Once installed, they basically just do their thing.
But does a Ring or Nest smart doorbell have a shelf life?
There are two ways to look at this question.
Andrew Heinzman / How-To Geek
First, if your video doorbell is battery-powered, you probably want to know how long it will last.
How Long Does a Video Doorbell Battery Last?
Video doorbell batteries should last somewhere between two and twelve months.
Andrew Heinzman / How-To Geek Andrew Heinzman / Review Geek Andrew Heinzman / LifeSavvy
A doorbell that is activated more often will go through battery power more quickly.
For example, Ring says you should expect approximately 1000 activations.
Of course, this only applies if you have a battery-powered video doorbell.
Michael Bizzaco / How-To Geek
Ring and Google Nest, along with some other brands, have battery-powered doorbells.
According toRing, battery-powered doorbells will last “approximately 1,000 activations with normal usage.”
Google shares betterbattery life estimationsfor the Nest Doorbell.
With “Busy” usage, you’re able to expect around one month of battery life.
For example, theArlo battery-powered doorbellis said to get 3-6 months.
However, everyone’s use case is different, so battery life will vary from person to person.
How Long Are Video Doorbells Supported?
Your video doorbell should get support for at least four or five years—and probably longer than that.
Software and security support is especially important for smart video doorbells.
When software support ends for a gadget, itbecomes vulnerable to attacks.
Ring doorbellsreceive software security updates for at least four yearsafter the machine is last available for purchase from Ring.com.
To Ring’s credit, it does appear that the company supports devices longer than that.
Five years is longer than four years, but Ring’s support is actually quite a bit better.
Google’s is always going to be around five years total.
The good news is video doorbells seem to mostly have pretty long software support.
Of course, Ring devices aren’t perfect, as many people don’t likeAmazon’s involvement.
If longevity is your top priority, it might be the route to go.
