Doorbell and Entry Starter
The front door is the highest value camera position in any home, because almost every interaction with a house happens there. A 2K doorbell recording to a local card covers it without a subscription, and contact sensors cover the remaining doors for less than the price of one more camera.
Not everyone should start with an eight camera system. If the budget or the appetite is not there yet, covering the front door properly and sensing the other entry points is a genuinely useful system rather than a token one.
Everything here records locally and needs no monthly fee, and none of it is wasted if you later install a full PoE system.
Optimised for: The smallest spend that produces a system worth having, with nothing that has to be thrown away later.
| Item | Why this one | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| The front door | |||
| WYZE Wired Doorbell Camera v2, 2K HD WYZE | A 2K sensor at the price most makers charge for 1080p, recording to a card rather than to a plan. At doorbell distance 2K is the difference between seeing a face and recognising one. | $59.98 | Check price |
| Storage | |||
| SanDisk 128GB High Endurance Video microSDXC Card with Adapter SanDisk | High endurance, because a standard card in a camera writing continuously fails within months and usually fails silently. | $36.99 | Check price |
| The back and side doors | |||
| UltraPro Personal Security Window and Door Alarm, 6 Pack UltraPro | Six contact sensors covers the ground floor of a typical house for less than the price of one camera, and a sensor knows a door opened where a camera only knows something moved. | $24.00 | Check price |
| One camera for the back | |||
| eufy Security SoloCam S220, Solar Security Camera, Wireless Outdoor eufy Security | Solar charged with storage on the camera, so the back of the house gets covered without a cable route or a subscription. | $69.99 | Check price |
| Approach warning | |||
| 1byone Driveway Alarm Wireless Outside, 1 Receiver and 2 Infrared Sensors 1byone | The cheapest way to know someone has turned in before they reach the door. | $34.99 | Check price |
| Lock the door properly | |||
| Wyze Auto-Lock Bolt v2, Fingerprint Keyless Entry Smart Lock WYZE | A camera records an entry, a lock prevents one. The two answer different questions and a camera is not a substitute for a deadbolt. | $79.00 | Check price |
| Notice | |||
| WaaHome Video Surveillance Sign 8x12 inch with Stake WaaHome | Notice at the front, which is the cheapest deterrent here and is required in some places. | $9.99 | Check price |
| Running total, 7 items | Live prices from the product listings. Prices change often, so treat this as a guide. | $315 | |
Get this build as a printable checklist
The full item list, the running total and the wiring checklist, as one page you can take to the install.
What you can skip
Telling you not to buy something is what makes the rest of this list credible. None of the following is required for a working system.
- The smart lock, if the existing deadbolt is sound. It is a genuine security improvement rather than a camera accessory.
- The driveway alarm on a property with no drive to speak of.
What to upgrade first
A wired PoE system for the exterior, keeping this doorbell in place. The doorbell and the sensors stay useful, so nothing bought here is wasted when the full system arrives.
Where this build runs out
This is a partial system and it should be described as one. It covers the front door well and gives you warning elsewhere, but it does not record continuously, it does not cover the sides of the house, and it will not identify a stranger at any distance. It is a real starting point, not a finished one.
Compare the other builds
Before you install any of this. Aim cameras at your own property and your own boundary, never into a neighbour's windows. Cameras in bedrooms, bathrooms or anywhere with a reasonable expectation of privacy are a serious legal problem, including for guests, lodgers and anyone who works in your home. Audio is legally different from video, many US states require the consent of every party to a recorded conversation, and several recorders capture audio by default, so check your own state before enabling it. Some places require visible notice that recording is taking place, and landlords and homeowner associations often add their own rules. This is researched general information and not legal advice.
Once it is running. Change every default password, keep the firmware updated, and be clear where the footage goes. Mains wiring for a floodlight is licensed electrician work in many places, and running cable in a wall cavity has its own rules. Prices change often, so treat the running total as a guide rather than a quote.