“Finally, a bell for the pandemic era,” we commented, while Alarm.com introduced its $ 200 non-ringing video bell yesterday. But what was once a curiosity has now become a trend: Netgear’s spinoff, Arlo, now also has its own non-touch video bell, with the same product name.
Arlo doesn’t have a price, release date or even a photo of the new bell, which made me wonder: why does it need to be different from the bells that Arlo (and Google’s Nest and Amazon’s Ring, etc.) already offers today?
Here’s how Arlo describes the idea:
Leveraging precise proximity detection technology to measure a visitor’s distance, the Arlo Touchless Video Doorbell zeros in the visitor’s approach. Once detected, the guest hears an audible ring and sees a visible light, signaling that the bell has been “pressed” and the owner has been alerted – all before making physical contact with the device.
Most smart bells already have cameras with some kind of motion detection. Some even allow you to adjust the motion detection zones, and many already have lights and sounds that warn the visitor when the button is pressed.
Why not just trigger a software update for existing bells, those that automatically ring the bell when the camera detects a visitor? It could play an audio message like “We’re ringing the bell for you, wait a moment” too. Arlo’s video buzzers now allow you to send pre-recorded audio messages.
The humble webcam became the most important gadget of 2020 when the pandemic hit, and most manufacturers of mirrorless and DSLR cameras responded to the scarcity of webcams by launching software that allows them to be turned into webcams as well. Do bell makers think they can attract enough people to buy a new bell just for that, at a time when people shouldn’t be visiting each other’s homes? If I’m right and existing cameras can do that, it may be more effective to try to sell more of these existing models by building some goodwill.
Arlo launched his first battery-powered doorbell last year.