Audio Door Phone vs Video Door Phone: Which Do You Need?
Short answer: choose an audio door phone if you only need to ask "who is it?" and open the gate, you know most visitors by voice, or the gate is far away and the budget is tight: ours start at ₹2,299, or ₹4,199 with an electronic lock. Choose a video door phone if you want to see faces before opening, have elderly parents or children at home, or get many deliveries: wired kits start at ₹4,999, and about ₹10,750 with a lock. Prices are live website prices, include GST, and delivery across India is free.
What is the difference between an audio and a video door phone?
Both do the same basic job. A visitor presses a button at the gate, a unit rings inside, you talk, and if you want, you press a key to release an electric lock. The only real difference is the camera.
- An audio door phone is a speaker-microphone unit at the gate and a handset inside, like an intercom. You hear the visitor; you do not see them.
- A video door phone adds a camera at the gate and a colour screen inside, so you see who is there before you speak or open.
Everything else follows from that: cost, wiring, power and how useful it is at night.
Audio vs video door phone: side by side
| Point | Audio door phone | Video door phone |
|---|---|---|
| Example on our store | ADP-1M audio door phone | Secureye S-VDP9 and Hikvision DS-KIS205T |
| Price for one door | ₹2,299 | ₹4,999 (S-VDP9), ₹6,000 (DS-KIS205T) |
| Ready kit with electronic lock | Combo-CN9: ADP-1M + RML-8K lock, ₹4,199 | Combo-CN221: Secureye VDP9 + lock + Wi-Fi supply + 3 remotes, ₹10,750 |
| What the listing says about wiring and range | Two-way intercom on 2 wires, operating range up to 200 m | Cable between camera and monitor; check the product manual for cable type and length |
| Night use | Voice works the same day or night | S-VDP9 lists IR distance about 4 m; DS-KIS205T lists IR night vision |
| Power | ADP-1M works on 220 V AC and can drive an electric lock directly | S-VDP9 monitor runs on a DC 15 V adapter |
| Several floors | Combo-CN279: 4-bell outdoor unit + 4 handsets, ₹4,899 | Secureye 4 monitors + 4-button station, ₹19,999 |
| Answer from your phone when away | No | Only on Wi-Fi models, such as the VDP-TY doorbell (₹2,799) or monitor systems from ₹10,500 |
Choose an audio door phone if…
- Your visitors are mostly known. Family, staff, the milkman, regular couriers. A voice is enough to decide.
- The gate is a long way from the house. The ADP-1M listing gives a range of up to 200 m on just 2 wires, which suits farmhouses, factory gates and long drives.
- The budget is tight but you still want the gate to open from inside. Combo-CN9 gives a door phone and an electronic lock together for ₹4,199. Its listing says the lock key supplies 12 to 18 V DC at 1 A to open the lock.
- Several flats or floors need a bell each. A 4-handset audio set is ₹4,899, against ₹19,999 for a 4-monitor video set.
- It is a back door, godown or service entrance where seeing faces matters less.
Choose a video door phone if…
- You want to see before you open. This is the main reason people upgrade. Strangers, sales callers and people claiming to be from a service company are easier to judge on screen.
- Elderly parents or children answer the door. A screen lets them check first without stepping outside.
- The entrance is dark at night. Infrared night vision shows faces that a voice-only unit cannot.
- You get many deliveries. You can see the parcel and the person, then decide whether to go down.
- You want to answer while away. Pick a Wi-Fi model. Our Wi-Fi video doorbell guide explains app alerts and battery life.
What does the lock add to the cost?
Either type can open a gate, but only with an electric lock fitted on the gate. With audio, the kit route is cheap: Combo-CN9 (₹4,199) is less than buying the ADP-1M (₹2,299) and the RML-8K lock-only listing (₹3,799) separately. With video, our ready kits with lock, power supply and 3 remotes cost ₹10,750 to ₹11,200, and the remotes let family members open the gate from a car or scooter too. See all pairings in rim lock + door phone kits, and how remote and app locks work in our main gate electronic lock guide.
Can you start with audio and upgrade later?
Yes, and many people do. If you lay conduit from the gate to the house now, you can fit an audio door phone today and pull a new cable for a video system later without breaking walls. The electronic lock and its power supply usually stay the same. The PSRM-01 lock supply listing says it works with all types of audio and video door phones, so the lock side of the job is not wasted.
For multi-floor homes, our villa and multi-floor door phone guide works out full shopping lists for both audio and video. For every video model by price, see the video door phone price guide.
Browse audio door phones and video door phones, or plan the gate, lock and cameras together in the security system builder.
FAQ
Is an audio door phone still worth buying?
Yes, for known visitors, far-away gates and tight budgets. Our ADP-1M costs ₹2,299 and works up to 200 m on 2 wires, per its listing.
What is the cheapest video door phone?
On our store, the battery VDP-TY Wi-Fi video doorbell is ₹2,799, and the cheapest wired kit with an indoor monitor is the Secureye S-VDP9 at ₹4,999.
Can an audio door phone open the gate?
Yes, with an electric lock. The ADP-1M listing says it can connect directly to an electric lock without a separate power supply, and Combo-CN9 includes the lock.
Does an audio door phone need internet?
No. It is wired between the gate unit and the handset and works on 220 V AC. No Wi-Fi or app is involved.
Can I replace an audio door phone with a video one on the same wire?
Sometimes, but not always. Video kits often need a different cable, so check the cable type in the video door phone's manual before reusing the old wire.
Which is better for a farmhouse gate?
If the gate is far and you only need to talk and open, audio is simpler and cheaper. If you want to see who is at the gate, choose video and check the maximum cable length in its manual.
Prices are NavKar Systems website prices on 27 October 2026, inclusive of GST, and may change.
