Four Video Doorbells to Protect From Package Theft

Four Video Doorbells to Protect From Package Theft

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for a porch pirate.

In the weeks following the biggest shopping weekend of the year (Black Friday through Cyber Monday) porches of homes around the country are being visited by mailmen dropping off packages. While online shopping brings convenience to holiday shopping it also brings the stress of package theft.

There are many ways to avoid package theft, like scheduling deliveries for when you know someone will be home or asking your delivery person to hide the packages in a specific spot, but sometimes you just can’t have control over what happens when you finally get your package.

My solution for you is to invest in a video doorbell. These motion activated, two-way communication devices allow you to see who is at your front door from the comfort of your smartphone screen. If a suspicious porch pirate is around, you’d be able to talk to them and nab video evidence of the culprit.

Here’s the top five video doorbell’s I’d recommend to protect your porch this holiday season and all year round.

Ring Video Doorbell

Ring is one of the most known video doorbell devices. The product comes with two-way audio, motion sensing, live/cloud storage for video, night vision and color options. Ring allows you to customize your motion sensors, so you’ll always be the first to know when you have a visitor. The infrared night vision and weather-resistant design gives users the ability to monitor their home day or night, rain or shine.

SkyBell HD Wi-Fi Enabled Video Doorbell

The SkyBell Video Doorbell gives users a ton of options, you can watch live video, anytime, and take a snapshot if you want. While the SkyBell doesn’t have cloud storage, you can download videos from the device itself. The smart doorbell comes with motion sensing, two-way audio and night vision. It can be hardwired to your home so there is no need for a battery.

August Doorbell Cam

The August Doorbell Cam offers motion sensing alerts, video recording options, and On-Demand viewing as well as the option to connect it to the August Smart Lock, so you can lock and unlock your door depending on who’s knocking. According to reviews, this smart doorbell is a little more difficult to install as it requires mounting brackets and a drill, but they seem to think it is worth the effort for the amount of security it adds to the user’s home.

Zmodo Greet

The Zmodo Greet is one of the cheapest smart doorbell on our list at only $150, but that doesn’t mean it is lacking any features. The Greet comes with self/cloud storage, call alerts, motion detection and night vision. When motion is detected, the user receives a notification through the app. From there, the user can decide to watch live video, record footage, or upload video to the cloud for later use.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Just as Expected

    GSX produced a wonderful tradeshow earlier this week. Monday was surprisingly strong in the morning, and the afternoon wasn’t bad at all. That’s Monday’s results and asking attendees to travel on Sunday. Just a quick hint, no one wants to give up their weekend to travel and set up an exhibit booth. I’m just saying. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • NOLA: The Crescent City

    Twenty years later we finds ourselves in New Orleans. Twenty years ago the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina forced exhibitors and attendees to look elsewhere for tradeshow floor space. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • Nothing Artificial About this Intelligence

    I have been looking forward to this year’s GSX show in New Orleans, the Cresent City, or if you prefer The Big Easy. It seems like quite a while since we’ve been here. Twenty years ago, ASIS, as it was known then was literally washed out of the city by someone known as Katrina. It is a good thing to come back to NOLA. Read Now

  • From Monitors to Mission Control

    Security Operations Centers (SOC) were once defined by rows of static monitors, each displaying a single feed with operators quietly watching for issues. That model has become obsolete. Incidents evolve too quickly, data comes from multiple locations, and decisions must be made in seconds—not minutes. Read Now

  • New Gas Monkey Garage Venue Uses AI-Enhanced Video Technology

    Gas Monkey Garage, the automotive custom shop and entertainment brand founded by Richard Rawlings of Fast N’ Loud TV fame, has opened a vibrant new restaurant and bar in South Dakota, equipped with advanced, AI-enhanced video tech from IDIS Americas. Read Now

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.