Lorex 2K Wired Video Doorbell Review

About the Lorex 2K Wired Video Doorbell

• Colors: White, black
• Connectivity: 2.4/5Ghz 802.11b/g/n/ac
• Power source: Wired
• Resolution: 2K
• Field of view: 164 degrees horizontal
• Audio: Two-way talk
• Smart assistant support: Alexa, Google Assistant
• Weather resistance: IP65
• Warranty: One-year warranty

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As long as you’re able to handle some basic wiring, installing the Lorex doorbell and its accompanying chime is a fairly simple, straightforward process.

Our only hiccup came when attaching the doorbell itself to the included mounting bracket. It’s meant to snap into place easily, but it took a good 10 minutes of posturing to get the doorbell in exactly the right spot to secure itself to the bracket.

Your mileage may vary, of course, but it was a small annoyance in an otherwise smooth install.

What we like

It’s a watchful, reliable guard for your front door

First and foremost, the Lorex 2K Wired Video Doorbell is good at its job. The combination of the doorbell’s 2K resolution, color night vision, and ability to automatically adjust exposure in less ideal lighting situations made for a consistently solid video feed.

On more than one occasion, I was able to spot the neighborhood cat prowling around our front door, identify that it was not, in fact, one of our three cats, and clearly watch it prance down our block until it found a new yard to invade.

The doorbell two-way talk feature is also quite accurate and responsive. During a recent bout with illness, I got a notification that someone was at my door. I was able to pop into the feed, see a delivery driver about to drop off an important package, and manage to intercept them over the doorbell’s microphone to let them know that I was sick and could not come to the door to sign for the package.

If the doorbell had buffered or if the two-way talk lagged behind, I may not have been able to catch the oft-elusive driver before they carried my package away to delivery limbo.

The Lorex 2K doorbell even excels at being a nightlight, something that’s not exactly part of its job description. When it notices motion, a small LED light at the bottom of the doorbell illuminates your doorway. Among other things, it comes in extra handy when returning home and fumbling around with your keys to unlock the front door.

As a caveat, this doorbell is a tad too good when it comes to detection. I had several notifications of person(s) at my door that in reality ended up being a person walking their dog nearly a block away.

The Lorex app has settings that allow you to adjust person detection sensitivity and motion sensitivity, or even set up motion zones.

Security takes precedent

The doorbell offers enhanced security features. For instance, during the initial setup process for the doorbell, I was prompted to set up a biometric login (i.e., a fingerprint scan), followed by an ask to set up two-factor authentication for the device.

There’s also a Privacy Mode feature that, when activated, will turn off live view, recordings and notifications for that particular device.

Privacy Mode has its own dedicated button on the doorbell’s home screen in the Lorex app, allowing you to quickly turn the feature on and off for complete control of the privacy of your front door.

The best features are built right in

Unlike the Ring doorbell that I swapped out in order to test, the Lorex 2K doorbell is a subscription-less wonder in an increasingly subscription-heavy world.

A 32GB microSD card comes pre-installed in the Lorex, affording you the ability to begin recording events right out of the box. Ring, and many other smart security brands, will charge you a monthly fee for the privilege of recording motion.

Seeing as it's half the point of having a video doorbell, being able to record and access past recordings without forking over a fee on top of what you already paid is a huge selling point for Lorex. Especially in a space where not many brands are standing up to the subscription scourge, it’s a great perk to have a device that just works, no strings attached.

What we don’t like

It doesn’t look great

Looks are subjective, of course, and the Lorex 2K doorbell might just be the aesthetic you were searching for in a doorbell. Don’t let me stop you.

That said, the Lorex doorbell came off to me as a rather uninspired design that stuck out like a sore thumb in my doorway.

Of course, I did get the white version of the Lorex doorbell. It also comes in a black trim, which could do the trick to help the device blend in better to its surroundings. The point stands, though. As currently constructed, the Lorex 2K doorbell doesn’t look like much.

It doesn’t work with Siri or Apple HomeKit

Lorex checks off two of the three major compatibility boxes by playing nicely with both the Alexa and Google smart home ecosystems.

Notably, though, it does not offer functionality with the likes of Siri or Apple HomeKit. Apple adopters will have to look elsewhere for their video doorbell needs.

It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution for a video doorbell

If your current doorbell is situated right next to your front doorbell, you’re in luck. Keep scrolling, because this grumble won’t apply to you.

For the rest of us that have doorbells on a wall perpendicular to our front door, however, the Lorex 2K doorbell doesn’t accommodate as nicely as perhaps it should.

The doorbell does have a 164-degree view, which alleviates some of the issue. But even with the most angled of the three available mounting brackets, Lorex’s doorbell gave me a better scope of the sidewalk down the street from my house than it did the walkway leading up to my door.

I was still able to see when people walked up to my doorway, which is half the battle. But the limited view that Lorex doorbells offer perpendicular setups is certainly something to consider in your search for a smart security solution.

Should you buy the Lorex 2K Wired Video Doorbell?

Yes, unless you’re a HomeKit user with a perpendicular doorbell

There’s a very specific cross-section of smart home enthusiasts that should absolutely not buy the Lorex 2K Wired Video Doorbell. If you strictly use Siri and HomeKit, and your doorbell wiring happens to be located at that ever-unflattering angle of your doorway, then steer clear of this product.

For quite literally everyone else, though, the Lorex 2K doorbell is a great option to consider. Its performance easily rivals the Ring, Eufy, and Nest competitors in its price range, and it offers several features as a security blanket that’s hard to match.

Plus, it’s a true subscription-free smart home product, a rarity in today’s world that should not go uncelebrated.

If looks are important, it may be necessary to look elsewhere. But if performance and security are what matter most to you in a smart video doorbell, then the Lorex 2K Wired Video Doorbell is exactly what you’re after.