Blue by ADT Doorbell Camera Review

A Snapshot of ADT

ADT hardly needs an introduction. They’re a customer favorite, and well-deserving of their popularity. ADT has been in business since the 1800s,1 way back when Honest Abe was president. Over the years, they’ve offered reliable products and services to keep Americans safe and secure.

ADT is synonymous with high-quality devices, tailor-made packages, and stellar customer service. But no brand is perfect — not even this pioneer in home security. As you’ll see, their video doorbells are a little pricey and could use some attention in the looks department.

Blue by ADT Doorbell Camera Prices

The Blue by ADT video doorbell lists for $199.99. That’s a bit on the high end, but not outrageous. If you’re going to spend $200 (or more) on a doorbell camera, just be sure it comes stacked with advanced features. Otherwise, there are more affordable options out there. I especially like the Arlo Pro 3, starting at $169.99 (check out our Arlo review), and Ring’s various doorbell models that fall in the sub-$200 range.

Blue by ADT Video Doorbell Installed

With respect to Blue by ADT, I do think it’s worth the price for its advanced features, like facial recognition, and for its backing by the trusted ADT name.2

One other cost to consider is the monthly fee for cloud video storage. Thankfully, ADT only charges $2.99 per month for 60 days of video storage. This is a pretty good deal. I sprung for it, and was able to safely store up to 60 days’ worth of visitor footage, package deliveries, and any suspicious activity that took place in the entryway. A cloud subscription is optional. Without it, you’ll get free basic cloud storage, which saves your videos to the cloud for 24 hours.

Head over to our full roundup of ADT plans and prices to find out if they have options that work in your budget.

As a side note, ADT recently added the Google Nest Doorbell to its lineup. You can purchase the doorbell straight from ADT, or even have it financed for up to three years, or you can purchase directly from Google Nest to integrate with your existing ADT setup. We are yet to review the doorbell, but you can head over to our Nest Hello review to get an idea on what to expect from Nest’s doorbells. Nest Hello is an older, but very capable video doorbell from Google’s Nest.

Hands-On With the Blue by ADT Video Doorbell

Getting Started

Blue by ADT has its own website and special branding, which is ADT’s way of differentiating their DIY home security products from their traditional systems. The Blue by ADT logo and website are modern in design, like what you see with Ring, Nest, Arlo, and other popular DIY brands.

Blue by ADT doorbell

Ordering is easy, but delivery will take seven days, so you may want to pay for expedited shipping. You’ll get a 30-day, money-back guarantee on your purchase. This isn’t bad, but it’s a shorter guarantee than you’ll get with some other companies. SimpliSafe, for example, gives you a full 60 days to try them out. Read our SimpliSafe video doorbell review for the full scoop on our in-home experience.

DIY Installation

Blue by ADT is a hardwired doorbell camera. This means you’ll have to hook it up to your existing doorbell wiring; it requires 16- to 24-volt AC power, which is standard. Installation is fairly straightforward, and ADT has an easy-installation guide to help you along. I’ve installed plenty of doorbell cams over the years, so I had my Blue up and running in about five minutes. But the average person can expect installation to take about 10 minutes. No sweat.

One thing that’s different about Blue by ADT is the mounting hardware. Most video doorbells snap right into the mounting bracket, but Blue has a built-in battery in their bracket. This nifty little addition will ensure the doorbell keeps working even if your power happens to fail. That’s some nice innovation!

Once the bracket is screwed into the wall, a little LED lights up to show you have power. Then you’ll connect to your Wi-Fi by scanning the QR code on the device using the Blue by ADT app. And that’s it.

Everyday Use and Special Features

So what’s it like using Blue by ADT? Overall, I enjoyed using the video doorbell, and it certainly added an extra layer of protection to my home. But I did run into a couple of minor snags, which I’ll touch on soon.

Once the doorbell was installed, I began testing it with simulated package theft (porch pirate!) scenarios. Like other doorbell cams, Blue sent me instant alerts whenever it sensed motion. I could then open the smartphone app and view a live video stream of my entryway. Live video from a doorbell camera is a pretty standard feature nowadays, along with night vision, two-way talk, and 1080p HD resolution. So Blue by ADT is in line with the competition here.

Blue by ADT App

However, Blue by ADT does stand out with its custom motion detection settings, which you’ll find right there in the app. You can completely disable motion alerts if you want, or you can choose from three motion detection modes: 1) Detect Everything (including passing cars), 2) Person Detection (ignores vehicles), or 3) Custom Detection Zone. I went for option three. I’m a big fan of custom motion zones, because … really … who needs to know about every squirrel in the neighborhood?

I also appreciated Blue’s ultra-wide 180-degree field of view. The wider the field of view, there will be less blindspots and the more of your entryway you’ll be able to see. This can help you see packages left at your doorstep and prowlers crouching in the corner. Most doorbell cameras offer viewing angles in the 120- to 160-degree range, so 180-degrees is quite impressive!

One of the things I didn’t like about Blue by ADT was its facial recognition feature. Though the artificial intelligence technology is pretty solid, I found that Google Nest Doorbell and Vivint doorbell cameras were more accurate when it came to recognizing familiar faces. So if you think facial recognition is something you’ll need on your front door, consider getting the Google Nest Doorbell instead. Like the self-branded ADT doorbell, the Google Nest Doorbell works seamlessly with ADT.

And another thing: The night vision on ADT’s video doorbell is a bit grainy and only records in greyscale rather than color. Most security cameras come with color night vision these days.

Finally, there’s room for growth in the design department. The Blue by ADT doorbell is kind of clunky; it doesn’t elicit “oohs” and “ahhs” like we found in our Skybell HD review or the August View doorbell by award-winning Swiss designer Yves Béhar.

Customer Service

If you purchase a Blue by ADT doorbell camera, you’ll most likely get the quality customer service that ADT is known for. You have the option of calling directly, perusing how-to guides in their online support center, or getting help via email or live chat.

Also, if you’re looking for a complete home security system, note that ADT has one of the best field tech teams. They continually rank high in our guide to the best professionally installed home security systems. DIY installation is great, but for some things, you just can’t beat an expert’s touch.

Blue by ADT Add-Ons and Upgrades

The Blue by ADT equipment lineup is still fairly limited, but they’ve been adding products over time. They currently offer both an indoor and outdoor camera, a range extender and an extra camera battery. Peculiarly, their indoor, outdoor and doorbell cameras are all priced the same at $199. Each of these cameras integrates with ADT’s traditional home security equipment, giving you loads of options for whole-home protection.

Blue by ADT Add-Ons

Final Thoughts

From the built-in battery charger to the custom motion zones, I found a lot to appreciate about the Blue by ADT video doorbell. If you already use ADT home security equipment, this doorbell camera will make a solid addition to your system. On the other hand, if you’re just looking for a stand-alone doorbell camera, I think there are better options out there. For help choosing a model, check out our doorbell camera buying guide.

In the end, I didn’t love the clunky design. And the grainy, greyscale night vision didn’t give me the image quality I was hoping for. Overall, Blue by ADT is a decent doorbell camera, but there’s some room for improvement.

Blue by ADT FAQs