Tired of getting off the couch to see who’s visiting you when the doorbell rings? That’s the beauty of a video doorbell: You can find out who’s on the stoop before you leave the comfort of the cushion. The Ring Video Doorbell lets you see who’s at the front door with your smartphone and its camera. But there’s just one problem: The Ring doesn’t actually sound like a doorbell. Instead, it relies purely on your smartphone to alert you to visitors.
This June, the company will release Chime to complement the Ring Video Doorbell. Chime is a speaker designed to make a sound when you have a visitor, even when your phone is in another room. All it needs is a connection to your Wi-Fi network and an outlet. Taking a nap? You can disable it whenever you prefer not to be disturbed.
With a wide-angle HD camera, the Ring Video Doorbell gives you a clear view of the person standing at your door. It also has motion-detecting sensors to trigger mobile alerts whenever anyone is near the device. Two-way speakers and a built-in microphone allow you to chat with anyone at the door without having to stop what you’re doing.
However, the true benefit of this little device may be the extra security it provides to homeowners. Even when you’re away from your house, you can access the Ring Video Doorbell and its video stream through the app. If you really want to see what’s going on while you’re out, the Cloud Recording feature lets you film your surroundings when the motion sensors detect activity. Afterward, you can instantly review the footage or share it with others.
With an order of a Ring Video Doorbell (which starts at $199), you can preorder Chime for a discounted price of $20. At the moment, the device’s Cloud Recording service is free, but it will increase to $3 per month or $30 per year beginning June 2015.
Few things ruin a quiet evening faster than a robot vacuum roaring through the living room. Most of us end up pausing the cleaning run, which defeats the whole purpose of owning one. Matic thinks it has the answer with its new Serene robot vacuum, and the big selling point is how little noise it makes.
The Matic Serene runs at 52 decibels even when cleaning at full power. To put that in perspective, Matic compares it to the hum of your refrigerator. It is available now for $1,695, which is $200 more than the original Matic’s current price.
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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