Video Doorbells

These devices are a doorbell with a built in camera that is operated through an app on your smart phone. Video doorbells are a great product from a practical viewpoint and also as an additional security device to deter would-be criminals.

Reasons to get a video doorbell:

You can see who is at your door and speak to them without having to open your door (especially useful if you don’t feel safe opening a door to a stranger). Also useful for people with mobility issues.
You can see who is at your door and speak to them whilst you are away from your property.
The doorbell acts as a security camera. These normally have wide angled lenses and have night vision, so they are a great deterrent.
It will keep a recording of who comes to your property. This can be useful to give to the police if a crime has been committed.
You can also post recordings on local community groups about suspicious people in the area.
Often the video doorbell has a motion detection option that will alert you when people come up to your property.

If you are not in your property and someone rings the bell, it is good advice to say that you are unable to come to the door at present, rather than saying you are not there.

When it comes to selecting and installing a video doorbell, you need to think about whether to get a ‘wired’ version or a battery operated version. The advantage of a wired one is that you never have to worry about the battery running out. However, you need a qualified electrician to install it and it can be quite costly. A battery operated one is easy to install, the batteries can last 4-8 months and they are easy to re-charge. They will also continue to work if there is a power cut.

The storage of footage is either via an SD card, or via an online cloud platform (that you usually have to pay for).

A good choice of video doorbells on the market

Ring have become the recognised brand in the market, but they are not the only product out there. Generally, there are cheaper models with equivalent or better specifications available and without the regular subscription charges that you have to pay with Ring if you want to keep your recordings.

There are a large number of video doorbells to choose from and there are several other articles and websites with reviews depending on your needs and budget. Generally, you do get what you pay for, although a video doorbell does not need to be a major investment. You can normally get a perfectly good one for around £100 with no ongoing costs.

I hope this article on Video Doorbells has been useful to you. If you have any questions or would like to discuss my services please get in contact. Thinking of getting a video doorbell? I fit them as one of my services so give us a call!

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