There’s Somebody at the Door

Are you the type of person that immediately drops everything as soon as the doorbell rings? You rush to the front door and open it without knowing who’s there, only to see the person already back in their car and driving off.

Being too late is a common occurrence with a traditional doorbell system. When you are older and no longer capable of rushing to the door, it is more comfortable and far safer to replace the common doorbell system with an improved installation. Let’s look at the possibilities.

Disadvantages of a Traditional Doorbell System

The common doorbell system for homes has its disadvantages:

• You never know who is at the door before you open it. Especially in the evening or at night, this increases the risk of unwanted―read dangerous―visitors.
• Perhaps you do not hear the doorbell in every room of the house, or out in the garden, causing you to miss certain calls.
• When the doorbell rings, you have to hurry to the front door, otherwise the visitor might think you are not home and leave. This may be a problem when ageing or a physical limitation slows you down.
• When you are sick in bed, you cannot open the door for the doctor, home nurse, family, etc.

Other Possibilities

Instead of a doorbell installation, you could opt for a so-called door communication system. There are two types: the audio and the video system. In its simplest form, audio systems consist of a doorbell at the front door, a speaker and a microphone. Inside the home, one or more devices are installed to answer the call.

For video systems, the outside installation consists of a camera and a night light. The inside devices are equipped with a screen showing the person at the door. Both systems offer the possibility to open the front door remotely. The latter comes in handy especially when someone you know or trust is at the door. In any case, you no longer have to first open the door to know who is there and decide whether or not to invite the visitor in, or talk with that person at the door.

More Comfort

You can also decide to connect the doorbell system to the in-house telephone installation. In the case of an audio system, each phone can be used to answer a phone call as well as a call at the door. You can even set a separate ringtone for door calls. You can also decide to switch off certain phones (for instance in the children’s room) when someone rings the doorbell at night. Video systems can also be connected to an in-house telephone installation. You can install phones with a small screen at certain locations and use screenless phones at other places. 

Entry system video screen

When there is no telephone installation, or as a separate possibility, the functionality can be extended to mobile or smartphones. Even when you are enjoying a sunny day in the garden or are away at work, you can answer any visitor at the front door. The visitor will think you are at home, while you can be anywhere. You can tell the package delivery person to leave your internet order at the neighbour’s house. During holidays you can let someone you trust inside the house to water the plants and take care of the cat. You no longer have to give the housekeeper a key that can get lost or accidentally fall into the wrong hands.