As a homeowner, your security and that of the occupants of your house are non-negotiable. The first step to keeping your family safe is to secure your home from intruders. You can’t just let anyone walk into your home as they could be of potential danger to your family.
Doorbell cameras are a good way to deter unwanted visitors from entering your home. They come with special features that enable remote monitoring and surveillance. This allows you to see anyone who walks up to your front door. With doorbell cameras, you don’t need to walk up to the door and look through the peephole just to see who is knocking. You get to know who is at your doorstep, regardless of where you are.
However, with all these amazing features, doorbell cameras work side by side with your internet connection. If you don’t have a strong internet connection, your doorbell camera can’t function effectively.
Why do Doorbell Cameras Need an Internet Connection?
There are certain features on a doorbell camera that cannot be activated unless the security device is connected to the internet. Some of these features include:
1. Remote Monitoring/Device Control
You can control your doorbell camera through a compatible app installed on your mobile phone. Your video doorbell can’t send motion alerts to your phone if your data or WiFi is turned off. The internet connection acts as a bridge between your doorbell camera and viewing device, connecting them to the main server. Without stable WiFi, there will be no means of transmitting the video to your phone or any other viewing device.
2. Live Video and Audio Feed
The live feed on the doorbell camera helps you to receive a real-time notification. You will be able to receive live streaming of your front door. However, your doorbell camera needs an internet source to effectively stream these real-time videos. It’s just the same way social media works on your phone. If you can’t watch a video on social media without data, then you can’t use your doorbell camera without data. You also need that internet connection to communicate with the person at your door through the push-to-talk button.
3. Push Notifications
Doorbell cameras use motion sensors to pick up movements at your doorstep and a notification to your phone. This is one of the reasons they are preferred to other home security systems. However, even if the movement is detected, you will have no way of viewing the source of the noise if there is no internet connection. This is because the application needs data to send push notifications to your device.
4. Cloud Storage
Most doorbell cameras only have enough memory to transmit live feeds and store just about 5 minutes of video time. To access video coverage of previous days, they need to be uploaded and stored on the cloud. This video footage when uploaded can be rewatched or even downloaded and exported to other devices. But you can only access it if your doorbell camera and viewing device are connected to the internet.
Internet Connection Options
Home WiFi
This is the best and easy option for most people, especially those who have a smart security system in their homes. WiFi connection works better because it is faster than your regular cellular data. It also has a stable and secure connection. However, the farther away you are from your router, the weaker the connection. So, it’s best to install your home WiFi at the centre of the house so that the connection can be evenly distributed around the house.
If the WiFi connection is not centrally located, your doorbell camera could have network interference and thus, a weak signal. If your house is a relatively big one, your video doorbell may have trouble receiving the network from your central WiFi router. The level of interference varies, depending on the amount of space between the router and the doorbell.
Remember that the doorbell is placed at the door just like the regular doorbell. So, you have to bring your WiFi connection closer to the door. You could also use a signal booster to amplify the signal that gets to your doorbell camera. You may have to include a signal booster in your budget. Some nice models can be found on Amazon.
Cellular Data
Smartphones transmit either a 3G or 4G network which can be used to run your doorbell camera. If you can’t afford a home WiFi connection, simply use your cellular data. The only disadvantage is that connection fluctuates when you are hanging close to the doorbell camera. This disrupts the signal for remote monitoring. The amount of processing that is done by the video doorbell can also rack up internet charges which may most likely be more expensive than your monthly WiFi subscription. You can use your cellphone data for a start while saving up to get your home WiFi.
Using a Doorbell Camera Without an Internet Connection
If you can’t afford any of these internet options, you can find a way to use your doorbell camera without an internet connection. But there is a trick to it. You can use some models of the doorbell camera like Ring and Nest without an internet connection. But that’s as long as you don’t need to use remote live streaming, motion alerts, and other smart features.
The trick to this is to get a doorbell camera that gives you access to an inbuilt SD card. The motion sensor in your doorbell camera detects and captures motion-triggered video, but you won’t be able to watch a live stream of the video.
The doorbell camera stores the video footage in your SD card for you to playback later. When you want to watch the video, simply remove the SD card from the doorbell camera and insert it into your phone or computer. The downside to this is that this type of doorbell camera only records motion-triggered videos. It cannot be used for remote monitoring around the clock.
In Conclusion
Your video doorbell needs an internet connection to work effectively. Mark the word “effectively”. You don’t want to miss out on those amazing features because you’re trying to play cheap. You can save up and get home WiFi or simply use your phone data. But it has to be a strong and secure connection because of the amount of processing that goes on in your doorbell camera. And don’t forget that this processing requires copious amounts of data.