Why people add a doorbell camera

Parcels left on the porch, visitors arriving while you're at work, and the simple comfort of seeing who's knocking before you open the door. A doorbell camera sends an alert to your phone when someone presses the button or walks up, and lets you talk to them through the app.

They're one of the most popular smart home additions, and also one of the most common to end up half-working because of a weak signal or flat battery.

Battery or hardwired

Battery doorbells are easy to mount and don't need wiring. The trade-off is recharging. Depending on how busy your front door is and how the settings are configured, you may be taking it down to charge every few weeks or months. Cold weather and lots of motion alerts drain batteries faster.

Hardwired doorbells run from a low-voltage power supply, so they're always on and often support features like continuous recording or faster response. If you have an old wired doorbell, the existing wiring may help, though it often needs a new transformer to suit the camera. If there's no wiring, a licensed electrician can install a suitable supply. Anything connected to mains power is licensed work.

Check your wifi at the front door

This is the step most people skip. Front doors are often at the far end of the house from the router, separated by brick walls. Stand at the door with your phone, turn off mobile data and check the wifi speed. If it's weak or drops out, the camera will be slow to load, miss events or disconnect.

Fixes include moving the router, adding a mesh wifi unit closer to the front, or a wifi extender. Many doorbells only connect on 2.4 GHz wifi, which has better range through walls but may need to be set up separately on some modern routers.

Mounting height and angle

Doorbell cameras usually sit around 1.2 to 1.5 metres from the ground, which captures faces nicely. If the door is set to one side of the porch, a wedge mount angles the camera toward the path. Check the view on the app before fixing it permanently.

Bright sun straight into the lens can wash out the picture, and porches facing west often get that in the afternoon.

Lighting the entry

Cameras see better with some light. Many have night vision, but a porch light or sensor light gives clearer, colour footage of faces at night. Our outdoor and security lighting work pairs nicely with a new doorbell.

Privacy and neighbours

Set motion zones so the camera focuses on your property rather than the street or next door. Most apps let you mask areas from recording. It's considerate and it reduces pointless alerts from passing cars and dog walkers.

Notifications that don't drive you mad

Out of the box, many doorbells alert you to every movement. Adjust the motion sensitivity, set zones and use person detection where available. You'll get alerts that matter without your phone buzzing every time the wind moves a shrub.

Chimes inside

Some people want a chime inside as well as the phone alert. Hardwired doorbells can sometimes work with an existing chime, or plug-in chimes are available. Check this when buying.

Setting it up properly

We install and set up doorbell cameras and security cameras as part of our smart home work, including connecting them to the app and walking you through it. If your front entry needs power or a new light, see our lighting page, and if you're building, our new home electrical work can include doorbell wiring from the start.

Call or text Kalani on 0424 400 346. A photo of your front door and the model you're looking at is a great starting point.

Doorbell camera setup guide