My doorbell sends the “someone is here” alert after they have already left

Our video doorbell records people reliably, but the notification often arrives late. The delivery driver can walk up, place a package, take a photo, and reach the truck before my phone announces that someone is at the door.

The delay is not constant. Sometimes the alert is nearly immediate. Sometimes it takes two minutes. The recorded clip appears eventually, which makes it tempting to blame the phone, but I do not know where the delay actually occurs.

There are several handoffs: the doorbell detects motion, reaches the home network, contacts the service, and sends a notification through the phone's settings. I had been changing motion zones and notification sounds together, then declaring victory after one quick alert. That is not a test.

I am starting over with a written timeline. One person will walk the same path while another notes when the doorbell lights, when the event appears in the app, and when the phone notification arrives. We will repeat on Wi-Fi and cellular, check battery or power status, record the phone's focus and background restrictions, and compare a second household phone. We will change one setting at a time and restore it if nothing improves.

I also want to be realistic about the use case. This is useful awareness, not a guaranteed security response. If a two-minute delay changes the safety plan, the plan needs more than a consumer push notification.

What timing test would help you locate the slow step? And which setting is most often adjusted without evidence, creating more motion clips while doing nothing about notification delay?