2025 03Nympton News Autumn final with bleed - Flipbook - Page 69
detection and notifications with thumbnails.
Non-Subscription: The features the device provides out of the box are
all you get.
I9ve been thinking about getting a smart door bell for a while in case
cottage guests need to get hold of us and we are not in the house, plus
when parcels are delivered. I9ve held off previously due to privacy
concerns around recording video but discovered that most smart
doorbells now allow you to select an 8area of activity9 which specifies
when the motion detection is triggered. I didn9t want a subscription
service as I really only need basic functionality and don9t like the idea of
being tied to a service as the price steadily increases. I wanted an indoor
chime like a normal bell as well as phone functionality and also wanted
storage inside.
I won't go into how I decided on the final device but wanted to share the
functionality to give an idea of what they can be used for. I picked the
Eufy C31 Doorbell plus Chime. I added a 128Gb SD card for video
storage and an extra battery. All for under £100
Key Features that I like
Indoor Chime: The Chime unit plugs into a power socket inside and
connects to the Wi-Fi network. It provides a customizable noise when the
doorbell is pressed, just like a standard bell.
Local Storage: The Chime unit also holds the SD card for video storage
when motion detection is enabled or if the record button is pressed in the
app.
Smart Detection: The motion detection system has an AI function that
will only trigger if a human is detected. This is handy if you have lots of
greedy chickens hanging about outside the door!
Privacy Control: The motion detection supports 8Area of Activity9 so we
can set it to only record activity in a private area, like our own front gate,
and not the public footpath.
Phone App: The doorbell is connected to the Wi-Fi network and linked to
an app on the phone. When pressed, you get a notification on your
phone (via Wifi or 5G), either with simple text or a picture of who pressed
the bell. You can either talk to the person or get the app to send a
preconfigured message. A preconfigured message can also be played as
a default when the bell is pressed. The app can be installed by anyone in
the house, so they can all receive notifications. You can also use the bell
as a live camera to just see what's going on outside.
I haven9t had the doorbell very long, but so far it is working well. The WiFi signal by our door is weak, which doesn9t seem to be a major problem.
I have found that motion detection has to be off most of the time, as I go
in and out of the front door a lot and keep getting notifications about it. It
is a nice option for when we do go out, though.
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