A Smart Doorbell Can Be a Great Investment (Here's How)

A smart doorbell could run you anywhere from $50 to a few hundred dollars. This is far more expensive than a conventional doorbell, but you also get a lot more for your money.

Convenience and Safety in One

There’s an argument to be made for paying for a product or service that makes your life easier. This is largely a subjective measurement. Not everyone will find a smart doorbell to be transformative, but for many, the convenience of a smart doorbell is immediately apparent.

With a smart doorbell, you’ll get notifications on your device wherever you are. Depending on your preferences, you’ll get a notification whenever someone rings the doorbell and you can even choose to be notified if your camera detects motion, faces, packages, and more.

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On top of this, by using the app connected to your smart doorbell, you can see, hear, and speak with anyone who calls. You can ask someone to come by later, send salespeople packing, tell them you’ll just be a minute, or pretend that you’re home when you’re on the other side of the country.

You’ll also have a log of activity that you can check, so you can see whether someone came home safely (and at what time). If you’re really adventurous, you can set up all manner of automatons too.

The value proposition is arguably greatest if you frequently have visitors. If nobody ever rings the doorbell, you may be better serviced with a simple smart security camera instead.

Better Home Security

A smart doorbell is little more than a security camera with a button. They capture wide-angle video of the entryway to your home, at any time of day (even when it’s dark). They also have microphones and speakers, so that you can capture audio and communicate when necessary.

Though not a true replacement for a home security system, a smart doorbell is as close as many people get. They're cheap and battery-powered models reduce the hassle of wiring. It’s an easy step you can take to add a camera outside your home, which also happens to have plenty of extra features to help justify the purchase.

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Smart doorbells can be configured to monitor for events and make a log of recordings. Depending on the model, you can set up zones to avoid capturing unnecessary movement. You’re still likely to catch the odd possum or leaf blowing in the breeze, but that’s a small price to pay for having security footage in the event that you happen to need it.

On top of having a record of any intruders and the damage they cause, smart doorbells may have a chilling effect on opportune thieves. Seeing a doorbell camera pointed at the entryway could be enough to deter a thief who happens to notice a package on your porch.

Never Miss a Package

Missing packages is annoying. Many of us have received a “sorry we missed you” card while waiting patiently for the mail to show up. Some doorbells now come with package detection, but simple motion detection alerts can also help you avoid missing packages in the future.

When you see the delivery person approaching your door, you can tell them to hang on a second, or even ask them to leave your package in a location of your choosing (ideally a spot that the doorbell camera can monitor, just in case).

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If a package is left and your smart doorbell is smart enough to recognize what it is, you can do things like trigger reminders on your family’s devices. If someone’s home, they can quickly retrieve the package.

There’s something to be said for the security features of a smart doorbell, but there are other reasons you might want to keep an eye out while you’re away from home. Doorbell cameras have caught all manner of interesting things, after all.

Let’s say a car crash happens right outside your home. You can hand the footage to the police or help someone out with an insurance claim. If the accident happens to damage your property, you might have some recourse for compensation.

Michael Bizzaco / How-To Geek

There are examples of police looking for missing persons, and doorbell cameras have happened to capture useful evidence of them walking by. You might enjoy capturing an interesting wildlife interaction in your front yard, like a bear or a snake (depending on where you live, of course).

Or maybe you just want to see who stole all the Halloween candy, or which dog is leaving presents on your front lawn every day.

As Part of a Complete Smart Home Solution

Smart home devices like doorbells add convenience on their own, but they become a lot more useful as part of a well-equipped smart home. Perhaps the best companion device for your smart home is a compatible smart lock.

Smart locks are sound investments, but when paired with a smart doorbell they can be used to unlock the door to trusted family members, friends, or tradespeople to when you’re not around. This means you don’t have to share keys, so there’s little worry about whether copies have been made or lost.

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Automations can help you make the most of your smart home. These can be as varied as you like, like pausing music or other media when someone rings the doorbell or causing connected lighting to flash or change color (a great accessibility feature for anyone who has trouble hearing).

You can even use your doorbell to trigger a routine that simulates occupancy. Activate it when you’re away from home and when someone is detected by your camera, you can do things like play a dog barking sound on your smart speaker, turn on the TV, trigger the lights, and so on.

Potential Insurance Benefits

Better home security could result in an easier time when making a home insurance claim. Having video evidence of a burglary or damage caused certainly can’t hurt.

Whether cameras can help reduce your premiums is another matter entirely, but it doesn’t hurt to speak to your home insurer to see what their policies are.

Though the benefits are clear, smart doorbells aren’t perfect devices. You’ll want to consider a few things before you put a camera anywhere in your home. You should also consider whether footage from your doorbell camera can be used without your knowledge.