Hi all, I have read 2 threads about video doorbells. I'm totally blind and am not sure that I need all the video features. Does anyone use an intercom system? Is one of the units durable enough to be outside? Thanks.
Hi,
I am not clear if you are asking about a specific doorbell or intercom? Most video doorbells do have an intercom feature but you have to use the app to use it which can be a bit slow. Doorbells are meant to be outside as being inside isn't that helpful unless you have interior access like an apartment. Ring is of course the most well known but I am not sure of its current app accessibility? It wasn't good at one point. I use Nest Battery Doorbell currently which is a new one just released in August 2021. This does go outside. And it uses the Google Home app which is mostly accessible on iOS if a bit inefficient and Googley in areas. The one area that is not accessible is assigning names to faces but since sighted help is needed to recognize the pictures it isn't that big a deal.
As for video features that is what I enjoy. Here is my main use cases with Nest: it can recognize faces and tell you who is at the door if it recognizes them. Cool, but not essential. It also has package recognition, so it can alert me if it sees a package has been dropped off. It also alerts me when the package disappears just in case it wasn't me who picked it up. Nest also has moving vehicle detection. This seems to still be a work in progress but has gotten better recently. I have a monitoring zone defined that covers my driveway and when it detects a moving vehicle such as a car pulling in it alerts me "moving vehicle seen in driveway". This is helpful if I am expecting someone such as a ride as I can go out without them having to come get me, text me, call me, etc. (I usually cannot hear the vehicle from inside.) Lastly, if there seems to be activity detected such as someone was at the door I didn't expect, I can send a video to a helper who can look at it and tell me what was going on. Also helps chec up on people such as yeah the lawn care person really was spraying the weeds. I don't mean this as a sales pitch and other doorbells and camera systems have similar features. My point being is: a video doorbell can be useful without actually looking at the video yourself.
I plan to get a video doorbell. Doesn't the Nest variety make you pay for package detection? Granted I can usually hear people coming up my cement steps, but sometimes not. I like the idea of vehicle detection although the point is moot at the present time. Think of it this way, you can know if you wan t to open your door before you get there.
Nest requires a subscription for facial recognition, and to access more than 3 hours of video history. I don't mean 3 hours of clips, I mean clips older than 3 hours, which makes it kind of useless. Package detection is free. Package detection has came to other models too. I have not done recent research. The biggest hurdle is usually the app accessibility or lack thereof. For example I also have the Euufy app for some older cameras. It is usable for basic tasks, but not as good as it could be, e.g., in its settings area it is not possible to tell the setting of radio buttons as selected or not with VoiceOver. Google/Nest has shown a bit more commitment to accessibility of their Google Home app, to this point. Subject to change as we all know.
Comments
Doorbell
Hi,
I am not clear if you are asking about a specific doorbell or intercom? Most video doorbells do have an intercom feature but you have to use the app to use it which can be a bit slow. Doorbells are meant to be outside as being inside isn't that helpful unless you have interior access like an apartment. Ring is of course the most well known but I am not sure of its current app accessibility? It wasn't good at one point. I use Nest Battery Doorbell currently which is a new one just released in August 2021. This does go outside. And it uses the Google Home app which is mostly accessible on iOS if a bit inefficient and Googley in areas. The one area that is not accessible is assigning names to faces but since sighted help is needed to recognize the pictures it isn't that big a deal.
As for video features that is what I enjoy. Here is my main use cases with Nest: it can recognize faces and tell you who is at the door if it recognizes them. Cool, but not essential. It also has package recognition, so it can alert me if it sees a package has been dropped off. It also alerts me when the package disappears just in case it wasn't me who picked it up. Nest also has moving vehicle detection. This seems to still be a work in progress but has gotten better recently. I have a monitoring zone defined that covers my driveway and when it detects a moving vehicle such as a car pulling in it alerts me "moving vehicle seen in driveway". This is helpful if I am expecting someone such as a ride as I can go out without them having to come get me, text me, call me, etc. (I usually cannot hear the vehicle from inside.) Lastly, if there seems to be activity detected such as someone was at the door I didn't expect, I can send a video to a helper who can look at it and tell me what was going on. Also helps chec up on people such as yeah the lawn care person really was spraying the weeds. I don't mean this as a sales pitch and other doorbells and camera systems have similar features. My point being is: a video doorbell can be useful without actually looking at the video yourself.
I'd go with a doorbell also
I plan to get a video doorbell. Doesn't the Nest variety make you pay for package detection? Granted I can usually hear people coming up my cement steps, but sometimes not. I like the idea of vehicle detection although the point is moot at the present time. Think of it this way, you can know if you wan t to open your door before you get there.
Package Detection
Nest requires a subscription for facial recognition, and to access more than 3 hours of video history. I don't mean 3 hours of clips, I mean clips older than 3 hours, which makes it kind of useless. Package detection is free. Package detection has came to other models too. I have not done recent research. The biggest hurdle is usually the app accessibility or lack thereof. For example I also have the Euufy app for some older cameras. It is usable for basic tasks, but not as good as it could be, e.g., in its settings area it is not possible to tell the setting of radio buttons as selected or not with VoiceOver. Google/Nest has shown a bit more commitment to accessibility of their Google Home app, to this point. Subject to change as we all know.