Video Doorbell Installation in Leicester
We supply and install PoE video doorbells across Leicester homes and businesses. Every doorbell we fit is hardwired over Ethernet - no battery to charge, no Wi-Fi signal to drop, and no monthly subscription to keep it working. You get live video, two-way audio, smart person detection, and footage recorded locally to your NVR. One cable, permanent power, and a doorbell that works whether your internet is up or down.
By the Doberman install team · CCTV system designers & installers, Leicester · Last reviewed February 2026
By the Doberman install team
CCTV system designers & installers, Leicester
Last reviewed February 2026
What you get
Doorbell specification and mounting
We assess your front door position, wiring route, and viewing angle. The doorbell is mounted at the correct height for face capture - not chest-height like most DIY installs.
PoE-powered hardwired installation
A single Cat5e or Cat6 cable delivers power and data. No battery charging, no low-power warnings, and no Wi-Fi dropouts when your broadband is under load.
Chime unit installation
An indoor chime unit is installed so you hear the doorbell ring inside the property. No reliance on your phone being nearby or a smart speaker being connected.
NVR integration and smart detection
The doorbell records to your local NVR like any other camera on the system. Person detection filters out passing cars and cats. Footage is searchable by event type.
How it works
Survey
We assess your front door, porch, or entrance area. Mounting position chosen for the best face-capture angle, and cable route planned back to your NVR or PoE switch.
Install
Doorbell mounted, cabled back to the network, and chime unit fitted inside the property. Cable routed through the wall cavity or door frame for a clean finish.
Configure
Detection zones set, two-way audio tested, chime volume adjusted, and app notifications configured. Full walkthrough so you know how to use live view, talk back, and review footage.
Why a PoE doorbell beats Ring, Nest, and Eufy
Battery-powered video doorbells from Ring, Nest, and Eufy are designed for easy DIY installation. That convenience comes with trade-offs that most people only discover after they have bought one. The battery needs recharging every one to three months - and while it is off the wall charging, your front door is unmonitored. The Wi-Fi connection competes with every other device in your house, and when the signal drops, the doorbell stops recording. Motion detection runs on a low-power chip to preserve battery, so it misses fast events and often triggers too late to capture the person who rang the bell.
A PoE doorbell has none of these limitations. Permanent power means the camera runs at full resolution 24/7 with no power-saving compromises. The hardwired Ethernet connection does not compete with your household Wi-Fi and does not drop when someone starts streaming. Smart detection runs on the full processor rather than a battery-saving chip, so it catches people faster and more accurately. And footage records to your local NVR - not to a cloud server that charges you a monthly fee to watch your own video.
No subscription, no cloud, no monthly fees
Ring charges from £3.49 per month for video history on a single doorbell. Nest charges £5 per month. Over five years, that is £210 to £300 just to be able to review footage from your own front door. Cancel the subscription and you lose access to recorded video entirely - the doorbell becomes a live-view-only device with no playback capability.
The PoE doorbells we install record locally to your NVR. Your footage sits on a hard drive in your own property, accessible through the app or the NVR interface. There is no subscription, no cloud upload, and no third party with access to video of everyone who visits your home. The system works the same on day one as it does on year five, with no recurring cost.
Two-way audio and visitor communication
Every PoE doorbell we install includes a built-in microphone and speaker for two-way communication. When someone presses the button, you receive a notification on your phone with a live video feed and the option to talk back. You can speak to a delivery driver, ask a visitor to wait, or tell an unwanted caller to leave - from anywhere with a mobile signal. The audio quality over a wired connection is noticeably better than battery doorbells running on compressed Wi-Fi streams.
The indoor chime unit means you also hear the doorbell ring inside the property without depending on your phone. If your phone is on silent, in another room, or out of battery, the chime still sounds. We install the chime in the hallway, kitchen, or wherever you are most likely to hear it during the day.
Mounting position and face capture
The single most common mistake with video doorbells is mounting height. Most people fit them at the same height as a traditional doorbell - around waist or chest height. At that angle, the camera captures the top of someone's head rather than their face. We mount PoE doorbells at a height that gives a clear facial image of anyone standing at the door, typically between 1.2 and 1.4 metres depending on your porch depth and step arrangement.
The viewing angle also matters. A recessed porch needs a wider lens or an angled mount to avoid just capturing the inside of the recess. A door that sits flush with the front wall needs a different approach to one set back behind a porch canopy. We assess all of this during the survey and mount the doorbell where it actually captures usable identification footage - not just a fish-eye view of your doorstep.
Integration with your CCTV and sensor system
Because the doorbell sits on the same PoE network as your cameras and sensors, it integrates directly with the rest of your security system. A doorbell press can trigger a camera at the side of the house to start recording the path the visitor walked in on. A person detection event at the front door can be cross-referenced with entry sensor status to confirm whether the door was subsequently opened. All events are logged on the same NVR timeline with the same app interface.
If you already have a Doberman CCTV system, adding a PoE doorbell is straightforward - it is another device on the existing network. If you are starting from scratch, the doorbell can be installed as part of a wider system that includes cameras, sensors, and a siren. For a full overview of the smart security devices we install, see our home automation and sensor range page.
Pricing
Doorbell and chime costs depend on the model, cable run length, and whether the doorbell is being added to an existing PoE system or installed as part of a new setup. We provide a fixed quote after the site survey. There are no ongoing subscription fees.
Why Doberman
Hardwired, not battery
Permanent PoE power. No charging cycles, no low-battery warnings, no gaps in coverage while the doorbell sits on your kitchen counter recharging.
Zero subscriptions
Footage records to your local NVR. No Ring Protect, no Nest Aware, no monthly fees. Your video stays on your property.
Proper face capture
Mounted at the correct height and angle for facial identification. Not chest-height with a fish-eye lens pointed at the sky.
Indoor chime included
A physical chime unit inside the property so you hear the doorbell without depending on your phone or a smart speaker.
About Doberman
Doberman is a Leicester-based security installer specialising in hardwired PoE systems for homes and businesses. We install CCTV cameras, video doorbells, sensors, and sirens - all running on the same Ethernet infrastructure for maximum reliability.
We do not install battery-powered doorbells or Wi-Fi cameras. Everything we fit is hardwired, PoE-powered, and records locally with no cloud dependency. If you want to understand our approach before getting in touch, our security guides and articles cover the technical detail.
Areas we cover
We install PoE video doorbells across Leicester city and the surrounding areas, including Clarendon Park, Stoneygate, Oadby, Wigston, Braunstone, Hamilton, Thorpe Astley, Glenfield, Groby, Coalville, Market Harborough, Hinckley, Loughborough, and everywhere in between.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the doorbell need Wi-Fi?
- No. The doorbell connects via a wired Ethernet cable and records to your local NVR. You only need internet if you want to receive push notifications or view live footage remotely on your phone. The doorbell itself does not depend on Wi-Fi to operate or record.
- Can I keep my existing doorbell wiring?
- Traditional doorbell wiring is low-voltage bell wire, which cannot carry PoE. We run a new Cat5e or Cat6 cable from your PoE switch or NVR to the doorbell position. The cable is routed through the wall cavity or door frame so it is not visible from outside.
- Will it work with my existing Ring chime?
- No. PoE doorbells use their own chime unit and are not compatible with Ring, Nest, or other consumer doorbell ecosystems. We supply and install a dedicated chime as part of the installation.
- Does the doorbell record all the time or only on motion?
- You can configure it either way. Continuous recording captures everything. Event-based recording only stores footage when motion or a button press is detected. Most customers use event-based recording for the doorbell to save NVR storage while running continuous recording on their other cameras.
- Can I talk to someone at the door from my phone?
- Yes. When the doorbell detects a visitor or the button is pressed, you receive a push notification with live video and two-way audio. You can see and speak to the person at the door from anywhere with a mobile signal.
- How does this compare to Ring on cost?
- The upfront hardware cost is higher than a battery Ring doorbell. But Ring charges a monthly subscription for video playback - over five years, that adds up to over £200 on top of the hardware. A PoE doorbell has no ongoing fees, records locally, and does not degrade as the battery ages. Total cost of ownership is comparable or lower over the life of the product.