Audio or video door entry
Updated: 22 October 2026
You can already hear the caller through a tired handset, or you cannot see who is standing there, and a product page is telling you that a screen is simply the modern choice. Audio or video door entry is a fork, not a slogan. Speech confirms a voice. A picture shows the person. The screen earns the extra cable only when you need that picture and the cores match the kit. This page is from Peter F., editor for DIY & tools. The kits are ranked in the [1 apartment intercom system comparison](/hub/electronic-surveillance/1-apartment-intercom-system).
You can already hear the caller through a tired handset, or you cannot see who is standing there, and a product page is telling you that a screen is simply the modern choice.
You can already hear the caller through a tired handset, or you cannot see who is standing there, and a product page is telling you that a screen is simply the modern choice. Audio or video door entry is a fork, not a slogan. Speech confirms a voice. A picture shows the person. The screen earns the extra cable only when you need that picture and the cores match the kit. This page is from Peter F., editor for DIY & tools. The kits are ranked in the 1 apartment intercom system comparison.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | System | Speech | Night vision | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Bell System Bell 901 1-way audio door entry | Wired audio | 1-way | No camera | 7.8 | about £88.46 | View offer |
 TMEZON TMEZON 7-inch video kit, two monitors | Wired video | Two-way | Claimed | 8.4 | about £135.99 | View offer | |
| Alternative |  LUCINE LUCINE 4.3-inch video door phone | Wired video | Hands-free | Not stated | 4.6 | about £64.74 | View offer |
On this page
What each one actually gives you
An audio door entry gives you a call and a conversation. On these shelves that is the Bell 901 at £88.46, rated 4.2 from 71 reviews. Reviewers describe clear speech after a like-for-like replacement, with no video, Wi-Fi or phone signal. You do not get a face, and the listing does not state a lock release in the box.
A video door entry adds a picture when the bell rings. The TMEZON kit at £135.99 states two-way audio, unlock from the indoor monitor, a night-vision claim and a 4-wire run, with two 7-inch monitors. The LUCINE at £64.74 states a 4.3-inch hands-free screen and a picture when the bell rings. It does not state unlock or night vision. The ANJIELO at £329.99 states 1080p, night vision and unlock from the app or the screen, with the seller saying no cable is required. It has one review. Cheaper is not the same as an upgrade. The 1 apartment intercom system buying guide puts the cable and the lock ahead of this fork.
When a handset is the better buy
A handset is the better buy when the whole job is speech on a timber night latch and you do not need a recording. The Bell reviews that praise a simple swap are describing that house: an older audio phone, a wooden frame, a visitor you are willing to identify by voice. One UK review left the door-entry part unused on a uPVC frame. Changing from audio to video does not fix that latch.
You also stay with audio when the existing cable is a single bell pair. The wired video kits in this set are not a one-pair upgrade. One Bell review describes a purchase for an elderly relative who only needed to hear a familiar voice. Do not buy the Bell listing because a trade page itemises a Model 203. The amazon.co.uk technical details do not list the box. Situation picks are on the best 1 way door entry system page.
When the screen is worth it
The screen is worth it when you need to see the caller and you can run the cable the listing names. A UK review of the TMEZON kit wanted the second monitor upstairs so they did not walk down. That is two floors, one family, an existing four-wire run. Night vision on that listing is a claim, not a test in the file. You pay £135.99, plus the extension cable the box does not contain. Each monitor needs its own supply, according to that UK review.
The LUCINE is cheaper than the Bell audio phone, at £64.74 against £88.46, and it does show a picture. It does not state unlock or night vision, and UK reviews dispute the IP54 claim, including a door camera that failed within 8 months. The ANJIELO is the case where you cannot pull cable at all: Wi-Fi, a battery and a single review. Wiring limits are on how to wire a 1 way door entry system.
The limits that cancel the upgrade
Three limits cancel a video upgrade even when the brochure looks better. A single bell pair will not feed the 4-wire TMEZON kit. If you cannot add cores, stay with audio or consider the wireless listing, with its one-review file and a style line that says two monitors while the box list names one.
Weather is a claim. The LUCINE listing says IP54 and a rain cover. UK reviews say the outdoor camera was not weatherproof. The TMEZON listing says IP65, and nothing in the file is a weather test. A camera that films past your property also brings ICO duties: a reason, a sign, secure storage, deletion, and answers to people in the footage. Video creates a recording an audio handset never made.
Which kind to choose
Choose audio if you only need speech on a timber night latch and the existing pair is a Bell-type cable. Choose wired video if you need the picture and the cable is the four cores the kit states. Unlock and night vision are stated on the TMEZON and not on the LUCINE. Choose the wireless set only when a cable is impossible and you will not treat one review as proof.
Common questions
When is a handset enough?
When you only need to hear the caller, the door is a timber night latch, and you are not recording the street. The Bell 901 at £88.46 is the audio kit in this set, rated 4.2 from 71. It does not show you a face, and the amazon.co.uk listing does not itemise a release. A single bell pair is not a reason to force a screen onto that cable.
When does a screen earn the cable?
When you need the picture and you can provide the cores the kit states. A UK TMEZON review fitted a second 7-inch screen upstairs on an existing four-wire run so they did not walk down. Night vision on that listing is a claim. The extension cable is extra. A 1 metre test lead does not finish that run.
Does video always include unlock?
No. The TMEZON listing says you can unlock from the monitor. The ANJIELO listing says app and screen. The LUCINE listing does not state unlock. A video title is not a strike. The latch still has to match the door, including a timber night latch rather than a multipoint lock.
What if the camera sees the pavement?
You take on ICO duties for filming beyond your boundary: a reason, a sign, secure storage, deletion, and a way to answer people in the footage. A lens on your own path is a smaller case. A TF card does not cancel the duty if the clip includes the street.
Is a £65 video kit the upgrade from an £88 audio kit?
Not by price. The LUCINE is £64.74 and shows a picture. It does not state night vision or unlock, and UK reviews dispute the weatherproof claim. The Bell at £88.46 has 4.2 from 71 and no camera. Cheaper video is a different product, not a straight upgrade.
Can two monitors still be one house?
Yes. A second screen upstairs in the same dwelling is still one apartment. The TMEZON kit is sold as two monitors for one family. It is a different category when the panel calls several flats from a shared door. Two floors do not make two dwellings.
What fails if you pick video and the old cable is one bell pair?
The wired video kits here need more than that pair. The TMEZON set is 4-wire, and the long cable is not in the box. You end up with a screen you cannot connect, unless you run new cores or you switch to a wireless listing and accept its thin review file.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK and maker sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the four amazon.co.uk listings captured on 19 October 2026. An IP54 or IP65 line is seller text. amazon.co.uk B0066PTTHI does not list a lock release. None of these listings shows a test to BS EN IEC 62820-1-1.
- BS EN IEC 62820-1-1:2026 preview (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Bell PD-151 1-way audio diagram (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Bell PD-084 801 DC wiring (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Approved Document P (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Approved Document B door fastenings (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- ICO, home CCTV systems (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, domestic CCTV (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Door Entry Direct, Bell 901 kit (retrieved 19 October 2026)