Doorbirds are an amazing device we have all fallen in love with. It brings our doorbell in line with the rest of the digital world we live in by letting us see, talk to, and open the door for our visitors, from anywhere in the world.

A single Doorbird connected to your internet with default settings is a great device that's super handy. However, are you getting the most out of it? At doorbirdintercom.com.au, we have come up with a simple explanation of the different features and add-ons, so you can decide if it's something you think you might use. Therefore, increasing the value your Doorbird brings to your home.

 

All Doorbirds

Digitally store the Digital Passport

The first one is more of a 'Pro tip' than a feature. When you first open your Doorbird box, you should take a photo of the Digital Passport and save it somewhere safe that is backed up. Once your Doorbird is installed and configured, you should also store the hard copy of the Digital Passport somewhere safe. The reason for this is, if you ever update your phone, or add a user, you will need to scan the QR codes on the Digital Passport. We get several support emails a month from customers who have misplaced their Digital Passport. Of course you can always reset it and get a new Digital Passport if you lose it, however, it's easier to make sure you always know where it is.

 

History

 

The history button on the main window of the app shows you a still image of the last 50 visitors who pressed the doorbell. This is handy when you aren't available to answer a notification and want to review who it was at your door. The image will include a date and time stamp as well.

 

Add User

 

Most people add multiple smartphones or devices for different family members using the same user credentials. This works of course, but if you add more users for the various members of the household, you can have a different settings profile for each.

 

Wired vs Wireless
In some cases customers will have a data cable available, and in other cases it will not be possible to run a data cable. When you cannot run a data cable to your Doorbird you may need to connect it to your network via WiFi. However, if you ever have the choice of both, always used wired. While WiFi is a godsend in an existing home where new cable can't be run, it is usually not as fast or stable as a wired connection. You may have great WiFi in the house, but outside your front door or gate, the signal may be low. This will affect the performance of your Doorbird.

 

Motion Sensing 
Your Doorbird has a motion sensor built-in, that is disabled out of the box. The sensor can do some great things like sending you a notification when it senses motion, but the call button isn't pressed. If someone unsavory was casing your place you would get a notification, see them, and if you want to, talk to them via the speaker to tell them you are calling the police.

 

The reason why the sensor is disabled in the box is that not all installations will allow for it to be on. For example, if you have your Doorbird at your front gate on a busy road, it is going to be picking up motion all the time. You don't want 10 needless notifications a minute!. However if your Doorbird is installed in an area with protection from moving cars and pedestrians, you should activate it in the settings and check on its usefulness in your scenario.

 

Door Openers (Electric and smart)
This is a key benefit of Doorbird IP intercoms, but does require connection to 3rd party equipment to work successfully. There are 2 main ways your Doorbird can unlock your door or gate; the first is by electrical connection to a strike or latch, and the second is by integration to a smart lock from another manufacturer.

Electric strike
Your Doorbird intercom will have a hardwired connection for an electric strike or latch. If you source a strike or latch that suits your door or gate, a handyman will be able to install it. It will require a separate power supply, which can be wired in via the Doorbird. Once installed, you will be able to unlock the door or gate from the app, whether you are at home or not. Imagine your guests arrive at your house before you get home, you can let them in. Or a delivery driver arrives with your valuable parcel while you are at work, you can unlock the door to let them put the parcel inside.

Smart Lock
The other method for controlling a door or gate is integrating to a smart lock. Doorbird integrates seamlessly to over half a dozen brands of smart lock. See details here… https://doorbirdintercom.com.au/pages/connect

 

 

 

Press to exit button
If you do set your Doorbird to control your door or gate, sometimes it can be inconvenient to unlock the door from the app when you or your guests are leaving and standing right in front of it. For this you can install a 'Push to Exit" button on the inside of the door. This wires in to the Doorbird and releases the lock whenever this button is pressed.

 

Chime
Another benefit of a Doorbird is integrating to a chime inside your house, in case you don’t have your phone on you or the battery is flat. This will alert you that someone is at the door. You can wire in a chime purchased from Bunnings for less than $50, or you can add a smart chime from Doorbird, see below in add-ons.

 

Button LED
In the administration settings, you can set whether the backlight around the button is always on, always off, or automatic. When set to automatic it will illuminate when the sensor senses motion.

 

Connection Status
On the top right hand corner of the app, there is a display to tell you the connection type and strength from your app to your Doorbird. A symbol of a house tells you that you are connected to the same network, whereas a symbol of a cloud tells you that you are connected via the internet. The strength symbol tells you the speed and strength of that connection.

 

 

 

 

 

Hands-free mode
Turning this on is the same as selecting speaker during a call on your smartphone. By using this, you can hold the phone out in front of you and still see the visitor's video on your screen. If you prefer privacy during your conversation, you can turn it off and use your phone up near your ear as you might normally when having a conversation. 

 

Manuals and Videos
Another genius idea in the Doorbird app, is the links to all manuals and videos, right in the settings of the app. Whether you want installation videos, WiFi setup videos, or text manuals, all the Doorbird resources can be found here.

 

 

 

Reset to factory
If something goes wrong with your configuration or you have misplaced your Digital Passport, you can factory reset your device. Doorbird have recently improved this process so that even if you have not yet configured your Doorbird, you can reset it, and after some email authentication, will receive a new Digital Passport via email.

 

  

D21* Models Only

RFID

  

Sometimes you don't have your phone with you, it's battery is flat, or you're talking on it and want to get through the door or gate. RFID allows you to carry a card or keyfob that can be swiped on the Doorbird to gain entrance. This is also great if you have a gardener or cleaner that you want to allow access, but don’t want to give them the app on their phone. You can also set up notifications so that you are alerted if someone swipes for access.

*Only available on D21* models.

  

2 Door Relays

  

Another difference on the D21* range is that they come with 2 door relays. So instead of having control of just 1 door or gate, you can control 2. For example you can control the front gate and front door from your app. If used with the above RFID technology, you can give the gardener a keyfob to swipe which will only unlock the gate, but the cleaners keyfob can unlock the gate and the front door.
*Only available on D21* models.

 

Add-ons

 

For even further functionality, Doorbird have a range of add-ons and accessories to make your Doorbird work even harder for you.

Subscription recording

  

Although still images and time stamps from your last 50 visitors is free and automatic, you can subscribe to a more functional 'Pro' cloud storage plan. Instead of still images, the cloud recording Pro will record full motion video from your device with unlimited storage and 7 days of inventory. If you want video instead of pics of your missed visitors, this is an inexpensive add-on. It can also be purchased through the app.

 

Call Station

  

As there are thousands of inexpensive tablet options out there, Doorbird do not make a traditional 'Call station'. For those who remember 'old school' intercoms, this is the phone or screen in the kitchen that you use to answer the call from the front door or gate. Although Doorbird owners love that they can be notified of a visitor when they are home or away, some still like the idea of having a 'fixed' station in the home to answer the Doorbell from.

 

For this scenario, we recommend using an old iPad, or purchasing something like a new and inexpensive tablet. Add to that a simple wall mounting system, install the app on the tablet, and there you have a traditional 'call station' for your 21st century Doorbird. In reality you actually have much more than that. This tablet doesn't need to be used exclusively for your Doorbird, it can also run a myriad of other apps that might benefit your household.

 

IP Door Chime

As mentioned above, Doorbird also make a smart Door Chime to go with the Doorbird range. It can connect via ethernet or Wifi, and will be configured within the Doorbird app. As well as having over 50 different types of chime, it can has a 'Do Not Disturb' mode, and can be scheduled to only chime within certain hours. You can find it here… https://doorbirdintercom.com.au/collections/doorbird-accessories/products/doorbird-ip-door-chime-a1061w-white-edition

 

Multi IO Controller

This device allows you to expand on the Doorbird control of doors. It offers the ability to control 3 extra doors or gates. If you want to get serious about access control, this is the way to do it. Imagine, from your Doorbird app, you can let someone in the front gate, open 2 different garage doors for them, open the front door, or even the door to the pool house. Unlimited scenarios! You can learn more about this device here... https://doorbirdintercom.com.au/collections/doorbird-accessories/products/doorbird-ip-i-o-door-controller-a1081

 

Birdguard

Doorbird have developed the perfect accompaniment to their intercom with the Birdguard video camera. Position one of these inside your door and not only can you let them in, but now you can see what they do when they enter. Make sure they set down your parcel and leave. Once you switch from the Doorbird to the birdguard in your app, you can continue to talk to them through the birdguard camera. Find out more here… https://doorbirdintercom.com.au/collections/doorbird-accessories/products/doorbird-birdguard-video-camera-b101

 

2-Wire POE

This accessory only applies to some scenarios, but when it does, it can save your bacon. Let's say you buy your dream home that has an existing old school doorbell and bad WiFi at the front door. This converter will allow you to use the 2 wires connected to the old doorbell, to not only power the new Doorbird, but also hard wire it to the internet. This accessory provides ethernet (internet connection) and power over the old 2 wires used to connect old doorbells. Perfect! Learn more here… https://doorbirdintercom.com.au/collections/doorbird-accessories/products/poe-doorbird-2-wire-ethernet-poe-converter

 

Control System

The other way to maximise the benefits of a Doorbird is to integrate it to your home automation system. Whether it's Control4, RTI, Crestron, Savant, or many others; your control system can be integrated with your doorbird and the functionality increased. You may be able to answer the door from your existing systems touchscreens, turn on the porch lights when the Doorbird senses motion, disarm the alarm system when you unlock the door, or a myriad of other examples only limited by the imagination.

 

 

Unlike other IP Video Intercoms, Doorbird is committed to partnering and integrating with other manufacturers of parallel products, to ensure that no other device will give you as many benefits as a Doorbird. You can learn more about Doorbirds here. https://doorbirdintercom.com.au/pages/overview