Home security and comfort is one of the top priorities of homeowners. The bottom line is, you have things and you want to protect them, so what’s the best way to do that? Or further speaking, what is the most efficient, convenient and cost-effective way to do that? Well luckily, smart home technology has a way of inventing the best devices that amplify our home protection and make it easy to do so. In addition to your existing home security system, have you considered investing in a video doorbell? A video doorbell is the icing on the cake when it comes to your home. What better way to monitor your home than to see who is at your front door even when you’re not there? Video doorbells are one of the best smart home devices that you can invest in and we’re here to tell you why.
How does it work?
The video doorbell is essentially a camera set up by the front door that has motion sensors in it. The camera records, sometimes constantly, the front door area of your home and the motion sensors detect any movement in its vicinity. Let’s say someone is approaching your front door, the motion sensor will detect the movement and send your mobile phone an alert letting you know before they ring the doorbell. Now after they ring the doorbell, your phone will be alerted again in addition to the doorbell chime in your home. You will then be able to open up the mobile app and view directly whoever is at your front door.
Let’s say you’re not at home but you’re expecting a package or have a family member stopping by. Your video doorbell allows you to view whoever is at the front door from wherever you are. You can choose to answer them by speaking or leaving them a recorded voice message.
Through the mobile app, you can view live footage whenever you want to and go back and view previous recordings.
Why do you need a video doorbell?
Video Doorbells provide an immense amount of security and convenience by allowing you to constantly monitor and see who comes to your home, even when you’re not there. There are numerous benefits of a video doorbell but most are relating to home security and personal convenience.
For home security, the video doorbell essentially enhances your existing home security system. By allowing you to see who is at your door and answer them you can deter potential threats. Speaking directly to the people who are at your front door through the doorbell’s speakers allude that you are home. Most burglaries happen when you’re not home and when no one appears to be there. In the case of a break-in, the cameras and motion sensors can give an accurate depiction of the attacker.
Video doorbells also are the ultimate convenience and comfort to homeowners. The scenarios in which a video doorbell will make your life easier is endless. If you’re not at home but you’re expecting a package, you can monitor and receive alerts when you’re away from the house. You can tell the mailman to leave the package at the door if you want to. If you are at home but can’t come to the door you can speak directly to the guest or even unlock it if you have a smart lock. Also, if you need to check to see if your kids made it home safely, you can do that with the video storage provided by most video doorbells. After you have your video doorbell you will quickly see how much easier your life becomes.
Video doorbell Installation
Installing a video doorbell varies from brand to brand, but most of them work with hard-wiring only. This means you must have an existing wiring system and chime in order to make the installation process the smoothest. Now, if you don’t have wiring for whatever reason, and you feel comfortable self-installing the system, then you can do that too. Be sure to follow our guide on how to do that.
Sometimes video doorbell companies require or suggest a professional technician. This will ensure that everything is connected perfectly and runs smoothly.
Smart Homes & Video Doorbells
The fact of the matter is, you’re getting a video doorbell because you want to live in a smart home and make your life technologically seamless. If you’re already enjoying the benefits of smart home devices like Google Home or Amazon Alexa then you will love it with your video doorbell. If smart home integration is important to you then make sure to check the brands to see which ones are compatible.
Smart locks are a video doorbell’s best friend when they work well together. It’s one thing to see who is at your front door and another to be able to remotely let them into your home. If you have a smart lock installed in your front door already, be sure to check the video doorbell brands to see if they are Smart Lock compatible.
Video Doorbell features
No video doorbell is created the same. Well, they are at the basic level. Every smart doorbell will do the same main functions to show you who is at your front door, but when it comes to the extra stuff, you have to check the specs of each brand and see which ones work best for you. Here are a few of the special features that some video doorbells come with.
- Free video storage- You can get free or monthly video storage so you can check past footage whenever you want.
- Facial recognition on the camera- Some cameras have facial recognition technology. This means that your app is programmed to alert you when a familiar face is at your front door. From there, you can choose to let them in if you have a smart lock hooked up to your camera.
- Customizable motion sensors- You can customize the depth of the motion sensors so that you don’t get unnecessary notifications sent to your phone. This is great if you have a particular sized porch or front door.
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