Tags: Home, Tech,Video doorbell
As a homeowner, there are seemingly endless decisions to make about your home. These range from large decisions like whether to renovate your washrooms or rent out your basement as an apartment, to smaller decisions like how to decorate your home with the latest fashion trends. As technology becomes more and more integrated into each of our lives, and into our homes, it is creating even more decision for you to make such as if and when you should welcome some of these technologies into your home.
Today we are taking a look at one of the newer technologies that thousands of people are bringing into their homes and reaping the benefits – The Video Doorbell.
The video doorbell adds the power of video to the standard doorbell features that we are all familiar with. Why do you need video in your doorbell? Here is a look at the main benefits of a video doorbell, and some of the top products in this category.
The power of video at your fingertips
The main benefit of a video doorbell is that it allows you to see who is at your door from your phone or tablet. Whether you are in your basement, bedroom, or at work, you can see who is at your door without physically being at the door. This is great for several reasons. Those times that you just settle into the couch and then the doorbell rings. Or worse, just jumped into a nice warm tub. You may still have to go and answer the door but at least with the video doorbell, you can check who is there first to see if it is worth answering in the first place. Think about the times that you are in your backyard and don’t hear the door ring. Well if you received a notification on your phone when the bell rings you won’t find yourself in this situation again.
This type of product could be great for the elderly as well. The last thing you want your grandmother doing is going downstairs in a hurry to answer the door when it is just a salesperson or someone that the door does not need to be answered for.
Many models even take this a step further and allow you to communicate the person at your door through your phone as well. Think of it like an intercom. Once you take out your phone and see who is at the door, you can then speak to the person and tell them what you need to – “hey, John, I’m around back, you can let yourself in”, or, “sorry, I can’t come to the door right now, just leave the package there”. Or in the cases that you are not home,
Security
Another benefit of having video at your doorstep is that it acts an additional level of security for your home. With people having more and more packages being delivered to their home through services like Amazon, having the ability to see when your package has been delivered can provide a great deal of satisfaction and security. The video camera allows you to confirm when the package has been delivered and also lets you keep an eye on the package until you return home. If some does approach your door and try to take the package you will have them recorded on video.
Think about the times that you are away from your home for the weekend, a week on vacation, or even longer. This product allows you to monitor who is coming to your doorway and even lets you communicate with them when you are thousands of kilometers away. Get an unfamiliar visitor while you are out of town? Communicate to them through the video doorbell and tell them that you are just occupied and can’t come to the door right now. For many people, this will ease their mind and deter potential criminals.
Brands
There are a number of different products available in this category but here are our top 2 choices based on quality, price, and aesthetic.
SkyBell HD
The SkyBell HD has been around for a while but it is still one of the better products out there and arguably the best looking. A sleek circular design and stainless steel finish will not take away from the look of the exterior of your home.
Offering HD video and Amazon Alexa integration, this is a great choice for most users.
Ring
Ring offers three different product lines with slightly different features in each. The price difference between the three is not significant so we would suggest the Pro model. This is not the type of product that you will need to buy more than once. You can buy a video doorbell and it should last 5-10 years.
The video doorbell is a great product that can benefit pretty much everyone that owns it. If you do not already have one for your home consider picking one up this spring and enjoy the freedoms that it can offer!
