Robin.nl PoE HD Doorbell

The Robin ProLine HD is a doorbell built like a piece of door furniture rather than a consumer gadget. The front is 3 mm anodised aluminium with a brushed finish in a choice of colours, the dome over the lens is hardened optical glass that darkens in bright light, and the call button is capacitive, LED backlit and can be engraved.

Robin is a Dutch manufacturer, and this is a doorbell specified for buildings rather than for a parcel on a porch.

Power over Ethernet

The doorbell runs on PoE to the IEEE 802.3af standard: one Ethernet cable carries both the data and the power. No transformer, no batteries, no Wi-Fi to drop out. For a new build or a rewire that is the most reliable arrangement available, and it is why these turn up on apartment blocks and offices.

A PoE adapter and a 10 m Cat 5e cable are supplied.

What works in Apple Home

• View the live feed in the Home app.
• Get a notification when somebody presses the button.
• Talk to the visitor through two-way HD audio.
• Record to iCloud with HomeKit Secure Video, which this doorbell supports.

That last point separates it from most of this category, including the ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera.

The camera

A 13-megapixel sensor behind a 120-degree lens, output at Full HD with high dynamic range and improved low-light colour, and three simultaneous Full HD streams so the intercom, the recording and the app can all be served at once.

Before you buy

You need an Ethernet run to the front door and a PoE switch or the supplied injector. That is the real cost of this doorbell, and it is not a retrofit you do in an afternoon.

Specifications