Botslab Video Doorbell 2 Pro R811 review: Should you buy it?

Should you buy the Botslab Video Doorbell 2 Pro R811?

I long hesitated to buy a connected doorbell for my smart home setup because I was worried the installation process would be a pain. The Botslab R811 showed me that video doorbell installation doesn’t need to be a problem. I was able to get it up and running in 15 minutes and I spent most of that time exploring the Botslab Android app and going through the guided setup process. Granted, I opted to install it without an electrical connection; doing so would’ve made things a little more complicated, but that’s why I wanted a battery doorbell in the first place.

The R811 has a large 6,400mAh built-in battery (you can use any USB-C cable to charge it) and Botslab says it should last for more than 200 days on a single charge. Your actual battery life might be shorter, depending on settings, the traffic outside your door, and weather. Winters where I live tend to be very cold, so that’s likely to affect it. Other reviewers tend to prefer removable batteries, so you don’t have to remove the entire doorbell for charging. But for me personally, the amazing battery life of the Botslab R811 means I won’t mind taking it down every few months for an overnight charge.

If you already have electrical wires installed from your old doorbell, you should take advantage of them and avoid ever having to charge it. You can even connect the R811 to your existing chime bell for extra convenience. Or you can use the bundled indoor chime bell/speaker, which connects wirelessly to the doorbell outside. I liked that the two bits are paired out of the box, so you’ll still get alerted when someone rings the doorbell even if your Wi-Fi is down for some reason. Not all video doorbells include an indoor chime unit, so that’s nice to see.

In the box you’ll also find the user manual, adapters for wired connections, and two mounting pads — one flat and one inclined at a 15-degree angle, handy if you want to point the camera to a side. I was a bit worried that the external unit would be easy to pry off the mounting pad, but a lock mechanism prevents that. You can also enable the Siren option in the app, which gives off an alarm when someone tries to remove the camera.

I installed the Botslab Video Doorbell 2 Pro R811 at my front gate, which is a good 8-10 meters (25-30 feet) away from my ASUS router. The Wi-Fi signal (5GHz) was rated average by the app. I am not sure I would’ve gotten better results if the camera was closer to the router, but I did notice a little lag (1-3 seconds), both in watching the video stream and voice chats. It can also take a few seconds for the image to start live streaming when someone rings the bell. This wasn’t a huge issue for me, and other doorbells tend to be much worse in this regard.

Image quality is excellent, especially in daylight. The fisheye lens means you get “head-to-toes” 180-degree visibility, so you won’t miss any packages dropped right in front of the door. However, there is no package detection. The very wide angle also means the camera will capture a wide swath in front of the camera (at the cost of some distortion). You can switch between “HD” and “Ultra HD” (which I assume means the full 5MP of the sensor) for image recording and streaming. There’s HDR too, which can be useful if your door is oriented towards a bright background. At night, the camera switches to infrared, so you can see who’s at your door even in complete darkness. While I was happy with the R811’s overall image quality, I will say that you shouldn’t expect performance on par with a dedicated security camera, which typically offers advanced features like continuous recording, higher frame rates, and superior night vision capabilities.

The Botslab Video Doorbell 2 Pro R811 is sturdy and water resistant (IP66), so it should be able to withstand the elements even in exposed locations. It’s bulkier than some other video doorbells, but the dark gray color scheme means it won’t look out of place on any entryway or front door.

If you have a Google Nest or Alexa smart display, you can connect the Botslab R811 and see who’s at your front door even if you don’t have your phone with you.

The Botslab Video Doorbell 2 Pro R811 features 32GB of internal storage, enough for several weeks of recordings. In the week I had it on, the storage filled to less than 3% of capacity. Most users will not need to sign up for the cloud storage subscription, which starts at $3.99/month. That’s a very nice perk that few other video doorbells offer. However, I do recommend looking into the cloud storage plan if you think you will need access to more recordings or if you’re worried someone could tamper with the doorbell.

Other notable features I liked include the ability to change to a male voice when using the two-way calling, a “lingering alarm” that alerts you about people standing in front of the camera for extended periods, and the ability to adjust the sensitivity of the motion detection, which lets you cut down on unwanted alerts/recordings.

In terms of things I didn’t like, the app is feature-rich, but lacks polish, which made me trust Botslab’s services a little less. Also, occasionally the video feed would have trouble connecting, meaning I would miss switching to the live view in time to see who was making noise outside of my house.

Overall, the Botslab Video Doorbell 2 Pro R811 is an excellent, feature-packed, and flexible video doorbell that most users will love. It’s not perfect, but it gets the job done with minimal hassle, and you get a lot for your money. I have no problem recommending it to anyone looking for a good smart doorbell.

What are the best Botslab Video Doorbell 2 Pro R811 alternatives?

Here are some other video doorbells that offer comparable features to the Botslab Video Doorbell 2 Pro R811:

• Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro ($149 at Amazon): Ring’s highest-end battery video doorbell matches the Botslab R811 in terms of features like 180-degree field of view, radar-based movement detection, and night vision. However, the Ring doesn’t have internal storage, so you all but have to get a cloud subscription starting at $5/month.
• Arlo Video Doorbell 2K ($129 at Amazon): The Arlo Video Doorbell 2K also features wired or wireless installation and the ability to track your packages thanks to the 180-degree camera. The resolution is slightly lower than the Botslab R811 though and, like the Ring, the Arlo doorbell requires you to shell extra for the subscription plan if you want access to recordings.
• eufy Security Video Doorbell S330 ($219 at Amazon): Eufy’s doorbell has an additional camera specifically to track packages, though 180-degree models like the Botslab R811 achieve the same goals with one. And it’s quite expensive, especially if you get the HomeBase hub, which provides storage space for video recordings. 

Botslab Video Doorbell 2 Pro R811 specs

Botslab Video Doorbell 2 Pro R811 review: FAQ