No fingers needed – the Alarm.com Touchless Video Doorbell rings via a special doormat.
Alarm.com
This story is part of CES, where our editors will bring you the latest news and the most popular articles from the all-virtual CES 2021.
We knew we would expect a lot of pandemic-inspired sites this year’s virtual CES technology showcase, with all kinds of new products designed to help you keep your hands (and your germs) to yourself. Below that is a new video doorbell from Alarm.com that uses video analytics to call itself when it sees someone standing on your carpet.
With the design, no one has to physically push a button, and with the built-in camera and microphone, you can talk to them through your phone without opening the door. This is a pretty sensible idea and a great fit for anyone who has been disinfecting their front porch for the past ten months when downloading a package or a pizza.
The doorbell of the doorbell has an appropriately simple user interface.
Alarm.com
“Our Touchless Video Doorbell helps homeowners and visitors maintain social distance and prevent them from encountering germs, bacteria and viruses on surfaces around the front door,” says Anne Ferguson, VP of Marketing at Alarm.com. “Adding this touchless solution to an alarm.com secure smart home system is another way we can be vigilant and protect each other.”
The unconventional doorbell contains labeling that instructs your visitor not to touch it – and if you wish, you can add an accompanying doormat to make the use case even clearer. However, it’s just a doormat (and sold separately) – the detection of persons all takes place via the camera of the doorbell.
In addition to activating the bell, the front of the doorbell can also activate other Alarm.com devices, such as smart lights. Alarm.com adds that the doorbell is also smart enough to distinguish between people, pets and packages to prevent fake rings.
As for the specifications, the doorbell has a 150 degree field of view, infrared night vision, a full HD resolution with HDR and a heater on board to prevent the doorbell from getting too cold during the winter. Saved tracks are uploaded to the Alarm.com Network Operations Center and can be viewed for up to 60 days via the Alarm.com app. An option for the local storage of the clips would have been a good, privacy-oriented addition, but since it is an accessory to the home security system, most people will want the monitors monitoring their home to have access to the material have in case of emergency.
Alarm.com did not share pricing or availability specifications here at launch, but a company spokesman tells me it will be available for less than $ 200. For the time being, expect to see the doorbell and its reliable carpet at licensed Alarm.com providers in your area.
Correction, 11:30: The doormat is sold separately and does not help by the person’s detection of persons through video analysis via the built-in camera.