice when pressed there is a thin LED strip that will light up blue.
The Swannbuddy will provide you with a video resolution of 1080p which is fairly standard for a video doorbell and you also gain a wide-angle field of view of 180˚. The Swannbuddy also comes with an IP56 rating meaning this doorbell can handle all weathers the UK provide. I would however connect it under a porch as that provides just a little protection from the elements.
As mentioned in the unboxing of this review you also get a separate chime which is useful as the Ring option requires you to purchase a Ring chime. This Swann chime is quite small 67mm x 28mm x 67mm (WxDxH). The chime is designed to be used in the home so you can hear the bell when in the home. The chime can be positioned upstairs or down and you are provided with a choice of 6 melodies for when the doorbell is rung.
Set up
When setting up the Swannbuddy you first need to download the Swann security app and create an account then select the new device and pair the doorbell to the app. You may need to press the button on the back to put it into pairing mode so it connects with your Wi-Fi network. The app will then ask you where you will place the bell which I think is a bit silly as where else would you put a doorbell? If you already have the Swann app set up is done even faster but you will still need to pick the location.
Once you have selected its location the app will take a few minutes to install and then you can go about fitting the doorbell. First up you have the wall mount and it will depend on if you have existing wiring from an old bell on how this is installed. In this review, we did not have the option to use existing wiring. So we set it up with the batteries option. The bonus of this method is that you can remove the doorbell from the mount with ease you just simply unscrew the bottom and bingo.
The battery in the SwannBuddy is a 6500mAh capacity and should give you up to 3 months but this will depend on how many people come to visit and press the button and the battery can be impacted by the weather as well. When you come to the point of needing to recharge the doorbell it will take 6 hours to fully recharge so the best time to charge is just before bed in my opinion.
The chime also needs two AA batteries to run and expect the same timescale in terms of when you need to replace the batteries. What you will notice from the chime it offers 6 different tones you can select from.
Features
A video doorbell’s main benefit is it allows you to see who is at the door and also acts as a security camera. The SwannBuddy just like what we have reviewed from Ring uses a True Detect motion sensor which can be found in many of the Swann security cameras.
When the motion sensor is triggered the doorbell will send an alert to your phone and also start recording regardless of the button being pressed. Now the motion sensor will work regardless of the time of day and also has a range of up to 5 meters. It’s important if your front door is by a busy road to adjust range overwise you will get a lot of alerts that will just drive you little nuts.
In addition to the motion sensor, the Swannbuddy provides the user with a 180-degree view and square 1:1 view for the video that helps you view even the steps in front ideal if someone has left a parcel or you have a dwarf at the door.
The doorbell also comes with a two-way talk which is useful if you are upstairs and need to tell a delivery driver to place the parcel by the door or if you are out shopping or at work and someone rings the doorbell you can communicate with them all I would say is the sound from the doorbell of you speaking could be louder and I had it on the max and felt it needed to be a little louder.
Swann also gives you the option of long-term cloud storage if you require and it is also compatible with IFTTT to allow you to integrate it into your smart home set-up.
Performance
The SwannBuddy does a good job as a doorbell, unfortunately, the Swann Security app is where you are let down there is noticeable lag which affected the overall performance and the two-way audio was also delayed if you know anything about a certain company that delivers parcels is that do not wait. So the lag can cause you to miss the chance to speak to the person at the door.
Here is an example of the app footage on the doorbell when rung:
What you can’t complain about is the image quality even in low light you still get a crisp image that is full of colour something you really can’t complain about. However, you can define the mask and sensitivity of the doorbell and the alerts do seem to land quite frequently the motion sensor really needs some work.
You can pay for the subscription service that allows you to make a distinction between a person and other items. However, we found this sample device did not seem to be able to detect when a parcel has been placed on the doorstep which was disappointing.
The Swann Security App
If you have a Swann security camera like the corecam the app is the same which is very disappointing its nothing on the Ring app. The Swann Security app is basic and very slow. Opening the app can take up to 10 seconds or more to load by which time the person at your door may have left.
Once the app has loaded you have the image of the doorbell or camera at the top in live view. At the bottom of the home page you have 5 icons:
- Activity
- Playback
- Live View
- Modes
- Device Settings
These options are all you need to control the device. The activity icon allows you to view back in time at previous events when filming occurred such as the motion sensor going off or someone actually pressing the doorbell. The clips are in date order and do take a slight delay to play the footage but it does work. The activity part of the app also allows you to see the stats on the doorbell or security camera footage.
The information is laid out very clearly you can also see a list of notifications from that day. The app also allows you to customize the settings depending on if you are at home, or away and even has a night setting. These settings can let you adjust how sensitive the motion detection is when at home. The only slight negative is you need to manually switch from home to the night or away mode the app won’t do this automatically. Is this a dealbreaker I would say no as it only takes a minute to pick the settings you want.
Verdict
The SwannBuddy is a well-built video doorbell that will look nice set up outside your house but there are quite a few problems with this doorbell. First up is the time taken from ringing the doorbell to hearing the chime the delay even though it’s just a couple of seconds makes no sense.
Secondly, it’s the Swann Security app this app is dreadful you have to refresh pages regularly due to the app getting a little stuck or activating the app can also take some time to fully load.
The main issue here is the delay from when someone presses the button on the bell and when you can activate the 2-way talk it just takes so long meaning you are most likely to miss that parcel as these drivers do not wait for long. In the Swannbuddy defence, this lag also happens with Ring it’s an issue both companies really need to fix. However, the lag on the Swann security app is more of a problem.
It’s not all bad, the Swann Security app allows you to view your recordings anytime you need to something Ring also does but you need to pay a subscription for that benefit something Swann offer for free. There is a Subscription option with Swanbuddy that provides you with a free 90-day trial and gives you the following benefits:
- Cloud recording up to 60 days
- Package detection via True Detect Plus
- 36-month Warrenty
- Insurance Protection
Personally when you consider the above is available for £2.99 per month or £29.99 for the year unless you have multiple devices then it will raise to £8.99 per month or £89.99 for the year. Considering the cost of living crisis happening I just can not justify paying extra for not much of a return.
Overall the SwannBuddy is a decent alternative to the likes of Nest and Ring it’s easy to install and won’t cost the world and will work perfectly with other Swann cameras around the home. The video quality was also very good and the app also allows you to download any footage with ease. However, the Swann Security app is the big letdown here the delay in loading the app and also the delay in the 2-way audio is a massive negative in our eyes it prevents the doorbell from working efficiently you will miss delivery drivers and just get annoyed with the doorbells performance.
Swann, please fix the app! If you fix the app you will have a real competitor against the likes of Ring but unfortunately, the app really lets this doorbell down and this is why I can’t recommend this doorbell.
Product Rating:
Design: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Set up: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Battery Life: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Features: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Swann Security App: 2.0 out of 5.0 stars
Value for Money: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
Overall Rating: 3.8 out of 5.0 stars – 3.8 Stars
SwannBuddy video doorbell is available for £169 via Swann.com
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