Swann SwannBuddy 4K - Subscription Not Compulsory

I've reviewed a fair few video doorbells in my time.

In fact, it's got to the point these days I feel a little sympathy for the couriers who come to the door. I wonder if they do a bit of a double take when they go to press the button and it's not the same button as the day before?

Who am I kidding? Couriers pick up and deliver hundreds, if not thousands of packages every day - as if my front door is going to stand out.

Still, I can't help imagining the conversation back at the depot; "You ever been round to that Hart guy's place? I swear he's had three different doorbells this week."

Of course, what they don't know - at least I hope they don't - is some of those video doorbells are a lot more useful than others.

To begin with, the SwannBuddy 4K is a very capable security camera, before you even get to the doorbell part. As the name suggests, you'll get extremely clear, zoomable 4K footage in full colour. You may not think that kind of video quality is essential but take it from someone who knows; if you want to post identifying tattoos on social media to identify the thug who stole your package, the clearer the better. (It'll be pretty helpful for the police if they decide to show up too.)

The 165° vertical viewing angle and the 1:1 aspect ratio ensures you'll capture pretty much every corner of the average entranceway, from floor to ceiling, although there is a considerable amount of wall-eye distortion around the edges.

As you'd expect, setting up the SwannBuddy is very straightforward, with the Swann Security app guiding you through every step. If you already have other Swann cameras in operation, the feed from the doorbell will simply be added to your dashboard. I'm not sure about other smart home ecosystems but I discovered there's a Swann Security skill that can be added to Amazon Alexa, although the SwannBuddy will only appear as a camera, not a doorbell, which is a shame as you can't create a routine for what happens when the button is pressed.

On the other hand, there's a wireless chime unit included the box, powered by two AA batteries. This is easily paired with the SwannBuddy, can be placed pretty much anywhere around the house and has six different chime options - from common bell sounds to barking dog and cuckoo clock sound effects. If you have a larger house, you can purchase extra chime units, pairing up to five with a single doorbell.

The SwannBuddy itself runs on a built-in 6500mAh lithium battery - quite a large cell for a device like this and it can last up to three months before you have to take the doorbell down and spend a few hours recharging it via its USB-C port. Although this is a bit of an inconvenience, the supplied wall bracket is sturdy and well designed. Simply loosen the security screw at the base and the SwanBuddy lifts off easily. Alternatively, you can hardwire it in if you're replacing a mains-powered doorbell.

Like other similar devices, once set up, you can customise which specific area you want to monitor as well as the sensitivity of the True Detect heat and motion sensor. You can also set schedules for Home, Away and Night modes and these modes can be quickly accessed and changed manually via home screen widgets for both iOS and Android devices.

None of this particularly sets the SwannBuddy apart from other, similar devices - although I will say I quite like the robust look and feel of the device and because the centrally-located button lights up around the edges when it detects motion and starts recording, there should be no confusion for visitors when it comes to figuring out which bit they're supposed to press.

Where the SwannBuddy really stands out is how many features you get before having to invest in a monthly Secure+ subscription.

Let's start with storage. Not only is there a microSD slot tucked away behind the weather-proof flap at the back, you'll find a 32GB card already in there, when you take the device out of the box. Admittedly, this isn't the most secure option should someone decide to rip your doorbell off the wall, although I've never heard of that happening. Even if it does, you get 24 hours of rolling cloud storage as a backup. This "free" feature alone is a compelling reason to consider the SwannBuddy.

As you'd expect, you can communicate with your visitors via the app in real time. But what if you're not around and you're too busy to let the courier know they can just biff the package over the gate because it's not fragile?

That's when you can let the SwannShield AI Voice Assistant speak for you. This isn't just a selection of pre-recorded quick replies - although you can use them too. SwanShield is much more clever. When you're in Away or Night mode, you can set SwannShield to be Polite, Assertive or Disinterested. Then, if someone rings the bell and waits for a response, SwannShield will talk to that someone as if it's a resident of the house, giving the impression somebody's home - or at least closely monitoring the camera. 

I've tried it out and it seems to work, although unfortunately, the SwannShield AI only speaks with an American accent. I note this feature is still in "Beta" and I'd definitely like to see the response time reduced and I'd also like to hear the AI's voice on the captured recordings. In saying that, there's a full transcript of any SwannShield conversations available on the app within seconds of them finishing.

Pretty clever stuff and all yours, free of charge.

That's not to say there aren't significant benefits to subscribing to Secure+ - longer cloud storage, package, pet and vehicle detection, rich notifications with thumbnail previews and even free replacement in the unlikely event your SwannBuddy does get nicked - just some of what your sub gets you.

However, with easily accessible and shareable local storage and the SwannShield AI Voice Assistant, there's no doubt the SwannBuddy 4K offers some of the best value, subscription-free features around.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the SwannBuddy 4K wireless video doorbell.