You may not have noticed, but standard doorbells have come a long way these days. Video doorbells are a relatively new category in the smart home space, but they closely overlap with standard home security cameras. They’re half doorbell, half security camera. With a video doorbell, your guests will ring the buzzer just like normal, but you'll get a push alert on your phone and a live video look at whoever's there (in addition to a regular ol' chime sound). The two of you can then chat via a built-in speaker and microphone in the doorbell. In some cases, they also work with smart locks so you can let the person in without physically opening the door yourself.
Some video doorbells such as Ring, offer a paid subscription option that work with local police departments and sheriff’s offices. Earlier this year, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office officially announced it will be actively participating in the new Ring Neighbors app – which will allow users all over Volusia County to share their footage with detectives seeking evidence to solve cases. “This technology is going to solve and prevent crime, and our county is going to be safer and more prosperous because of it,” Sheriff Mike Chitwood said in a recent interview. “The people of Volusia County have always been our eyes and ears, but now they can connect directly to us and provide crucial evidence of a crime in real time.”
Volusia County residents who download the Neighbors app (iOS/Android) and store their home’s security footage on the Ring cloud will be able to receive notifications from VCSO when a crime has occurred within a certain proximity of their home. With a couple of clicks, VCSO detectives will be able to ask those users to share their video footage recorded within a given timeframe. Each user has the choice to review the footage and submit it – or not, if they’d rather not. The system doesn't allow VCSO or anyone else to tap in to live video feeds or otherwise access any user’s video. Each user must choose to send video to the Sheriff’s Office in each individual case. There is a cost for those users: Recording and reviewing videos from one camera requires the Ring Protect Basic Plan, which costs $3 per month or $30 per year. The Protect Plus plan for multiple cameras costs users $10 per month or $100 per year.
The technology has already helped the VCSO apprehend break-in suspects on a few occasions.
For more information, visit Ring.com