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LIFE TECH FEATURE

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Knock, knock. Who’s there? The simple concept of a door knocker, i.e. a device attached to the front of a door that somebody strikes to announce their arrival, dates back a thousand years. The early Victorian era saw the introduction of two popular doorbells: the twist mechanism that strikes a bell when turned and the pull doorbell where a rope is yanked to activate a bell. A certain scientist called Joseph Henry is credited for inventing the electric doorbell way back in 1831.

Any other considerations? What many potential buyers don’t realise about any wireless security camera system is that the performance is only as good as the Wi-Fi coverage in your home. If you get a good and consistent Wi-Fi signal throughout your home, including, in this case, at the front of your house, then a video doorbell is a great security solution. Weak signals can be boosted by installing a Wi-Fi range extender or by using a good mesh network system in the home. It’s a good idea to check signal strength throughout the house. Is it for me? Video doorbells are an excellent option for a low-cost security solution. They offer the functionality of a traditional doorbell but add the security advantage of seeing who’s at the door whether you’re home or not. The SwannBuddy won’t break the bank, offers installation versatility, and avoids the need to sign up for a regular subscription to access video recordings.

EYE SPY

On the lookout for a video doorbell that swerves subscription fees? Swann may have the answer. Words Adam Colby

Two-way talk enables conversation, so you can tell the delivery driver to drop the parcel at the front door if you happen to be sunbathing naked in the back garden

What’s the deal? Homegrown Aussie home security brand Swann has recently released a new video doorbell, the SwannBuddy. The unit can either be hardwired to a mains supply using the existing doorbell infrastructure or powered solely by batteries which are also rechargeable. A proprietary app for both Android and iOS based devices is used to communicate with callers, activate the camera and tweak the settings. The camera delivers video footage at 1080p HD quality during the day or night and offers a wide 180-degree viewing angle to capture all the action. Motion and heat alerts trigger recording and a push notification, so you’ll know when someone is at the door even if they don’t press the button. Two-way talk enables conversation, so you can tell the delivery driver to drop the parcel at the front door if you happen to be sunbathing naked in the back garden. The kit also comes with a battery-powered Wi-Fi chime unit, so if you’re not close to your smartphone when the doorbell is activated, you can still hear it. The chime unit comes with six different melodies to choose from. We’ve saved the best for last. Let’s talk

subscriptions. One of the biggest bugbears for us surrounding the purchase of many video doorbells is the subscription model. If you want to store video footage, it generally comes at the cost of a monthly subscription. However, the SwannBuddy comes with a 32GB Micro SD card for local internal storage Swann also offers free rolling cloud storage for saving clips. So, if you’re only using the SwannBuddy for storing video clips short-term, you can get by with what’s on hand.

36 JULY 2022

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