DoorBot: This Ain’t Your Grandmother’s Doorbell Beth Snyder June 21, 2013 One of the things you never really think about unless you don’t have one is a doorbell. Simple little gadget, hangs out next to your door, often glowing at night, so that no matter where you are in your house you know if someone has come to visit, or a package is being delivered, or if a neighbourhood kid is playing Ding Dong Ditch It (do kids even still do that?). Of course, if you don’t have one, you have to rely on being able to hear it if someone knocks, which doesn’t always happen. But even if you do have one, you have no way of knowing who might have stopped by while you’re out, which can lead to packages going missing from your porch if the neighbours see it before you get home. Enter DoorBot. This is a Wi-Fi enabled “smart” doorbell, which connects to your smartphone or tablet to allow you instant notification when someone pushes the button. It’s not just a doorbell (although it does fill that function), but it features a powerful camera so you can actually see whoever is standing on your porch. The camera can be positioned to show virtually anything you want it to, and it works during the day and at night. It doesn’t just stream a picture of your porch, it also streams live audio. What this means for you is you can interact with those at your door to either fool them into thinking you’re home when you’re not in order to prevent potential theft, but you can also let someone know to hang on a minute if you’re temporarily indisposed but will be able to get the door in a minute or two. There is an optional feature called Lockitron, which will allow you to unlock the door remotely for someone you’re comfortable allowing in your house even if you’re not there (it’s described as “a wireless automatic door lock”). I can see that being very handy in the case of friends or relatives coming to visit, because it means you wouldn’t have to worry about either getting them a key before they arrive or trying to figure out where to hide one so they can find it, but not in such an obvious place that a burglar could potentially find it. DoorBot uses just four AA batteries, and is supposed to last up to a year before you need to replace them. This one isn’t shipping until next month, but you can pre-order yours now for $189.00 US for the DoorBot alone, or $339.00 US for the DoorBot with Lockitron system. http://vimeo.com/55969778 Source: Geek Alerts Share This With The World!