• Always consult your family and other members of your household before installation.

• Consider where you want the doorbell to go and how the available power options might influence the placement of the doorbell.

• Be aware that not all doorbells give you the full feature set without sub-modules or subscriptions.

Choosing home surveillance equipment should never be a rushed decision. Many factors come into play when deciding what to buy, where to place it, and how it will fit into your home environment. Here are some tips to help you prepare your home for a smart doorbell camera.

Always check with the family or owners first

Installing a video doorbell means there will be an internet-connected camera facing somewhere on your property 24/7. For some, it’s a nightmare. Others welcome it. So you’ll want to first sit down the family (or roommates) to chat and get feedback from everyone involved. You should do this before installing cameras in your home.

One thing to keep in mind is that a video doorbell typically faces away from the front door, meaning it only sees what’s going on outside your home. This can alleviate many of the privacy concerns associated with accessing the camera to view the inside of your home in an inopportune situation, but there is still a security risk.

Another thing to consider is checking with the property manager if you are renting your home. When my wife and I rented an apartment, it was against our apartment rules to install a video doorbell. Not because they didn’t want the doorbell to ring, but because our door faced the neighbor’s door and it was a privacy policy for other members of the community.

Some homeowners might not want you to install the doorbell even if there are no privacy concerns.

Consider your energy situation

Do you have an existing doorbell? If so, you probably have the low voltage wiring required to operate a wired doorbell. Otherwise, a battery-powered doorbell will be the best and easiest solution. Not every house or door has wiring for a doorbell. Even if your front door has a doorbell, the back door might not, and that may be where you want the video doorbell to go.

There are a number of doorbells on the market currently that support both battery and wired power options, so getting one allows the versatility of going wired or wireless, whichever suits you best. better.

Where the doorbell is mounted can also determine the power option you choose. Consider where your existing doorbell is located and if that’s where you want the new video doorbell to go. If you prefer to place the video doorbell in another location, even if it is still outside your front door, you might be better off opting for a battery-powered doorbell.

Or, if you want the doorbell to be placed in front of your porch or on the street, battery power is probably the best option, since you may not have power available. If you choose to go for a video doorbell that requires to be plugged into the mainsyou may then need to ask an electrician to come and install it. Although low voltage wiring may be relatively simple for some, for others it could be very deterrent, potentially leading to the decision to go with a battery powered alternative.

Integrate the doorbell into your existing (or future) smart home

Video doorbells are smart devices, just like smart bulbs and smart plugs. You’ll want to buy one that integrates with your existing equipment to make it easy to control. My family prefers Apple, HomeKit, and Siri when it comes to smart home equipment.

For this reason, my video doorbell must integrate with HomeKit Secure Video. One of the benefits of having a HomeKit-enabled doorbell paired with an Apple TV is that when someone rings the doorbell, the video feed is displayed on my TV, showing me who’s there without having to grab my phone. If you opt for Amazon Alexa integration, you can answer your doorbell using an Echo speaker, for example.

So when shopping for a video doorbell, make sure you find one that integrates with your smart home platform of choice. If you already have cameras in your home, it might be best to look for a video doorbell from the same company, as many will offer multi-camera discounts for cloud subscriptions.

Decide whether to use local or cloud storage

Almost all video doorbells support cloud storage, but far fewer offer local storage. This can play an important role in which video doorbell, if any, you want to install in your home.

Some people prefer to be as disconnected from the Internet as possible when it comes to things like cameras. avoid additional costs or the possibility of image piracywhile others want all the features that cloud storage has to offer.

If you want to opt for local storage, be sure to purchase a microSD card (or other storage media your system requires) in advance so that you have it ready for installation when the doorbell arrives.

Be aware of additional costs in advance

These days, almost all video doorbells connect to Wi-Fi for the majority of their functionality, but not all models work standalone. Take it Flashing Video DoorbellFor example. It works great exclusively over Wi-Fi. However, its functionality is limited if you don’t have the Synchronization module 2 Also.

Without the module, you will only have a live view and two-way audio in response to a doorbell or motion event. This means you can’t randomly bring up a live video feed of your front door unless someone presses the button or triggers the motion detection. However, Ring Video Doorbell Lineupat all levels, allows you to view live images 24/7 without the need for an additional module.

Many smart doorbells don’t come with a chime, which means they don’t work strictly like a traditional doorbell (where you hear a “ding-dong” when someone is at the door). Instead, you will only receive notifications on smart devices. If you also want a chime, make sure your doorbell comes with one or is compatible with one you can purchase.

Not only do some video doorbells require secondary hardware to unlock full features, but many also require a subscription if you want more advanced features. While my Wyze V2 Video Doorbell saves images locally, if I want features like package detection I have to pay a monthly subscription to enable it.

Some companies, like Wyze, can be relatively affordable for cloud storage. While others, like Arlo, can be quite expensive. This factor alone could play a big role in your doorbell choice decision, so be sure to weigh the pros and cons of any models you’re considering and check the subscription terms.

Adding a video doorbell to your home can give you the peace of mind of knowing who’s outside and even when packages are arriving. Now that you’ve probably decided it’s time to add a video doorbell to your home, review the seven things to consider before pulling the trigger.