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Video door intercom: the choices that come first

Updated: 16 October 2026

A phone doorbell and a video door intercom are different purchases. You want a camera at the door and a screen indoors, so someone in the house can see and speak without an app as the only handset. On amazon.co.uk on 15 October 2026 that shelf ran from about £59 to about £208. The split that matters is how many conductors are in the wall, who answers, and whether clips must exist while you are out. Named kits are in the [video door intercom comparison](/hub/burglar-protection/video-door-intercom). The Products Compared editorial team used those listings and public UK guidance, not a laboratory test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A phone doorbell and a video door intercom are different purchases. You want a camera at the door and a screen indoors, so someone in the house can see and speak without an app as the only handset.

Our top picks

EZVIZ EZVIZ CP5 7 inch Wi-Fi video door phone

Best overall

EZVIZ EZVIZ CP5 7 inch Wi-Fi video door phone
8.9/10about £161.49
View offer
TMEZON TMEZON 7 inch wired video intercom

Preis-Tipp

TMEZON TMEZON 7 inch wired video intercom
7.6/10about £79.99
View offer
TKMARS TKMARS 4.3 inch no-Wi-Fi video doorbell

Alternative

TKMARS TKMARS 4.3 inch no-Wi-Fi video doorbell
7.3/10about £58.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Count the wires first
  2. 2.Who answers, and where the clips sit
  3. 3.Power, unlock and the weather code
  4. 4.What the wide lens is allowed to see

Count the wires first

Count intact copper before you compare screens. Two conductors are a different product from four. A 2-wire video intercom reuses a bell pair, and one station in this set also says four cores are possible. A 4-wire video door phone expects four cores from the outdoor station to the monitor. Buy that bus for a flat with only two wires and the picture has nowhere to go. No cable at all is a radio kit, not a bus. Open-air range is not the distance through a terrace. If you can already see two or four cores, the fork is wired or wireless video door phone. Which? puts cloud on a cheap app doorbell at up to about £100 a year. That bill is another shelf, not the price of a monitor in the box.

Who answers, and where the clips sit

If you will not create an account, the indoor monitor is the handset: a wired screen with no app, or a private-radio kit. Answering from work needs Wi-Fi, which here means an EZVIZ or Tuya account. No subscription is a fee claim. It does not make the footage private. Storage is a card in the monitor, a short loop of stills, or nothing stated. A fee only matters if you need a history of callers while you are out. No broadband, or no wish for an account, belongs on video door phone no Wi-Fi.
EZVIZ EZVIZ CP5 7 inch Wi-Fi video door phone

Testsieger

EZVIZ EZVIZ CP5 7 inch Wi-Fi video door phone
8.9/10about £161.49
View offer

Power, unlock and the weather code

A dead indoor screen is a dead intercom. Wired stations take power on the cable or from a plug-in adapter. Battery outdoor units in the dearer kits quote about 45 to 60 days from a 7,000 mAh cell, qualified by presses, motion alerts, live view and temperature. An owner review on one of those kits describes about two days, so do not plan a season on the bullet. Monitor cells of about 5 to 8 hours are a backup, and the screen is meant to stay on charge. Unlock is a contact or a low-voltage output. One 4-wire kit states that the electric lock and the exit button are not in the box. IP55 and IP65 are BS EN 60529 codes for dust and water jets, not a vandal-proof claim. A plug-in adapter is not new work at the consumer unit. Where you stop and call an electrician is on how to install a video door intercom.

What the wide lens is allowed to see

A 160° or 170° porch lens often takes the pavement, a neighbour’s path or a shared hall. Filming your own door is a different duty from filming past the boundary. The ICO home CCTV guide and GOV.UK’s domestic CCTV page both include video doorbells. Beyond your boundary, UK GDPR applies: capture less, sign it, secure it, delete what you do not need, and answer an access request. A shop door is organisational CCTV. No monthly fee does not shrink that duty. Aim at the caller and the mat, because a fixed wide housing cannot be cropped later. On 15 October 2026 the shelf ran from about £59 to about £208. Settle the wire count and who answers before resolution.

Common questions

How many wires does a video door phone need?
Count intact conductors from the door to the screen. A 2-wire video intercom is built for a pair, and one station here also says it can use four cores. A 4-wire video door phone needs four cores. Buying it for a confirmed two-wire flat leaves a kit you cannot terminate. No cable means a radio kit. Do not copy a guessed colour code.
Can I answer without a phone account?
Yes, when the indoor monitor is the handset and the listing does not require an app. That is a wired screen with no named app, or a private-radio kit. You will not see the caller from outside the house. Answering from work needs Wi-Fi and an account.
Does no subscription mean the clips stay private?
No. It means the listing is not charging a monthly fee for the feature it describes, such as a local card or a short photo loop. Remote viewing still needs an account on the kits that offer a phone. If the lens films a neighbour, a hall or the street, the ICO home CCTV duties still apply.
Is IP65 the same as vandal-proof?
No. Under BS EN 60529, IP65 means dust-tight and resistant to low-pressure water jets. IP55 is a lower water rating. Neither code is a strike test, and neither promises a clear picture in every storm.
Does unlock include the electric lock?
Usually not. Unlock here is a button on the monitor, in an app, or on a tag, switching a contact or a low-voltage output. One 4-wire kit states that the electric lock and the exit button are not included. Check the parts list before you treat unlock as a strike in the box.
Will a 7 inch screen stay on all day from its battery?
Do not plan on it. The dearer kits quote about 5 to 8 hours, or about 6 to 8 hours, and tell you to keep the screen on charge. A 4.3 inch no-app screen in this set is meant to stay on a socket, with about 30 minutes of backup.

Related pages

Best kits

Video door intercoms

How to install a video door intercom without new mains

Video door phone no Wi-Fi: the monitor is the handset

Wired or wireless video door phone: follow the cable

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison. Listings read on 15 October 2026.

  1. ICO: home CCTV systems (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK: domestic CCTV, including video doorbells (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK: Approved Document P, electrical safety in dwellings (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. IET: Part P frequently asked questions (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Ofcom: short-range devices (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. Business Companion: mixed contracts and the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Which?: how to buy a smart video doorbell (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. EZVIZ: CP5 product page (retrieved 15 October 2026)