One thing that many people will like is the price. Roku’s items are generally in the lower price range of the market, and its professional monitoring through Noonlight is about as cheap as it gets. SimpliSafe, for example, charges $15 per month for professional monitoring, while Ring’s starts at $20 per month.
As I mentioned above, my wife and I like being able to monitor all the camera feeds on our main TV (see photo above). While the app is important (you’re not always going to be sitting in front of your TV), it’s a big plus to be able to check system status, receive notifications, see live video from the doorbell and exterior cameras, and even answer the door, all from our family room couch. And even if you don’t have a Roku TV, you can still get this feature on a TV if you have a Roku streaming player connected to it.
You can also use Roku voice remotes (or the app on your smartphone) to arm the system, control lights and smart outlets, or view camera footage on your TV. Most devices are also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant devices.
Video quality
In general, I thought the video quality of the Roku cameras was good, not much different from our Blink cameras. But my wife and I both thought the video quality of the Roku video doorbell’s camera was significantly better than the Blink doorbell it replaced, so the images were a bit sharper. Another advantage is that the Roku doorbell camera has a wider viewing angle, so it is able to capture a wider field of view in front of our house. Like many other video doorbells, Roku’s has two-way audio, so you can speak and hear someone at the door, with the video appearing both on the app and on Roku TV.
One thing I don’t like is that the Roku Video Doorbell needs to be charged periodically. After just a week of use, the battery was down to 15%. Since the micro USB charging port is on the back of the doorbell, that means I’ll have to remove it from the baseplate, charge it, and then reinstall it. My Blink doorbell runs on one AA lithium-ion battery and can last up to two years before needing replacement.
Subscriptions
To get Roku’s full features, you’ll need to purchase a camera subscription, which most other companies also require. The basic plan, which only covers one or two cameras, costs $4 per month or $40 per year. A Camera Plus subscription covers all cameras in your system, including video doorbells, for $10 per month or $100 per year. That’s the same price as Ring Basic and Plus camera subscriptions, and $2 less per month than Google’s Nest Aware services.
When you pay for the subscription, your video clips are stored in the cloud for 14 days. Without a subscription, only still images are stored. You also get “smart detection,” which can identify whether a person, package, vehicle, or animal has triggered an alert. Another advantage is that there is no delay between viewing events; without the subscription, you have to wait about 5 minutes to see an image refresh.
Roku security cameras let you add local storage via microSD card (up to 32GB), so you can store recordings and save events. With Blink cameras, to store video locally, you need to purchase a separate sync module, which costs around $35, and then add an external USB drive (up to 64 GB).
By paying for professional monitoring by Noonlight, you receive phone alerts when an alarm is triggered; a live agent will immediately text you to see if you need help. If you need help or are unresponsive, the officer will send emergency responders to your home. An agent is also contacted if you press the panic button in the Smart Home app or on the keypad.
A few Final Thoughts
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve only been using Roku products for about a week now, but so far they work well and reliably. We’re not quite ready to abandon the ADT system which, although expensive, has worked pretty much perfectly since it was first installed. If we do, there are certainly other more established players in this space that we’ll also check out to see if they have features that Roku products lack or perform better.
But it seems to me that if you already own a Roku TV or streaming player and are looking for a budget-friendly home security and smart home solution, then these items from Roku are worth considering, especially for those who like to be able to monitor everything. their television without leaving their sofa.