It doesn’t take much for some of us to put our hands in our pockets and buy the latest studio gadget and James is far more guilty than most when it comes to buying toys. However, there are some modern “gadgets” that at first glance might not strike you as particularly studio orientated. James recently bought a wireless video doorbell and it is one of the best purchases he has made in 2019. In this article, James will explain how it has changed his studio life.
Working From Home
I have always had some form of recording equipment at home but around 10 years ago I started working from home full time and I can safely say it is one of the best changes to my working life I have ever made. I joke about my 14-second commute to the studio but it really is that quick. However, the move to working from home has not always been an easy one.
It is true I don’t get the interruptions that I used to get as my wife has realised that the studio is my place of work not just somewhere I go to hide from the children (I don’t mean it, kids). But there are some challenges to working from home and one of them, for a long time has been not being able to hear or see when there is someone at the front door of the house, be they clients, couriers or the postman.
The Video Doorbell
It was about 4 years ago when my wife and I attended the Ideal Home Show in London that I first saw the doorbot. This was a very early version of video doorbell and it looked like it could be the answer to my prayers as I was forever missing deliveries and having to trek down to the post office to collect them. Not a good use of one’s time. At the time the doorbot cost me around £170, which I thought was a lot, but if it worked and it meant I would know if there was someone at the door from down in the studio then all good. I had tried other conventional so-called long-range ding-dong style doorbells but none of these had worked out successfully.
At the time I was using an Android-based phone and doorbot and Android did not play nicely together to the point where after many calls with doorbot tech support and what felt like many an hour wasted I abandoned the entire doorbot idea and it was destined to sit in its box on a shelf in the studio as yet another good idea that sadly didn’t work out as I had hoped.
Fast forward to September 2019 and my wife spotted a deal on a site called Living Social which is a UK based deals website for everything from experience and Spa days to gifts and tech. They were offering a £155 X Smart video doorbell system for just £35 and in my world that is worth a cheeky punt to fix my delivery missing woes. Remembering that the doorbot is still gathering dust on a shelf at this time.
The X Smart Wireless Video Doorbell
The X Smart video doorbell was a doddle to install. All I had to do was charge the batteries, which were a separate purchase and follow the 3 lines of instructors to get it talking to my home wifi and my phone. I was up and running within about 4 minutes and I have not missed a caller since. Even when I am away from the studio and the house I can talk to callers and if they are making a delivery and ask them to leave it in a safe place or with one of my lovely neighbours.
Having a video doorbell also means I see when clients are arriving and I can guide them to the studio directly rather than through the minefield of Lego and other children’s toys in my house which I think is just a little more professional.
Other Video Doorbell Products
In recent years Ring have become the main player in the video doorbell/smart-home market and I know that several of the Production Expert team have them and love them but there are plenty of other brands including many that are available from sites like Amazon starting at around £50.
Safety And Security
I can’t speak for any of the other systems but my X Smart doorbell also has a feature where I can set it to “ring” me if movement is detected at various distances from the door which I can set. It also allows me to record 1080p video of anyone at the door or just take a picture. Very handy if you do spot something suspicious.
Let us know if you are using a video doorbell system and which ones you have had success with. If anyone is interested I do have a doorbot for sale. I’m told the software is much improved in recent updates and now works with Android.