Doro Hemma Doorbell review: security and safety don't get much simpler than this

Two-minute review

The Doro Hemma is a beginner-friendly video doorbell that can transform that knock on the door into something you can respond to, wherever you are. It comes packed with both an adhesive sticker and a wall mount that can be screwed beside your front door, and you can have it up and running within 10 minutes.

The doorbell also comes with a USB-C cable for recharging it, which is necessary after about 10 days of use. The 1080P camera resolution is clear, and it can detect movement, letting you know thanks to notifications sent to your device. The camera also has night vision, so you can have a clear feed when someone visits at night.

After testing the Hemma doorbell for several weeks, I’ve found it to be a great option for those just getting started with using smart home devices. The Doro Hemma app, available to download for free from Apple's App Store and Google’s Play Store , is very straightforward and makes the main features of the doorbell easily accessible in seconds. The Doro Hemma Chime, which can plug into any UK power socket, can ring loudly to alert you that someone has arrived while you're at home.

However, there are a few drawbacks. The doorbell detects any movement. This can be a hassle if you live in an apartment block and people walk past your door frequently, so be prepared for a bunch of notifications to alert you if 'movement' is enabled. Additionally, the lack of support for HomeKit, Apple’s smart home framework, is disappointing. This means you can’t check someone at the door while managing your smart lights or Apple TV in the Home app, nor can you use Siri to view the video feed.

That said, Doro’s Hemma Doorbell is still a great entry-level device if you’re new to smart home appliances, especially for £150 (about $200/AU$300) with no monthly subscription fee. Combine that with an easy-to-use app that lets you respond to someone at the door at any time, anywhere, the Hemma is an easy contender to be featured in our guide to the best video doorbells .

Doro Hemma Doorbell: price and availability

• List price: £150 (about $200 / AU$300)

The Doro Hemma Doorbell is available for £150 on Doro's UK website, which is a fair price for what it offers, and about average for a battery-operated video doorbell. Inside the box, you'll find the doorbell, a plug to amplify the bell chime, an adhesive to stick the doorbell to a wall, a mount if you prefer to screw it to a wall, and an instruction manual.

There are no extra accessories for the Hemma Doorbell - it’s a straightforward smart home appliance that focuses on one job to respond to those knocking on your front door - but that's what makes this doorbell so appealing. There's also no monthly subscription fee to access its full features, unlike many other video doorbells.

The Doro Hemma isn't available outside the UK at the time of writing.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Doro Hemma Doorbell: specs

Doro Hemma Doorbell review: Design

• Easy to set up
• Great app to check video footage
• Rechargeable battery

The Doro Hemma is a video doorbell and nothing more. It's designed for people who don’t own a variety of smart home products, and don't necessarily choose to keep up to date with the latest smartphones. Instead, Doro has made a doorbell that simply shows you who's at the door through a video feed and respond accordingly.

The Hemma Doorbell delivers on that with a clear HD camera and a responsive button that produces a clear chime and a flashing green light when pressed. Its white casing may clash with certain doors, but perhaps that’s the point. This doorbell must be seen, otherwise visitors may end up knocking on the door, wondering why no one is answering.

The battery isn’t removable, so expect to charge the Hemma Doorbell through its USB-C port about once every 10 days. Thankfully, you’ll get a helpful notification sent to your device that it needs charging, so it won't run our of juice unexpectedly.

The Doro Hemma app, available on Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store , is well made for someone who doesn’t use their smartphone often. Its clean layout means that every option and toggle is a press away, as well as offering the ability to watch the live video feed from the doorbell at any time. A couple of features stand out, safety-wise. The 'Assist' function can divert the video feed to a friend or relative, so they can answer the stranger at the door if needed. There's also a 'Siren' button in the app that will generate a loud noise from the doorbell, alerting anyone nearby if you feel unsafe.

Overall, the Hemma app is intuitively designed that empowers the most inexperienced tech user, enabling them to manage a video feed or call someone for help if needed.

• Design score: 4.5

Doro Hemma Doorbell: performance

• Good wireless connectivity
• Virtually no delay when speaking with visitors via mobile app
• Motion detection slightly too sensitive

Once the Doro Hemma Doorbell is installed near your front door and set up using the instructions in the mobile app, it’s time to put it through its paces.

As long as there’s an active internet connection, you can reach the doorbell through the Hemma app on an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone to glance at the video feed. During testing the feed always displayed perfectly, whether I was using a Wi-Fi network or mobile data. I could easily see the outside of my apartment while listening to anything in the area if I wanted to, without any issues.

When someone presses the doorbell button, a chime will play thanks to the plug that will be nearby, and your phone will receive a notification that someone is at the door. The chime is loud and hard to miss, and if you’re away from home, pressing on the notification will open the Hemma app lets you respond to the person at the door by speaking to them.

The delay on the video feed was minimal - it was similar to having a chat through FaceTime or Google Meet. The audio was impressively clear too, whether I used my iPhone's speaker or wireless earbuds, making it easy to speak with visitors.

However, I recommend switching off the motion detection feature. I found it to be very sensitive, sending constant notifications to my iPhone whenever something went by my front door. Whether it was someone who lives in an apartment adjacent to me, or kids running by, the notifications would pile up. If you don't live in a detached house, consider deactivating it.

Overall, Doro’s Hemma Doorbell is a straightforward product that does its job well, especially for those new to smart home appliances. The doorbell easily alerts users that someone is at the door via a great app, as well as the great quality of the video and audio that it provides.

• Performance score: 4/5

Should you buy the Doro Hemma Doorbell?

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Doro Hemma Doorbell review: How I tested

• I tested the Doro Hemma Doorbell for several weeks, using the Hemma app on my iPhone 15 Pro Max and Pixel 4a handsets.

I attached the Doro Hemma Doorbell to the side of my front door with the supplied adhesive with the ‘detect movement’ setting enabled to make sure it worked. After a while, I turned it off once it was proven to be the case.

I used the Hemma app to open the video feed on a Wi-Fi, public Wi-Fi, and 5G Cellular connection to test the quality of the feed. I also tested the audio when family knocked on to see how clear my wife and I sounded across the different internet connections.

The video was captured thanks to the storage in the Doro Hemma Doorbell and replayed on my iPhone and Apple TV to see how it looked.

First reviewed September 2024