As we approach an ever more digital age, it seems the amount of computerised items we never we needed is getting ever bigger. I think then advantages of a digital door viewer are well worth the cost to anyone. But so few of us even know they exist.

So what are they? Door viewers have been around for a long time. They allow you to get a good look at who is outside, ringing your doorbell (unless you are in a horror movie when they never seem to work!). But the vision through one has always been a bit warped and if you are visually impaired, they are pretty useless. Digital door viewers are different. You can either have a camera placed centrally in the door, or attached to your doorbell with either a screen on the inside of the door that is large enough for you to see the person outside, or a message can be sent to your mobile phone so you can see who is coming to your house, even while you are sipping cocktails in your holiday bar. Some systems will either let you talk to the visitor from your phone, or from a special phone in the house, meaning the elderly and/or infirm don’t have to get out of their seats to deal with nuisance callers, or worse still con artists.

These digital viewers can be used as a stand alone product, or as part of an integrated security system. They can be set to take a picture of the person calling along with date and time stamp, or some will even record a continuous video loop so that you can monitor any suspicious activity going on outside your home. As an example, I was recently at a property where a suspected drugs deal was happening next door. Those who were allegedly purchasing the drugs parked right in front of a digital door viewer and the car number plate was easily observable, as was the driver exiting the car and returning with a bag he did not have before. All this recorded and kept in case of future need. As a stand alone product, digital door viewers are now affordable to most, and will act as a good deterrent to anyone seeking to invade your home, or the home of those you love.

I know it’s only just the end of summer, but as an idea, instead of buying your parents the usual this Christmas, why not buy them something that will boost their home security, save them having to get up every time a salesman knocks, and allow them to nose about at what’s going on outside?

While there are loads of designs and manufacturers to choose from, I personally recommend ERA products as they can be expanded for use with the ERA home guard system, which is almost completely wireless, remotely accessible and will be crowned by an insurance rated brilliant smart lock in the very near future.

If you have any queries regarding the above information, please do not hesitate to get in contact with me via any of the methods on my contacts page.

Thanks for reading