Toucan is an old hand at building porch-oriented home security cameras, and now the company is branching out into video doorbells with the not-so-cleverly named Wireless Video Doorbell. This is a rechargeable battery-operated model that could be great for homes that don’t have existing doorbell wiring.
The Toucan comes with one battery-powered wireless (Bluetooth) chime that can be deployed inside or outside the home, and you can purchase additional chimes and deploy them in multiple locations. The chime includes six different notification sounds.
The camera on the Toucan Wireless Video Doorbell is outfitted with night vision and passive infrared motion detection, but one of its most impressive features is its 180-degree vertical field of view. This enables you to see a package that has been left on the porch directly beneath the doorbell.
Video is captured in 1,504×1,504-pixel resolution, and a unique feature called “focus area screen” allows you to lock the camera on a selected area of the screen, so you can keep an eye on something like a package in a picture-in-picture-like view in the Toucan app.
The camera can also send a live video stream to Amazon Echo and Google Home smart displays, as well as TVs connected to Amazon Fire or Google Cast HDMI dongles. Two-way audio support lets you quiz anyone who approaches your front porch. If you’re not home or just don’t want to bother speaking with a visitor, Toucan provides pre-recorded messages—such as, “Sorry, we’re pretty busy right now”—that you can trigger from within the app, even if you’re not at home.
The doorbell carries an IP56, meaning it’s protected from (but not impervious to) dust, and that it can withstand powerful water jets from up to a 12.5mm nozzle. So it should be protected from just about anything Mother Nature might throw at it, and it will also withstand the occasional dousing from a water hose.
Toucan provides up to 24 hours of look-back video for free. If you need more history than that, a $2.99-per-month subscription provides seven days of rolling cloud storage, the ability to share the doorbell’s view and its stored video with up to 10 other users, and unlimited downloads.
Updated, January 16, 2020 to correct our reporting regarding the doorbell (it uses a rechargeable battery, not disposable AAs) and chime (it’s battery powered and doesn’t rely on a power outlet).
Author: Michael Brown, Executive Editor, TechHive
Michael is TechHive's lead editor, with 30+ years of experience covering smart homes, home networking, and home audio/home theater. He holds a BA in Multimedia Journalism, authored the book Desktop Video Production, and was awarded Best Online Review by the Computer Press Association. Michael built a smart home in 2007 and used it as a real-world product-testing lab. Now living in the Pacific Northwest, he is converting his 1890 Victorian bungalow into a modern smart home. Michael has worked at CNET, PCWorld, Electronic Musician, and Maximum PC. As a freelancer, he contributed to New Media, Camcorder, MacWeek, and more.