How a Smart Doorbell Can Help You Stay in Touch With Your Visitors

A smart doorbell can send you a notification when someone is at your home, even if you’re binge watching Netflix on the couch or 20 miles away from your front porch. They can also record video so you can see who’s there.

Some offer color night vision and are compatible with smart assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. They may even help deter break-ins and provide valuable evidence to law enforcement.

See who’s at the door

Whether you’re still in your pajamas or dealing with a case of the sniffles, there are plenty of reasons why you don’t want to answer the door. Thankfully, smart doorbells let you see who’s at the door before you decide whether to open it or not. Most feature a camera that alerts you to any activity at the front door so you can see who’s there—and some offer two-way talk.

If you don’t feel like answering, you can decline the call or send a pre-recorded message. Some smart doorbell even come with a built-in siren to scare off intruders. This feature is particularly useful for elderly homeowners who might not want to open the door to anyone.

Smart video doorbells can also help protect your home from package theft. The best models have features like motion detection and night vision to improve visibility, and some offer package detection that can send an alert if you’ve received a delivery.

One of the best options is the RemoBell S, which lets you share access to your doorbell with other family members so multiple people can use it. You can even get instant notifications on your phone and control the doorbell with a simple voice command. The device is battery powered but you can choose to buy a wired version if you prefer.

Stay connected

Many smart doorbells let you communicate with the people at your front door using two-way audio. This is a great feature to have in today’s times of social distancing, as it lets you see and speak with visitors without having to answer the door yourself. This is also helpful for those who have mobility issues, as it helps them better communicate with their visitors if they can’t get to the door.

Some smart doorbells have video storage that allows you to go back and view footage of your home’s visitors. This can help keep you safe by allowing you to monitor suspicious activity, such as package thieves (known as porch pirates). The best battery-powered doorbell camera with cloud video storage is the Ring Pro 2 Wired. It comes with packages, people, and vehicle alerts, color night vision, two-way audio, and a 155-degree field of view. The app has pages of settings you can tinker with, and the timeline feature to scroll through your videos is a plus.

Another option for getting a clear picture of your visitors is the Eufy Security Wi-Fi Video Doorbell with Real-Time Response and 2K Resolution. It is weather-resistant and features a human detection sensor that alerts you only when someone is present. It also keeps your privacy top of mind, as all the recorded footage is locally stored and secured with military-grade encryption.

Deter crime

Many smart doorbells come with video recording, so you’ll be able to see who’s at your front door. This can help you deter crime such as burglary and larceny. But you might not have the time to monitor your doorbell all day. After all, you’ve got jobs to do, errands to run and children to chauffeur around.

That’s why some smart doorbells, such as the Eufy Video Doorbell with two-way communication, allegedly make it easier to stay safe when you’re away from home. These devices can send you notifications when your groceries, online orders and birthday presents arrive. You can even ask the delivery person to leave your package on the back porch or inside your garage so you don’t have to worry about it getting stolen.

Police departments have praised the usefulness of smart doorbell cameras in crime-solving efforts. But if you want to use your smart doorbell camera for this purpose, be sure to choose a device that doesn’t have major security flaws or invade your privacy.

For example, Google’s Nest Hello has been shown to have serious cybersecurity issues. And privacy-minded consumers should be aware that this company and others allow their employees to access users’ neighborhood videos without a warrant in some cases. Compare these options when choosing a smart doorbell to ensure you have the right balance of security and privacy.

Get peace of mind

In this time of social distancing, a smart doorbell can help homeowners stay in touch with those who come to the front door. They can see and talk to visitors on their smartphone — or, if they prefer not to answer the door, they can use the camera to screen their visit and play a pre-recorded message to say ‘you can leave your parcel here’ or ‘I’m on my way home’. Some models also feature night vision for peace of mind and security even after the sun has gone down.

Insurers recognise the value of these devices and are incentivising homeowners to smart doorbell install them with premium discounts. A smart doorbell can also capture video footage of a trespasser, which is useful for police and other authorities.

It’s important to note, however, that these features are not foolproof and should not be used in isolation from other security measures. Our experts at JM Resources recommend following the onion principle – homeowners shouldn’t rely on one security measure but rather numerous layers to keep their home safe.