Swann describes their unit as “ideal for all home and small business environments where you want to know who is at the door”.For home I would certainly agree – it is lovely. Being able to see who is at the front door before opening it is great, and having the ability to assure your visitors you are inside is great for those with restricted mobility – or in my case, just a bit slow on occasion! It also enables you to speak to unknown visitors before deciding whether to open your door or not.
The installation is a little fiddly – the units all come as separate pieces so the wires need to be attached between the doorbell part and the monitor, and there does need to be some drilling done to allow the wiring to come from outside to in; but provided there is someone able and willing, it’s not difficult, and the monitor is all ready for use, so no need for any set up. Just plug and go!
For the larger home, it might be a little trickier as the pack comes with the necessary wiring for 10 feet of distance. This would probably be enough to most homes of a standard size, depending where you wanted your internal monitor placed.
The monitor itself is great. It attaches to the wall and has a nice clear picture – even when it’s dark you can still make out who is waiting outside! The internal speakers in both the monitor and the Door phone are nice and loud and with a simple touch screen button to press, for the speaker, it’s easy enough. The Doorbell is loud and prominent and the unit has a handy cover at the top to stop any rainwater from affecting the camera.
There are also options for an Open Door (though this is purchased separately, it allows those with electronic locking doors to allow visitors access from the monitor); and an alarm – which is fairly loud (outside and in) and is designed to mimic a warning or panic alarm in the hope the unwanted ‘guest’ leaves.
For the price of £129.99 it’s good value for money – durable, has a large screen, and gives you the reassurance of being able to monitor your front door with ease.
I have since found out that you can also have the ability to connect to a CCTV recorder to enable you to record all the comings and goings as well.
by Lucy Rawlins
