Keeping your house safe - even when you aren't at home - is important to many of us. Whether you have a family, pets, or important assets to secure, it can be helpful to have home security features you can count on to offer peace of mind, no matter where you are.

Smart doorbell cameras are becoming more popular as a home security device that not only can survey outside your home but also help you feel safer when answering the door or monitoring deliveries. Best of all, many smart doorbells can also be used in conjunction with other smart home automation devices.

If you’ve been considering purchasing a smart doorbell camera, use this guide to help you decide which doorbell camera features are right for your home and how to get the most out of doorbell camera automation.

Who Can Benefit From Smart Doorbell Cameras?

Smart doorbells are relatively new to the home surveillance scene, but they offer a simpler security solution for many individuals who aren’t interested in having bulky home surveillance cameras installed.

While smart doorbell cameras can help most people, we’ll take a closer look at two groups that can benefit the most from smart doorbell cameras, specifically: 

• Homeowners

• Renters

   

Homeowners and Smart Doorbell Cameras

If you own your home, you're able to choose just about any smart doorbell device. While you will have to consider the size and compatibility of different brands, you can generally focus your decision on the features you're most interested in. If you're a member of a homeowners association or if you live in a historic home, you should make sure that installing a smart doorbell is within your rights.

Renters and Smart Doorbell Cameras

If you rent your home, your options for installing a smart doorbell camera may be more limited. Depending on your rental agreement, you may need approval from your landlord to install security devices. And if you do receive approval, your landlord may want to choose the features included in the doorbell camera. Keep in mind that if your landlord pays for the cost of the camera and its installation, you most likely won't be able to take it with you if you move.

Additional Considerations 

Before zooming in on smart doorbell features, you'll want to consider the compatibility of existing home automation or security devices you already have. If you have indoor security cameras, an alarm system, or another smart or automated device, you'll want to make sure they're compatible with your smart doorbell as well.

At ADT, we make it easy to control all of your home security devices – like your security system, thermostat, lights, locks, outlets, garage door, and doorbell camera – remotely through one easy-to-use mobile app. 

ADT even pairs with popular smart home assistants and compatible devices like Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant so you can control your ADT devices with your voice.

How Do I Automate My Home With a Doorbell Camera?

Are you looking to streamline your home and connect all of the smart home devices that are important to your family? With an ADT smart doorbell camera, you can make automating your home easier than ever

The ADT mobile app makes it easy to connect all of your devices and access them from one central hub. Once you’ve done that, you can set up automation using your smartphone or voice control.

Some smart devices you can connect and automate using the ADT app:

• Smart doorbell camera

• Exterior and interior lights

• Temperature

• Door locks

At nighttime, you can automate smart devices like your doorbell camera to turn on your exterior lights, shut off interior lights, lower the temperature on your thermostat, lock your exterior doors, and turn on alarms and motion sensors. ADT also makes it easy for you to customize your motion sensors, so passing cars don't set off motion triggers.

You can also automate all of these smart options into a routine that your virtual assistant can handle for you. For instance, you might set up your nighttime routine by saying, "OK, Google, let's go to bed" to automate all the actions you want to take before going to bed.

When you wake up in the morning, you can reverse this routine or create a new one to fit your family’s schedule and lifestyle.

Choosing the Best Smart Doorbell Camera for Home Automation

When automating your home, there are some key features you’ll want to keep an eye on, specifically:

• Price

• Video quality

• Aesthetics

• Smartphone compatibility

• Motion detection alerts

• Night vision

• Weatherproof design

• Two-way audio

• Video footage

• Storage

• Installation

   

Price

Price is a key factor you'll want to take into consideration when comparing smart doorbell camera options. Once you've found some doorbell camera options that meet your needs, review their price points to decide which doorbell camera best fits your budget.

You can request a quote for the ADT professional installation online or by phone so that you can know the full price of the product plus installation upfront.

Video Quality

High-quality video feedback is important for any home security system since video quality helps identify visitors or suspected thieves on recorded footage.

Some home doorbell cameras have video recording quality as low as 480p, which can be difficult to view clearly. Our doorbell cameras offer a clear and concise HD video, allowing you to see your footage clearly.

Aesthetics

There's no denying that when it comes to choosing a smart device, aesthetics play a major role. Many homeowners prefer a doorbell camera that easily blends with their exterior decor.

Our doorbell cameras are sleek and stylish, with a minimalist design. The doorbell can be installed directly on a doorframe, on siding, or on brick, making it easy to place it where it won't detract from your home's appearance.

Smartphone Compatibility

Smart doorbell cameras also come with mobile capabilities that allow you to view and control your smart device directly from your smartphone. 

Most doorbell cameras allow you to view your visitors from your smartphone, whether you’re sitting in your living room or away on vacation – and you can also control your doorbell with the ADT app.

Motion Detection Alerts

Are you not expecting any visitors? Motion detection alerts offer you peace of mind by letting you know when motion is detected within the range of your doorbell.

ADT offers cutting-edge motion detection technology for your smart doorbell that allows you to customize motion detection zones. This customization ensures that you're not alerted each time a car drives down your street. Customization also allows you to set up notifications on your mobile phone so that you're alerted whenever motion occurs within the set field of view.

Night Vision

Having a doorbell camera provides you comfort, convenience, and security - but make sure your camera functions just as well at night as it does during broad daylight. Cameras equipped with night vision allow you to see your visitors better and track activity after the sun has gone down. 

With ADT’s infrared technology, you can rest assured that you’ll receive high-quality video footage from your doorbell camera, even in the dark.

Weatherproof Design

A security camera is only helpful if it can work in all kinds of weather conditions. If you live in a climate that experiences severe weather or high humidity, it's important to opt for a doorbell camera that has weatherproofing features.

The ADT smart doorbell camera has built-in snow-, rain-, and humidity-resistant technology to ensure it works perfectly in all kinds of weather.

Two-Way Audio

What happens when you can't get to the door in time for delivery? Or if visitors arrive early and you can't let them in right away? The two-way audio function on our Doorbell Camera allows you to communicate with anyone outside your door from your mobile phone. You can let contractors know that you're on your way or instruct food delivery workers to leave your meal on the porch.

Video Footage

Live video footage is important for all doorbell cameras, but recorded footage may be just as valuable. If you work long hours or aren't home a lot, keeping recorded footage of activity outside your home may help you catch package thieves or keep a better eye on what's going on outside your front door.

Many Doorbell Cameras offer both live footage and recorded video options, so you can see what’s happening in real-time and review previous footage when necessary.

Storage

To view recorded activity from your front door, you'll need to find a smart doorbell that offers video storage. ADT provides cloud storage for doorbell cameras so you can easily access footage from the ADT app.

Automate Your Home With a Smart Doorbell Camera from ADT

Doorbell cameras are popping up in homes across the country - and for a good reason. They offer a simple home security solution that allows you to monitor your home easily, manage deliveries, and interact with visitors. 

When choosing your smart doorbell, be sure to opt for a device that interacts with your existing smart devices, so you can fully automate your home without installing several different apps. Control everything you need with just a quick tap or voice command.