10 Advantages of Smart Doorbells

Safety-conscious homeowners have been snatching up smart doorbells. Not only do they help protect your family and possessions by adding a layer of security to your home, but they also offer a level of convenience that a traditional doorbell can’t come close to matching.

Also called video doorbells and doorbell cameras, smart doorbells are Wi-Fi-connected devices that activate when the device’s motion sensor perceives the presence of a visitor or when the visitor presses the doorbell button.

The smart doorbell then notifies you through your smartphone or a smart hub like the Vivint Smart Hub. You can then watch the visitor through a live video feed, communicate with them through the device’s two-way audio feature, or even set off an alarm if the device is integrated with your home’s security system.

Here are some of the top advantages of having a smart doorbell for your home.

1. Save money on your homeowners insurance

Installing a smart doorbell may help reduce your homeowners insurance costs. Not only can smart doorbells help deter break-ins, but their motion detection and video capabilities can also prove invaluable in gathering useful information for both insurance companies and law enforcement.

So, insurance companies will often incentivize homeowners to adopt this added layer of security by offering them premium discounts when they install a smart doorbell.

2. Know when packages arrive

With so many people shopping online and having packages dropped off at their doorsteps, a new type of crime — perpetrated by so-called porch pirates — has emerged across the country. These thieves lie in wait until a delivery person leaves packages at an absent owner’s door and then run up and grab the goods while no one is home.

Homeowners with smart doorbells can thwart these would-be thieves in a number of ways. First, you can set your smart doorbell, like the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro (Gen 2), to notify you of any activity on your doorsteps or front porch — so you can take steps to secure your packages. You can even use the two-way audio capability of the doorbell to talk to the delivery person and ask that they place your packages in a secure place.

Second, you can rely on the system’s Smart Deter feature to send would-be thieves scurrying on their way. Vivint’s Doorbell Camera Pro intuitively detects when someone is trying to take a package. It then activates a bright LED ring around the doorbell and a 90 dB speaker, letting the potential thief know they’ve been caught on camera.

3. Provide video evidence to police

If you do experience a break-in, the high-definition video your smart doorbell recorded could prove to be a valuable piece of evidence for law enforcement.

Because smart doorbell cameras monitor front doors and other areas close to your home — and have the capacity to record and save audio and video of anyone who sets off the device’s motion detector — police departments across the country are lauding them as a great help to their crime-solving efforts.

Through doorbell camera footage, citizens have been able to assist the police in solving all types of crimes, including kidnappings, car theft, and assaults.

4. Always know who is at your door (even when you’re not home)

Whether it’s a door-to-door salesperson, someone offering Girl Scout cookies, or a neighbor who wants to borrow your lawn mower, sometimes you just don’t want to interact with the person knocking at your door.

Before smart doorbells, your only recourse was to tiptoe to the door and look through the peephole, hoping the uninvited visitor didn’t see or hear you.

Smart doorbells have changed all that. When the unexpected guest rings the doorbell, you receive a live video feed on your device so that you can decide whether to answer the door. And if you happen to be away from home, you’ll still get the same notification with the same video on your smartphone, so you’ll always know who’s beckoning at your front door.

5. Deter burglars from your home

A smart doorbell can be an important part of your home security system. Burglars prefer unoccupied houses with no security cameras.

They know that smart doorbells not only have video cameras that can record their faces but also that the homeowner will be notified when someone approaches the house. All things being equal, a burglar may bypass the house with a video doorbell in favor of easier prey.

6. Experience night vision

Smart video doorbells equipped with infrared technology can act as the first line of defense when it comes to keeping your family members and your home safe.

With its built-in night vision, your video doorbell camera can capture black-and-white video images of anyone who approaches your home, giving you the peace of mind that you have an extra layer of security.

In particular, the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro (Gen 2) offers high-powered IR LEDs.

7. Speak to visitors without reducing security

The two-way communication feature of a smart doorbell like the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro lets you answer the door without opening it. This is a definite advantage if you simply don’t want to go to the door or if you want to give the person at the door — such as someone delivering packages or groceries — instructions.

You can also speak to the person at your door while you’re away without ever letting them know that you’re not home. This can help deter burglars — who are known to knock on doors before breaking into houses as a final check to see if anyone’s home — as well as protect children who are in the house alone.

8. Integrate with other smart devices

Another cool feature of the smart doorbell is that you can integrate it with your existing smart home devices. Not only can you program your doorbell camera to communicate with your smartphone or tablet, but if you use devices like Amazon’s Alexa or Google Nest to control your home’s systems, you’ll find that a smart doorbell can work seamlessly with this technology as well.

9. Get 24/7 video footage access

You don’t have to be on your phone all the time to take advantage of your smart doorbell’s security features. The system is always on, which means it’s recording video footage 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Most systems keep these video recordings for 10 days, while others use cloud storage, so the video information remains accessible on the cloud until it’s erased.

In particular, the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro comes with a built-in SD card for fast clip loading and scrubbing speed with less buffering.

With this kind of access, you’ll know if the people entering are authorized or not. You’ll also be able to check up on the kids to see if they came right home from school or the dog sitter to make sure they showed up to walk your pooch when they said they would.

10. Take advantage of professional monitoring

One of the greatest advantages of installing a smart doorbell is the fact that you can take advantage of professional home monitoring, adding another powerful layer of protection to your home security.

You’re not always going to be around to hear an alarm, and your smartphone might not be accessible when someone attempts a break in. Knowing that you have a team of qualified, highly trained professionals to respond to any alarms or triggers 24/7 ensures your home and family will be protected in any situation.

Discover the leading home security system solutions from Vivint

As a recognized leader in smart home security systems, Vivint offers homeowners a smart doorbell with functionality that provides both safety and convenience.

To learn more about the benefits of smart doorbells and how Vivint’s smart home technologies and alarm systems can bring you and your family peace of mind, contact one of our Vivint pros at 855.822.1220 for more information and get a free quote today.