5 Little-Known Benefits of a Video Doorbell

By Kat Rooney

Smart video doorbells have become increasingly popular as an affordable home security feature.

If you have one, are you taking full advantage of all that they can do? They can do more than ward off potential package thieves, so let’s take a look at five more reasons your smart doorbell is a smart move.

What can you do with your smart doorbell?

1. Sync it up with more security devices. One of the major benefits of a smart doorbell is that it can be integrated into a whole-home security system. Smart devices, like video doorbells, are often sold alongside compatible security products that are designed to be easily synced up. For instance, doorbell cameras can be connected to other devices like smart locks and smart outdoor or indoor lights. Once these devices are connected, you can monitor them all in one place and even apply changes simultaneously using a smart home manager app.

2. Use the intercom when you’re away from home. A particularly helpful feature of security doorbells is two-way intercom, which allows you to talk with people at your front door, even when you aren’t home. While not all wireless doorbells include an intercom system as part of the base package, many brands allow you to purchase an additional kit that will add two-way talking functionality—without breaking the bank.

3. Store your front door recordings. Among the many advantages of a Wi-Fi-enabled doorbell is the ability to record packages being delivered. When you’re away from home and expecting a delivery, it can be a gamble leaving packages unattended at your doorstep. Whether you’ve had past trouble with porch pirates who steal packages or with delivery mixups, video footage is an easy and reliable way to ensure that your belongings end up in the right hands. Recordings are either saved locally in the device itself or externally through cloud storage. Though video recordings do eventually expire, storage times range from 30 days to several months, depending on the make, model and cloud storage space purchased. Also, if you want to hold onto certain videos, you have the option to download them before they expire.

4. Enable night-vision mode for more safety. Another impressive feature of smart doorbells is night-vision mode. When it gets dark, even when there are no outside lights on, video doorbells can use infrared light to continue recording. Some models also use motion-sensor LED spotlights to capture nighttime footage. Luckily, night vision is a pretty standard feature of most smart doorbells, meaning you probably won’t have to upgrade models to get this function.

5. Choose AI facial recognition to make it even smarter. Cutting-edge models are starting to incorporate more sophisticated, AI-powered facial recognition. This way, you can know exactly who is at the door when friends and family arrive. The way it works is that once you tag familiar faces in video recordings, your smart doorbell alerts will start notifying you with specific names. Though AI capabilities tend to cost a bit more, it’s an excellent way to take your home security to the next level.

Fiber internet gives you all the smart features

With great fiber service, you can easily connect your smart doorbell to other smart devices, like your phone, tablet, voice assistant, speakers, locks and more, that are part of your home Wi-Fi network. Integrating and keeping track of all your smart devices is simple with smart home management apps that can be downloaded, so you can control your home’s security right from the palm of your hand. Wi-Fi connection also allows you to watch your smart doorbell’s live video stream, receive instant push notifications and save data with cloud storage. External storage makes it easy to access recordings from different smart devices.

Stay connected with Frontier Fiber

When you power your smart home with the best fiber internet connection, you can rest assured you have reliable access to your security system devices. Learn about the advantages of Frontier Fiber, then check here to see when it’s available at your address.