There’s no shortage of smart doorbells or Internet-connected, camera-equipped security devices, especially on crowd-funding sites. The nice thing about DefenDoor is that it’s both.
Billing itself as cross between a butler, a concierge, and a security guard (now we’re picturing a mix of Alfred, Tim Curry in Home Alone 2, and the doorman from that Seinfeld episode), the security system uses a video camera, as well as motion and vibration detectors, to send alerts to your smartphone about what’s going on inside your home.
The DefenDoor attaches to your front door. When the motion detector senses movement, the camera turns on and takes a picture of the visitor, which is then sent to your smartphone. Depending on who’s at the door, you can talk to them via one-way video, ignore them, or send a pre-recorded message. Ours would say, “I’m gonna give you to the count of 10, to get your ugly, yella, no-good keister off my property, before I pump your guts full of lead.”
Related: Why you should change the default password on your security camera
Wireless and waterproof, the device can be used inside or out. It can be paired with up to five sensors, though the camera has to be pointed at the sensors if you want to get video footage of what’s causing a disturbance. The sensors and camera also need to be within 30 feet of each other, so you’d want a few of them to cover a whole house.
Like similar devices, the DefenDoor uses beacon technology that can alert you when your latchkey kid is home or start monitoring when your smartphone is out of range.
The system has a few features that set it apart from similar devices. The camera offers a 150-degree lens, better than Netgear’s 120-degree one but not as good as Piper’s 180 one. However, the 30-second video clip it records when the motion or vibration sensors kick in is 10 seconds longer than Piper’s.
Just the camera alone costs $149. With the special Kickstarter deal on now, a full package, which comes with five sensors, is going for $192, though it’s limited to 100 backers. That’s pretty well in-line with other smart security and doorbell devices that got their start on crowd-funding sites. The device should be ready to ship in July 2015, provided everything goes according to plan.
We have to say though, this would’ve been pretty useful in catching the Wet Bandits.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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