Video Intercom at Your Front Door
Before You Unlock the Door—See Who’s There
The latest and greatest home security camera device is a video door phone. See who is at your front or back entrance without unbolting a door. Who wouldn’t want this kind of control over who comes and goes? Peep-holes and adjacent windows may not allow you full unobstructed view to your home’s entryway--that’s a safety and security risk. Also consider children – with a video intercom they never have to open a door to strangers or possible intruders.
Video door phones are also called video intercoms, two-way doorphones, and security video door announcers. These terms may all be used interchangeably to describe these devices.
How Video Door Phones Work
The idea behind a video door phone or intercom is fairly obvious: greet a visitor from the safety and security of your home, identify who it is, what purpose he or she has, and make a well-informed decision to open the door or deny entry. When a visitor arrives at your door he or she may push an intercom or doorbell, which activates the intercom. From a base station in your home you are alerted to the visitor. Traditional intercoms only allowed you two-way audio communication, but modern video-phones also include a video image, giving you much more security flexibility.
Video door phones may also be used at entrance gates that could be well out of view.
Types of Security Video Intercoms
These devices are manufactured in a variety of model types and are fitted with similar basic features. However, prices go up as more features are added:
- Standalone or multi-station and multi-monitor video intercom systems
- Handsfree units offer another attractive feature
- Video images in black and white or color and with various screen resolutions
- Surface mount or flush-mount systems
- Day and night video capabilities
- Recordable or memory enabled devices save video and audio if you’re away
- Tamper-proof and vandal-proof models are perfect for security purposes.
Installation and Cost for Home Video Intercom Systems
Simple units consisting of an intercom video unit and main base station are fairly easy to self-install. If you’re considering a multi-intercom, multi-station unit you may want to hire a company that specializes in security installations. This ensures your wiring is right and the system operates to specifications.