Long Range Doorbell
By now, everybody knows what doorbell cameras are and how they work. And just like anything else, there are a lot of products out there on the market, some better, some worse. Some have all the bells and whistles, and others are fairly simple, without a whole lot of frills. One thing in particular that many people wonder about is wireless doorbell cameras, how they work and what kind of range they have, so we’re going to pay special attention to that in this article.
What do doorbell cameras do, exactly?
So basically, a doorbell camera is pretty much what you think it is- It’s a fully functional that works exactly the way doorbells always have, but it also has a camera built into it. It replaces your existing doorbell and generally looks just like any other doorbell you’ve ever seen. These cameras have gotten very popular over the last 10 years for a lot of reasons, especially for security reasons. But that’s only scratching the surface of what’s possible with a doorbell camera.
What are the possibilities of a doorbell camera?
Though most doorbell cameras are similar, they are not created equal. Different brands offer different functions and features, others require wiring and are not wifi enabled, while some brands like Vivint are battery powered and capable of picking up wifi signals from long range, up to hundreds of feet away. Doorbell cameras are most often mounted at or near the front door of house, like any other doorbell, but they can also be mounted at any other door, and once again with a company like Vivint you don’t have to worry much about the range of your wifi signal. And you’ll need to be connected to wifi to use many of the advanced features offered by some doorbell cameras and security companies, so that’s no small thing.
So what happens once everything is all set up and ready to go? Well, it doesn’t take much imagination to come up with a lot of uses for a long range doorbell camera like the ones offered by Vivint. Do you live with young children or elderly relatives that you have to leave on their own from time to time? Imagine the peace of mind knowing that no stranger can come or go from your home without you knowing about it. They’ll never have to answer the door blind, not knowing who could be out there or let anyone know they’re home by themselves. When properly set up and connected to wifi, most doorbell cameras send you an automatic notification when anyone rings the doorbell or if the camera detects motion, allowing you to see or even speak to whoever is at the door. You can even help watch over another person’s home if they grant you access to their doorbell camera feed, so even when your parent or grandparent is at their home alone, you can still help keep them safe.
And who hasn’t heard of the package theft epidemic? It’s an increasing threat in the modern day world of ecommerce- how many times have you come home to find your packages just left fully exposed at your front door with nobody there to watch over them? With a doorbell camera from a reputable company like Vivint, you can not only look out for your packages, you will be alerted anytime your camera detects someone approaching, and you can even warn them that they’re on camera, hopefully scaring them away before they do anything you’ll both regret.
What about if you need to let someone into your house? What about if you need to let yourself into your house? Honestly, who hasn’t locked themselves out at some point in their life? Well, with a doorbell camera and home automation features like smart locks, you can let anybody into the house anytime you want- Imagine never having to take a day off work to wait for the plumber or the cable guy or the emergency dog groomer ever again. All you have to do is check your notifications, see who’s at the door and, using your home automation functions, unlock the door. You can even talk to them, tell them what you want them to do, and wish them the best as they get to work. And with Vivint’s long range wifi detection capabilities, you’ll never have to worry about being out of range or losing connection.
What kind of features should you look for in a doorbell camera?
Live & Recorded Video:
Streaming video is a must, and is very standard with most doorbell cameras. You want to be able to tune in when you get a notification and see who’s at your door, otherwise what’s the point? But you’ll also want to be able to access recorded or stored footage- think about if you have to show the footage to the police due to a stolen package or other incident. The more storage your company allows you, the better off you’ll be, and bonus points if your company offers intelligent recording, like Vivint does. With advanced analytics that can tell the difference in passing cars, animals, shadows or actual people approaching your door. This not only keeps you from getting random notifications popping up on your phone to bother you, but also helps keep your video storage space available for when you really need something recorded.
Wired or Unwired?
One decision you’ll need to make when deciding on a doorbell camera is how you want it powered. There are basically two choices- wired or unwired. If you’re trying a DIY installation, you’re almost certainly better off with an unwired, battery powered doorbell like those from Vivint. Not many people feel comfortable drilling into walls or doing electrical work on their own, and even if you do, do you really want to? Wired doorbell cameras have the advantage of not needing replacement batteries every so often, but wired doorbell cameras don’t need new batteries often (once every few months on average) and with most companies like Vivint, your smartphone app will alert you when their batteries are running low.
Wifi Range:
One concern many have over doorbell cameras is a fear that their wifi won’t reach far enough to connect to it. Most doorbell cameras have wifi sensors that can easily pick up a strong wifi signal from a router located anywhere in a normal sized home, so there is really nothing to fear here. Vivint doorbell cameras have more than enough range to pick up a signal from a router located on the other end of a normal sized home, or even on the second floor. If you’re still worried your signal may not reach, never fear. Wifi repeaters are easily purchased and installed, and can as much as double the range of your wifi signal. So rest easy, your wifi signal will reach your doorbell camera.
High-Res Cameras:
You probably realize not all cameras are the same. Put simply, video from some cameras just looks better than others. Resolutions of doorbell cameras range anywhere from 480 to 1080p, with the higher numbers meaning better quality pictures. Vivint is one company who offers the highest quality cameras available on the home security market, as well as featuring high dynamic range (HDR) capabilities.
Night Vision Capability:
There’s no feeling like hearing something go bump in the night and not knowing what it is. It could be the cat, or it could be a burglar. Only way to find out is go check, right? Not if your home security cameras, including your doorbell camera, are equipped with night vision. What if someone comes to your door after dark and your doorbell camera isn’t capable of night vision? There’s no need to face those worries though. High quality doorbell cameras like those from Vivint come with standard night vision abilities.
Field of View:
A lot of doorbell cameras have a very limited field of view- basically whatever is directly in front of them and a little bit in their peripheral, and that’s about it. Normally, that’s ok, most of your guests aren’t going to stand to the side of the doorbell specifically to avoid being seen. But what about uninvited guests that wanted to break into your home or steal your packages? If your camera has a narrow field of view, it’s going to be really difficult to catch or identify them without your camera getting a good look at them. That’s why having a wide, panoramic field of view like Vivint cameras is important for a doorbell camera as well as other home security devices.
Two-Way Communication:
Imagine not even having to get up to answer the door. You hear the doorbell, you immediately get a notification on your smartphone, no matter where you are. You click it and see it’s your nosy neighbor. You enable voice communication and speak into your phone, “Hi Miss Candy, whats up?”. You can carry on a complete conversation with your neighbor without ever even coming to the door, and she’ll never even know if you’re home or not. And it’s all available with a smart doorbell camera from Vivint. You can speak to anybody who comes to your door, expected visitors and unexpected guests, even people who never even ring your doorbell.
Motion Sensing:
So how do you know if someone’s at your door, but not ringing the doorbell? Most thieves, afterall, don’t announce they’re here to steal your stuff. This is where motion detection comes in. Most doorbell cameras have some form of motion detecting technology, usually signaling the camera to start recording when it detects someone arriving. But what if your motion detector alerts every time a bird swoops by or a squirrel scampers up a nearby tree? Or even worse, on every car that passes or leaf shaken by the wind? This is where you need advanced motion sensing analytics, like those provided by Vivint, where shadows and strong breezes wont alert your motion sensors, giving you false notifications throughout the day. It will also help in the event that you ever have to go back and watch the footage captured by your camera, keeping you from having to dig through hundreds of hours of footage of nothing happening to find the few seconds you need.
Live Notifications:
Speaking of notifications, this is one of the most important things a smart doorbell camera can provide. These notifications are how you’re going to know that your package has arrived or that your mother-in-law is at the door and you should ignore it. With good motion detection technology, you don’t have to pay attention to your doorbell camera until notified.
Weather Proofing:
Any electronics intended to be used outdoors are subject to serious abuse from nature. As a result, make sure the equipment you’re buying is capable of withstanding whatever crazy extremes your local climate likes to throw out. For example, if you live in the deep south, you probably want a doorbell camera that doesn’t melt.
Installation:
Are you a do-it-yourselfer? If so, you’ll probably be fine with whatever kind of doorbell you want to install. But if you’re not good with tools or electrical wiring or any of that other stuff, then you may want to go with a company that offers some kind of home installation options.
So which camera has all these features?
There are a lot of ways to go about adding a doorbell camera to your home security system. Some people choose to go it alone without using any company at all- and that’s what we call “doing it the hard way”. Going with a security company is far and away the easiest and most functional way of doing things. And yes, there are some companies that are cheaper than others- cheaper equipment, cheaper monthly rates, etc. But just like with everything else in life, you’ll get what you pay for. That’s why going with a company like Vivint just makes sense. Their doorbell cameras, as well as all their other equipment, provide the functionality and convenience that you need to have faith in your doorbell camera while coming in at an affordable price point that is customizable to fit your budget.
With two-way communication, live camera feeds and alerts, cloud storage, night vision capability and advanced facial recognition analytics, the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro can do everything you expect and need a doorbell camera to do, from deter package theft to allowing you to greet guests and let people into the house when you’re away. It can even be programmed to emit a high frequency banshee-like squeal when faced with an uninvited guest, which will not only annoy any potential thieves but will also attract the kind of attention that no burglar wants.
The Vivint doorbell camera pro features excellent wifi detection range so you’ll virtually never have to worry about it being out of range of your wifi signal; It offers some of the best and clearest video available in the home security field, in both regular and night vision.
Vivint’s advanced analytics will keep you from getting a lot of phantom notifications, with customizable settings that will let you decide how sensitive you want your camera to be, so you can keep as close an eye on your porch as you want to.
With Vivint’s cloud storage capability, you can count on your recorded footage being there when you need to go back to it. And if you find yourself in need of more storage, you can always purchase more, so you never need to worry about having to delete footage you may need later!
And that’s not all! Vivint home security and automation features dozens of components, all with long range wifi capabilities that can give you control over your entire home from anywhere in the world. So check out everything that Vivint offers! If you like what you see from their smart doorbell cameras, you may realize there’s even more out there for you!
