One of the most popular gadgets when it comes to smart home technology is the doorbell camera. The simple idea of being able to see who is calling at your front door when you’re not home or otherwise indisposed is valuable to many people, which is why this rare half price deal from Amazon is eye-catching.

You can currently buy the Ring Video Doorbell 2nd Gen for £49.99, a huge 50 percent saving on its £99.99 RRP. It’s not often you see this product this cheap - in fact, Amazon price tracking site Camelcamelcamel shows this is the cheapest the Doorbell has ever been.

Set up using the Ring phone or tablet app, the Video Doorbell gives you a 24/7 live feed of activity outside your front door. It has a camera, microphone and speaker so if someone rings and you’re not in, you can see who it is and choose to chat to them via the app.

This is great if you want to tell a courier where to leave a parcel or let your mates know you’re only ten minutes away. Your phone will ping with a notification when someone rings, and you can also choose to be notified when motion is detected. This can be handy to set up when you go on holiday and you want to keep an eye on things.

The doorbell is easily installed by fixing a mounting bracket to your door frame or wherever is suitable. The unit itself that contains the camera and bell button then clicks in and is secured with two screws. This is so you can remove the bell from time to time to recharge it, though you can also hook it up to your existing doorbell wires for constant power if preferred.

View the Ring Video Doorbell deal here

As Ring is owned by Amazon, it works with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. This means you can connect it to an Amazon Echo device to act as a doorbell chime - worth noting that the Doorbell doesn’t come with one, so you’ll need to link it up to an Echo or buy one if you don’t have one to get the chime throughout your home (though it can just ping your phone if you prefer).

If you have an Echo Show you can also set up the screen to show who is at the door. This can be handy if you have a large home or are less mobile.

Though you get basic features out of the box, you need to purchase a Ring subscription to unlock everything the Doorbell is capable of, including storage of video footage, package alerts, person alerts and more.

Amazon is listing this half price offer as a “Limited time deal”, so make sure to pick one up if you’ve been thinking about it as it’s the cheapest the Doorbell has ever been - we don't know when this price offer will end.

Google also sells a rival product called the Nest Doorbell but it’s a good deal more expensive at £179.99. Other competitors include Arlo and eufy, some of whose products do not require a subscription.