Reviews: Amcrest Doorbell Weatherproof Wide Angle AD110

While Jonathan Schneiter experience Best alternative to RING.

Many people have the Ring. Its the number one doorbell right? Well I don't think it should be. The Amcrest has so many advantages over Ring its impossible to list them all here.

The initial install I would rate a skill level necessary of a 4 out of 5 if you have lap siding on your house. Since this door bell is longer and it has a camera in it that need to be level, you will need to find a way to get it level so its not pointing up. I ended up having to make a wedge out of wood with a hole in the middle to allow the wires to pass though. I then had to use drywall anchors into the siding then screw the wood into those. I then was able to screw the doorbell bracket into the wood. After this initial hurdle, the install level is a 3 out of 5.

#1 Thing is to make sure you have a good WiFi signal near by.

The problem I had was it would connect with the wizard on the Amcrest Smart home app then work perfectly fine. Then I would go into the app and look at the setting and all of a sudden it lost connection. I couldn't get it back even after a number of factory resets and unhooking from power. It would go through and find the wireless and successfully connect, but just keep blinking blue and never connect. That's when I figured out there was something wrong with my Wifi and it just wasn't getting enough signal. Once that was resolved it connected and has stayed connected.

Another thing is it uses DHCP, Warning!! DON'T change the IP, it doesn't like that. I wanted a static IP and it wouldn't connect with that, So I had to reserve a DHCP address instead.

MAJOR PROS
1. With the Amcrest is it will hook up flawlessly to any Amcrest DVR and record just like any other doorbell.
2. Micro SD card built in and record to instead of the Cloud. I can get alerts and watch them whenever without subscribing to the cloud.
3. The alerts are literately Instantaneous unlike the really slow RING brand.
4. Unlike Ring, you can now mask the motion sensing area instead of a radius or distance. This prevents A LOT of false alerts.
5. Did I mention you can get and watch alerts and ALL activity WITHOUT the cloud subscription!!!

After all the kinks I went through I will DEFINITELY buy one again. I'm thinking one on the back porch.

RING Brand has a lot to learn from what Amcrest is doing. My entire Security system is slowly turning to 100% Amcrest.

This a word from Jack Chu tell us High Quality Video Door Bell with 1080P HD Recording.

This Amcrest video doorbell comes with its own chime kit and mounting kit/tools/wiring required to install it. The doorbell hardware is well-built and comes with 2 face-plates (silver/black). It has built-in night vision (IR) and I have no problem recognizing visitors near the door (4-8 feet distance) both at night and day.
I like that the installation is fairly simple. The video doorbell gets power from same wiring from the old doorbell (It requires 16-24V input to operating. which is the regular voltage range for most doorbells in US). Extension wires are included if old wires aren't long enough. There is a microSD card slot on the side (after removing faceplate) for local storage (up to 128GB). It has built-in WIFI and supports only 2.4GHz. The recordings are in HD 1080P and wide angle (140 degree).
Most operations have to go through the Amcrest Smart Home app, such as setup/upgrading the doorbell, check local recordings..etc. I haven't found a way to download recordings from the cloud and so far I have been getting copies of recordings from the microSD card inserted. I'm able to add the device seamlessly to my Amcrest NVR and the Surveillance Pro app which is a plus. The motion detection notification (motion detection zones are customizable) when the doorbell camera senses visitor is my favorite feature.

A review Artem tell us Two month of using!.

 I’m the customer of Amcrest’s Wi-Fi (mostly) cameras since 2017. And you know it seems for me they lack the ability to do things for people smooth way. It’s kind of a nightmare for me to download and save any video file. Of course, a technology that they apply to video recording and night vision is innovative especially with their price, combined together. But now all my Amcrest cameras are in a state of continuous reset every day.
I feel sorry to put so much information not relating this doorbell. But guess what: all listed above issues were successfully overcome in this particular doorbell. It’s only 20 days of using but that’s enough for me to be optimistic. "Smart" app is good enough to handle all tasks needed. Buying this product and putting literally 120$ on the wall, remember that there is no reimbursement for a stolen doorbell (good if you use their cloud recording option). I'm going to update the review regularly because I really impressed the quality of the product, but I still have unsweetened residue after two years of owning their other than "smart home" line's products.

As Brian D Talk Equpment: Great. Software: Disappointed.

I received a promotional email from Amcrest on this new device. I have invested significantly into Amcrest products (15 IP cameras), as they work extremely well with the Blue Iris NVR software. A doorbell camera from Amcrest was exactly what I was waiting for, so I ordered it immediately.

The marketing email stated this camera works with Blue Iris, and it does to an extent. Video feed is fine, and the listen-in feature is fine. However all other features work *only* with Amcrest's homebrew Smart Home mobile app. Even firmware updates require use of the app. The device has no built-in/standalone web Admin UI like their other IP cameras.

"Well no problem", I said... all my cameras are on a isolated network with no internet access for security and piece of mind. "I'll set it up via the app and then cut off its internet access like its buddies." Well, unfortunately, if you do that the Doorbell camera annoyingly flashes its blue ring non-stop, with no way to stop it.

So sadly the doorbell camera is not a standalone device like other Amcrest IP cameras: it requires continuous connection to "the cloud" or it punishes you with flashing lights. Having a video device from my home constantly piping data into the cloud is a non-starter. So I just deal with the flashing light.

What I wanted was another excellent Amcrest IP camera in doorbell form. What I got was a product "dumbed down" to fall in line with Ring, Nest and the others. Not up to par with their more robust offerings.

As Michael H Talk Great quality for a great price.

Very high quality, took a little enthusiasm to install because I’ve never installed something like this before but the instructions were very easy to follow, and product works very well, super impressed

Another customer kaimanson experience ***Great Device with amazing Potential***.

Unboxing:
The new Amcrest AD110 feels like any other doorbell out there in the market, comes with 2 face plates (gray and black) I thought it was going to be out of metal but both are made out plastic, a bit flimsy but still ok for a doorbell. It comes with everything needed for installation. Make sure before you buy any doorbell that requires power that you current doorbell is power base and not battery.
Compare it with other doorbells is as small as the Ring but a bit bigger than the Nest Hello. The box design and distribution is not as fancy as the Nest Hello but hey all those things are going to be throw away anyways.
Prep:
Instruction are well written and videos online are of a great help to prep the doorbell before installation. Per instruction some screws that were supposed to be pre-installed on the doorbell were not on it, but I was able to find them inside one of the bags. The long extra piece of extra wire showed on the video or manual didn’t come with mine. I ended up using some wires I had around the house. Make sure you have all the screws needed are in the kit before starting installation
Installation:
Chime kit is a plug in and screw kit pretty easy, just make sure you know what kind of door bell system do you have (might need to check up the nest hello installation video which goes more in depth about the different type of bells). One side have a green plug that goes to the Chime kit and two “U” shape connectors that go to the bell’s transformer.
Doorbell:
Installation can vary here, in my case I had to use a face plate to cover the hole on the concrete wall. I wish the wires that go into the door bell had the same “U” shape connectors that are on the Chime kit for easy installation. The kit comes with two face plates (nice feature) it is a bit clunky to remove and if it not handle correctly it may break, but well it come with an extra one. Installation was smooth after wires were attached.
Amcrest Home App:
After installing the door bell open the Amcrest Home App and follow the steps. The app overall has been working fine and the setup process was simple. I had to format my 128gb sd card on my computer to FAT32 and the doorbell was able to accept it.
The app somehow was able to add another of my Amcrest camera and the layout is much likely to the Ring layout, where you can see all the cameras at once while the app is open. I ended up disconnecting that one and leaving only the doorbell. Videos load pretty fast, and via remotely you can access those saved on the SD card. Can’t comment on the cloud system, I’m not planning on using it anyways. Those with Blue Iris (per other customer’s review) or Amcrest NVR (in my case) you can have your own cloud in your house. It will connect to the NVR with no problem. Just get the IP from the app and add it to the NVR. The problem that I have with systems like Ring, Nest and other doorbells that besides buying the product in order to fully use it you have to pay.
Nest Hello Vs. Amcrest AD110
My current doorbell is a Nest Hello and the cost is $5.99 per month for a 5 days 24/7 recording price goes up if you want more recording time. With the paid service the Nest Hello as well add package delivery notification, face recognition, activity zones, clips and time lapses, continuous video history and close-ups. With the Amcrest AD110 the cloud services is $6 for 7 days recording (only motion recording) and basically that’s it.
The ecosystem on the Nest Hello (Google) is beautiful and it connects to my chromecast and Google mini. By just asking Google mini to show front camera on Master room (Ex) it will bring the live feed on the screen within seconds. Every time someone ring the bell every mini in the house say “someone is at the door” of if facial recognition is on it will say “Mike is at the door” this last only work with the paid service. Overall is a great device (Nest Hello) but just the idea that I have to pay $50 per year for 5 days recording to have the full potential of the device…is a pain. Also because it is cloud base as Ring and other doorbells if you internet goes down for X or Y reason your doorbell is not recording at all.
The Amcrest AD110 is a great device with a ton of opportunities to grown into an amazing device. Video quality in my opinion is the same as the Nest. What I love the most is that you are not trap with the subscription in order to use the device to its fullest. I already owned a few Amcrest products therefore my setup will work better maximizing my dollars. I can have a home cloud base device that can record 30+ without any subscription, plus you have the backup on a SD card (max 128GB capacity) that can be access via the Amcrest app, only motion is recorded on the SD card and if for any reason my internet goes down I know for sure the doorbell and NVR are still recording.
Quality in two way communication is as good as the Nest, as well as able to ear the person on the other side.
Conclusion
YMMV, My current doorbell has a beautiful relationship with all my Google products, (live view via Chromecast, announcements via Google Mini, Gif notification which I love, great preview of what is happening in your door without opening the app, nice app with lots of features Ex. Seasonal ring tones). But everything in my perspective comes to money and usage. I work hard for my money as many of us and I want to make sure every penny I’m spending is going to the right place.
Those features that the Nest provides are nice one, but I can live without it. When I look into the AD110 it may not be of the same quality (build) material or have a perfect app, but it will at least let me know when someone is at the door and record the footage (which is basically what everyone gets a doorbell for) App notifications are quick and sometime even faster than the Nest Hello. The cool down period on the Amcrest is faster than the Nest Hello, which is perfect, but sometime annoying if you are chatting with someone by the door. Another thing that the AD110 doesn’t have is an angle mount hopefully they will come out with one. Overall I can tell you that I’ll be soon switching my Nest Hello for the AD 110 in my case it make more sense because of my current setup but for other may not be the best option…YMMV.

While Jim. Carroll said Very happy - high quality, excellent functionality, easy to use.

Very easy to install and set up; instructions are concise and easy to follow.
My primary issue was with selecting the type of inside chime so that I could turn off the outside chime. We have a mechanical solenoid and striker chime inside, from the previous system. Selecting "mechanical" in the setup dialog only allowed me to hear the electronic doorbell sound over the speaker of the video doorbell unit. I switched the chime module leads at the indoor chime, with no effect.
I figured I'd try selecting "Digital" as the type, just for grins, and it worked! I was able to mute the outside chime and hear only the inside chime unit when the doorbell button was pushed. (I don't want to broadcast to the neighborhood every time someone visits!)
I do find that the speaker volume is kind of low when using the "talk" function - I feel like I have to speak very loudly to be understood.
Other than that glitch with the indoor chime, easily corrected, I am quite favorably impressed. The picture quality, both in daylight conditions and using night vision mode are excellent. The Amcrest Smart Home app is really easy to use and makes accessing the unit easy.
I was able to add my wife as a user quickly, and I have added the doorbell as a device on my Amcrest View Pro to allow me to quickly view the image on the doorbell along with cameras in my NVR-based security system.
The notification system uses the default ringtone on your phone. I would like to assign a unique tone, but that's no biggie, really.
I initially purchased a Ring2 doorbell, but returned it after multiple function issues. This doorbell is every bit as good, and in some respects, far better, at near half the price!

Another customer Max Warp experience Solid device for the tech/privacy conscious folks.

So far so good. This is a little bit more of a techie oriented device. I didn’t want to get into Ring or Nest privacy “cloud” pay to play chaos so this seemed like a good approach. As with every Amcrest device it’s a little bit more of an uphill to get everything set up and working. Install was a breeze as far as rip and replace for a basic doorbell setup. The app is pretty straightforward but a little clunky. I setup the NVR and that was a slight challenge. The SD card was frustrating as you must have it preformatted as FAT32. This is messy as Windows won’t do that natively on anything over 32gb so you will need some freeware to make it happen. Once the SD is formatted it works really well. Motion detection zones work great. The recordings are crystal clear. The only downside is the night vision IR washing out the picture due to proximity of porch posts. I wish there was a way to shut off the night vision as we have enough ambient light to show the details. Overall it’s a solid device that isn’t pay monthly to play and stays on your local network without keeping your recordings in the cloud.

Another customer Bobby experience Excellent Doorbell Cam with room for improvements.

This is an excellent doorbell cam with room for improvements. Being a fan of amcrest indoor cam, I had to try this new device. Installation is fairly easy but needs more information in the instruction. 1. The chime kit needs information as to what it's supposed to do when it is connected to existing chime. I could not figure out why my existing chime would not work but the amcrest doorbell works just fine. Come to find out, I had to select the option of "No Chime" instead of selecting Mechanical Chime or Digital Chime. What a pain in the A..! Took alot of troubleshooting and measuring voltage. Amcrest needs to get this information clear for the existing chime. 2. The app feature for selecting the motion detection zone needs to be explained. It seems counter intuitive. Does red zone coverage means no motion detection or motion detection? Which is it? 3. Using the amcrest view pro works fine with the doorbell cam, but kills the live view completely in the smart home app. I had to do hard reset on the doorbell to make the live view on the smart home app functioning again. I recommend not using the amcrest view pro until amcrest can fix this bug. Despite the issues you might encounter, this doorbell works great and better than ring doorbell that I've researched. One reviewer mentioned that this doorbell does not give audible notification is wrong. Your phone can be used as your chime. You get notification on your phone both visual and audible when the doorbell is pushed and have the option to answer or decline and mute the doorbell chime. Also motion detection gives you notification on your phone as well as audible by one of four types of doorbell ring you select from the app but be sure your notification volume is turned on on your phone and not on vibrate or off. Smart feature so in case you can't hear the chime in your house. Image clarity is great, but would like the option to set the default live view to HD instead of SD similar to their indoor cam. I like the option of using micro SD card (ring doorbell doesn't have it) instead of cloud storage with monthly fee after 1 year. Be sure to format the SD card to FAT32 first on your laptop or else it will not be recognized on the app. This is not explained in the instruction, but shows up in the amcrest technical support questions. Overall I like the functionality of this doorbell cam, but needs improvement in the instruction and app functionality. Come on Amcrest! You can do better.

This a word from P. LeBlanc said Great Value For the Money / No Cloud Service Needed, already bought a second one..

I am very impressed with this doorbell camera, I have friends and family that have other doorbell cameras and I believe I've already convinced two to switch to one of these. The setup was easy although I apparently missed a step on the first one (yes I've already bought a second one) and also had some issues with getting a larger memory card to work in it but all has been worked out and so far so good. I highly recommend this camera. The image quality is great at the SD Resolution even in low light. The Motion detection took a little time to tweak but everything seem to be working perfectly. I did not install the chimes in my existing inside box so I can not comment on those.

Couple of things to keep in mind, obviously this works off your existing wifi so your signal has to be good otherwise you will have issues. This isn't the cameras fault just the way it is no matter which brand you choose.

I love that you do not have to use / pay for a cloud service, I am using their Smart Home App and a 128G Memory card and it has been very responsive with notifications of motion as well as anyone ringing the doorbell.

The only negative is that I have not figured out how to download the video from the app. This is an issue that I hope is either a bug or something I just haven't figured out how to do just yet. I e-mailed support on this but haven't heard back as of yet. At this point it almost seems like you would have to remove the card and download it manually and that would be very disappointing as accessing the card is a pain once it is installed.

Update - Per Amcrest Support as of right now (11/22/19) you can not download any video from the camera if using the Memory Card. The only option is to remove the memory card from the camera and download the video that way.

One other thing I forgot to mention - I wish you could either turn off the blue ring LED or at least dim it. It it very noticeable at night since we have motion detecting outside lights. I'd prefer not to draw attention to my house if at all possible.

Update #2 - 11/28/19 - Amcrest released an Updated IOS App and also a new firmware for this camera and since the update I get nothing but false motion detections constantly, I've tried everything possible and even (per supports request) completely reset the unit and reconfigured it and it is still doing the same thing. I am not sure if it is just my unit or not but I've received so many alerts that I had to disable the motion detection completely. So now I feel like I just have a doorbell and not a camera, I more than likely will be returning these.