It seems as though connected doorbells are all the rage right now and I am testing a new one at least every couple weeks. Today I am taking a look at the Heath Zenith Notifi Alert, which is a wirelessly connected doorbell. Right off the bat let me tell you the Heath Zenith Notifi Alert is not another video doorbell, it is a connected doorbell which when wrung will not only ring the chime but also send your smartphone an alert letting you know someone is at your door. If you can do without video in your doorbell but want to convenience of a smartphone notification then the Heath Zenith Notifi Alert could be right up your alley.
Can be installed on any home
Chime module is unnecessarily big
Doorbell button feels cheap
Why is the mounting plate for the doorbell not predrilled?
Heath Zenith is one of the largest suppliers of traditional doorbell systems in the world so making a connected version of a doorbell is certainly well within there wheelhouse and something I would think that they have the market cap to make work. The Heath Zenith Notifi Alert really should be looked at as your “builder” grade connected doorbell system, there are far better but for something that can be put in easily by the builder or contractor, the Heath Zenith Notifi Alert serves a purpose.
The physical install of the Heath Zenith Hotifi Alert was painless, simple mount the doorbell and plug in the chime module. No technical knowledge was really needed for this and can also be done with no tools if you decide to mount the doorbell with the included double-sided tape. If you do decide to use screws to mount the doorbell (which I would recommend) then you will need not only a screwdriver but also a drill because for some reason the mounting plate for the Heath Zenith Notifi Alert is not pre-drilled and I do not understand why. The chime module is meant to simply plug into an electrical outlet like your typical wall wart power supply. That is nice and makes things simple but why the heck is it so big? Hopefully, you have a relatively hidden outlet that you can plug it into as it is ugly.
Once you are done with the physical installation you will want to download the app and get things set up. Well at this point things will start to get frustrating. The app is not pretty, painfully slow and not clear. Bottom line is this is what happens when a doorbell company tried to make a smartphone app, I have the same complaints about the app for my MyQ Garage Door Openers. I almost gave up a few times during setup because of how bad the app experience was and just how long it took to load screens but I was able to power through it and get things set up.
Once set up I will say that everything that the Heath Zenith Notifi Alert claimed to do happened, someone rang the doorbell, the chime sounded and I got an alert on my smartphone. I was surprised by this after the headache of setup I thought no way would this app work the way it should. I was expecting long delays in notifications from the time the button was pushed but I am happy to say there was no noticeable delay from button push to chime and notification.
The one feature of the Heath Zenith Notifi Alert that I was really impressed with was scheduled mute times. You can set a schedule to automatically mute not only the chime but also the app notification this is wonderful and if the Heath Zenith Notifi Alert had some third-party integrations with SmartThings or even IFTTT I could automate this but unfortunately, no integrations exist. None the less having the ability to mute your doorbell on a schedule is a great feature and I would love to see this feature come to other connected doorbells like my Ring Pro.
Once I got through the headaches of actually setting up the Heath Zenith Notifi Alert I was pleasantly surprised by its functionality. As I mentioned everything worked and that was a pleasant surprise. I think the Heath Zenith Notifi Alert is a great entry level connected doorbell that give you some functionality at a price that reflects that functionality. If you are in the market for a connected doorbell and do not have the need for video then you may want to check the Heath Zenith Notifi Alert out.
Anyone have a Heath Zenith Notifi Alert? Let me know your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
Product Review: Heath Zenith Notifi Alert It seems as though connected doorbells are all the rage right now and I am testing a new one at least every couple weeks.
