Safety, especially in the comfort of your home is paramount. Your home should be a safe space for vulnerability and relaxation, yet this is rarely ever the case. Many people fear they would find someone looking to harm them at their doorstep, and this removes the feeling of safety from their homes. This is why they invest in CCTV cameras, hidden cameras and sensor lights.
Even if you reside in an unbelievably safe area, you can still improve your security game. And not for a bankrupting cost. The answer is to invest in a peephole camera. The peephole cameras are easy to use and install. Sometimes a good peephole camera could make all the difference and restore your feeling of safety within your home. Especially before opening your front door toa stranger.
There are different types in the market that are designed to suit your security and budget needs. Which are discussed in this article.
How Do Peephole Cameras Work?
Peephole cameras are designed to identify and sometimes communicate with the person at your door. They usually have motion sensors to alert the home owner that a person is near or at the front of the door. There are some that are mobile compatible and give you alerts even when you are not in the house or apartment. Some give you both video and audio interaction with whoever is at your door, whether you are home or not. The power supply to the camera can be fed from the home circuit, but there are also wireless options available.
Wireless Peephole Camera
Some peephole cameras are wire-free and have batteries. They last for between one to six months, depending on whether it is used for recording or not. For direct camera feed, a separate gateway wirelessly connects to your router and interacts with the camera. This makes things much easier and prevents unnecessary hanging cables.
Peephole Camera with Night Vision
Having peephole camera with Night Vision is very valuable, especially if you do not have bright lights at your front door. Some peephole cameras even come with LED lights that come on when it starts getting dark. However, if you have a very dark front door, it will be really beneficial for you to have the night vision option.
Peephole Camera Review
Peephole Cameras can be pretty difficult to sort through as there are many cheap new options. However, new and cheap does not always mean better with security products. We recommend to choose an established brand and not go for the cheapest option.
The Ring Peephole Camera used to be the best peephole camera on the market. However, it was discontinued, but some old stock can be found around. Ring still produces really great innovative security products like Ring’s Floodlight Camera, Ring’s Video Doorbell, and Ring’s Peephole Camera 2-way. Another innovation in the security market is the Ring’s Always Home Cam. In summary we recommend this brand first for home owners.
Peephole cameras for apartments are a bit of different story as people try to avoid using hardware. Meaning they have less camera options to choose from. However, there are still some great options available for apartment security. Here are our top 10 picks.
Top Ten (10) Peephole Cameras for Apartments
Features:
- 480p Camera
- 2.7” LCD screen (inside)
- Door knock sensor included
- Local storage
- Tool-free installation
Features:
- 1080p camera
- 4.3” Indoor LCD screen
- Two-Way talk
- Local storage
- Doorbell included
Features:
- 1080p camera
- 4.3” Indoor LCD screen
- Two-Way talk
- Local storage
- Doorbell included
4. Digital Door Peephole Camera (Digitsea)
Features:
- 720p Camera
- 120° view angle
- 4 Low-light LEDs
- Comes with a Doorbell
- No paid cloud storage service is needed
Features:
- 1080p camera
- Ultrathin design
- Anti-pry Camera
- 3.5” LCD screen
- Tool-free installation
Features:
- HD Camera
- Wide-angle lens
- 3” indoor LCD screen
- Doorbell included
- Tool-free installation
Features:
- 1080p Camera
- Two-Way Talk options
- Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT
- Free Cloud Storage
8. Mini Spy Door Peephole Camera (JOYTRIP)
Features:
- 1080p Camera
- Motion Alert (+ night vision options)
- 150° view angle
- Versatile Placement Options
- Fast Cloud Storage
9. Smart Doorbell Digital Peephole Camera
Features:
- 720p Camera
- Can support 32GB Storage
- Two-Way talk with noise reduction
- Motion Alert
- Doorbell
10. Digital Door Peephole Camera
Features:
- 160° view angle
- 720p HD camera
- Indoor Display
- Motion Alert
- Doorbell
Things to Consider Before Getting Your Peephole Camera
- Outdoor Design: Many peephole cameras are more prominent on the outside to accommodate the extra features (Night vision, LED, doorbell, etc.). If you don’t want all of that, you can go with something more discreet and less noticeable.
- Viewing Angle and Video Quality: A higher resolution is always nicer, but not everyone requires a full HD video of who is outside their apartment door.
- Two-Way Talk: This enables communication, both audio and video (depending on the model), between the person at the door and the person inside. If you’re a home owner you might not be interested in the feature. Apartments owners are usually the ideal buyer for a two-way talk camera.
- Video Storage Location: Camera’s with a storage capacity are usually a little bigger and have a micro-SD card. If you’re not looking for a recording feature and just need a door viewer, you wouldn’t need this feature.
- Motion Alerts: Many peephole cameras will alert you if motion is detected at your door step. And some can be setup to take pictures when there is motion. It is a truly useful feature and can come in handy in certain situations such as parcel drop off.
Can You See Reverse Through A Peephole?
Yes and no. No, you cannot use your eyes because of the concave fisheye nature of the peephole. Yes, you can do it using a Tactical Scope (or Reverse Peephole). It was initially designed for use in surveillance by law enforcement agencies. It was also used for covert activities to help them assess threats and make observations.
Wrap Up
There are many Peephole cameras everywhere in the market today. They all have their limitations and their strengths; but generally, they are more useful when compared to the old conventional peepholes. Apartment tenants would enjoy the Brinno Duo peephole camera. It may not have overly fancy features, but it gets the job done and is very friendly to use. For home owners we recommend you check the Ring brand. In any case make sure you choose a peephole camera that suits your specific needs.
