When an uninvited guest knocks on your door, what do you do? The apparent take would be to check through the peephole to judge if you should open the door or not.
But still, manually peeping through a traditional peephole comes with two shortfalls.
One, the person at the door may peep back and see you approaching the door. Two, you may not see the person clearly, even if you manage to peek.
So, what should you do? The solution is getting a peephole camera and fixing it on your door’s peephole.
Some of these cameras can be remotely controlled, which means you don’t have to walk to the door to see who is knocking. Some send alerts to your phone based on motion sensing or knock detection.
What to Look for In a Peephole Camera
If you do an online search today, you are likely to find so many peephole cameras, and choosing one can be overwhelming. That’s why it’s essential to set priorities. To get you started, here are six fundamental considerations:
Image Resolution
High-end peephole cameras come with full HD (1080p) resolution. But since they can be expensive, a high definition (720p) resolution might do if you have adequate light in your outdoors.
Extended Battery Life
If it were your wish, your peephole camera would run 24/7. But since they are battery-powered, it’s not possible. The secret is to go for a powerful rechargeable battery to enjoy a long runtime when you switch the camera on.
Night Vision
Given that the darkness poses a higher security risk than the day, you should see who knocks at your door at night. So, the peephole camera that you go for needs a night sensor and powerful LEDs.
Wide Field of View
For your security, your peephole camera should give you a broad view of your door’s surroundings. So, look for a viewing angle that is above 120 degrees.
Memory / Video Rewrite
If you want to keep your footage longer and not to upload to the cloud, you should go for high-capacity storage. But still, cameras that override old files are worth considering, more so when you run out of storage space.
Mobile Integration
If you are looking to get the most out of your peephole, then you should look for an option that integrates with your mobile phone. In this case, look for automatic notifications, wireless connections, cloud storage, two-way intercom, and audio and video captures.
7 Best Peephole Cameras
Concerning the above buying factors, we recommend these peephole cameras.
1. Ring Peephole Cam
From the name, the Ring Peephole Cam acts both as a peephole camera (door viewer) and a doorbell. Interestingly, the camera doesn’t depend on the visitor to ring the bell for it to give you a clear view.
On the contrary, it works by motion sensing. Whenever someone approaches your door, you receive instant alerts regardless of whether they ring the doorbell or not.
Key Features and Specs
The Ring Peephole Cam is a full HD door viewer that allows two-way communications. You can not only see the people standing at the door, but you also can hear and talk to them.
This peephole camera sends you an instant alert when it detects motions around the door area or when someone rings the doorbell.
It syncs easily with Alexa to allow remote operation and viewing. Alexa also talks to your visitors at the door.
Its motion sensors are adjustable to allow you to customize its detection pattern, and there is also an inbuilt impact sensor that detects a knock.
The peephole camera enjoys noise cancellation and has a 155-degree field of view.
The Ring Peephole Cam is black and comes with a USB cable and a user manual.
2. Sonew Home Video Door Eye Viewer Security Camera
Are you looking for a reasonably-priced door viewer that will give you a broader view of your door’s surroundings? Then consider investing in the Sonew Home Video Door Eye Viewer.
The peephole camera detects motions outside to alert you of possible suspicious acts. It’s also simply designed to make it easy for the kids and the elderly to use it.
Key Features and Specs
The Sonew Home Video Door Eye Viewer gives you a 120-degree wide-angle view and displays the capture on a 3.5 inches LCD screen.
It’s ultra-thin and quiet elegant to match most doors. The door viewer also has a cat-eye design to fit on any door, regardless of thickness.
The door viewer is hassle-free to install and comes in a zinc-alloy construction to guarantee longevity.
Plus, it has a low power alert function that indicates when it’s time to recharge or change the batteries.
The Sonew Home Video Door Eye Viewer weighs 7 ounces and comes with a bracket and screws.
3. Brinno SHC1000 Front Door Peephole Security Camera
It’s hard to argue why the Brinno SHC1000 Front Door Peephole Security Camera is the most priced door viewer on our list. The peephole camera has everything you can think of when it comes to heightening your home security. From motion sensing and knocking detection to long battery life and clear images, Brinno SHC 1000 has it all.
Key Features and Specs
Brinno HSC1000 employs both knock detection and motion-sensing technology to notify you when someone is at the door.
The security camera stores all actions in its SD card and puts a timestamp on them for later viewing.
Its 2.7-inch LCD screen makes it easy to see who’s at the door.
The peephole camera enjoys a long battery life and can support a 32GB SD card.
Brinno SHC1000 weighs 5.8 ounces and comes with a washer, 4AA batteries, a base flange, a tightening tool, and a user manual.
4. MAIWEIXI MWX525 Color Screen Digital Door Peephole Camera
The MAIWEIXI MWX525 Color Screen Digital Door Peephole Camera is another reasonably-priced pick with tremendous capabilities. It takes both photos and videos and promises the best image quality. Its viewing angle is elaborate, and it enjoys an extended battery life.
Key Features and Specs
MAIWEIXI MWX525 comes in a zinc alloy construction that’s vandal-proof to minimize human damages.
It has a doorbell function with polyphonic ringtones to give your visitors the option of ringing you instead of knocking.
The camera’s lens enjoys a 120-degree viewing angle, which is wide enough to see the surrounding of your door.
This peephole camera has an automatic snapshot feature that enables it to take quick images.
MAIWEIXI MWX525 weighs 1.32 pounds and comes with an SD card, two lithium-ion batteries, and a charger.
5. Sonew Digital Door Viewer
The Sonew Digital Door Viewer is a budget pick that you can count on to bolster your home security. It’s easy to use even by kids and the old and enjoys excellent night vision. The door viewer also doubles up as a doorbell. Moreover, it takes both videos and photographs, and this makes its price a bargain.
Key Features and Specs
The Sonew Digital Door Viewer has a 135-degree field of view, thus useful in having a broad view of your door’s surroundings.
You can see the capture clearly on its 3-inch TFT LCD screen, and every image is HD quality, hence detail-rich and clear.
The peephole camera has inbuilt infrared night sensors and LEDs to enable you to have a better night vision.
The Sonew Digital Door Viewer weighs 8 ounces and comes with an installation pack and a user manual.
6. DigitalHarbor Digital Door Peephole Camera
Coming with a 3.5-inch screen display, the DigitalHarbor 3.5-Inches TFT LCD Screen Digital Door Peephole Camera is one of the most exceptional digital door viewers out there. It takes both pictures and videos of everyone who rings your doorbell and promises quality images.
Key Features and Specs
The DigitalHarbor 3.5-Inches Peephole Camera has an automatic image taker feature that is activated when someone presses the doorbell.
Its images are in high definition (HD), and you get a 150-degree view angle, which is enough to see your door’s surroundings.
The peephole camera features IR-LED sensors that promote night vision.
It has massive storage but also overrides old files when the memory gets full.
This peephole camera has a powerful 1200mAh built-in battery that enjoys a 6-month standby time when fully charged.
The DigitalHarbor peephole camera weighs 10.4 ounces and comes with a metal bracket, an SD card, screws, and a user manual.
7. DigitalHarbor TFT LCD Screen Digital Door Peephole Camera
Lastly, this peephole camera looks like its counterpart above, only that the screen size is slightly small (3-inches) and comes in LCD white. The DigitalHarbor 3-inches TFT LCD Screen Digital Door Peephole Camera takes both photos and videos and doubles up as a doorbell.
Key Features and Specs
The DigitalHarbor 3-inches Peephole Camera comes with multiple settings for the menu key, power key, image save, and exit.
It’s powered by 4 AA batteries and provides a 150-degree view of the outdoors.
The camera has a powerful night sensor to allow night vision.
The DigitalHarbor 3-inches Peephole Camera weighs 12 ounces and comes with an SD card, four screws, a metal bracket, and a user manual.
Conclusion
Fitting the best peephole camera generally improves your home security. It makes it easy to prevent potential invaders and assaulters from getting in and keeps you safe in the long run. With the above peephole cameras promising value for money, you should consider one of them.