ADT Security Doorbell Cameras

When the doorbell rings, do you rush to open the door or sneak around trying to see who it is without being seen?

Today, many people prefer to know who is at the door before opening their homes to the visitor. For some, it’s a safety concern. You don’t want to unlock the door if the person has bad intentions. 

But it’s also a matter of convenience. Answering the door means leaving what you’re doing to walk to the front door. It can be frustrating and annoying.

ADT covers both of these concerns by offering the Google Nest Doorbell. This small device tells you who is visiting and even lets you communicate without ever cracking the door.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about doorbell cameras and the benefits of adding a Nest Doorbell to your ADT home security system.

Key Takeaways

• The Google Nest Doorbell shows you who is at the front door without giving access to any visitors
• Answer the door remotely through your phone and smart devices, speaking with visitors while you’re away or occupied
• Enjoy extensive features and customizations, including facial recognition software, customized alerts, and pre-recorded messages that you can play for visitors
• Integrate your video doorbell with the rest of your ADT home security system for stronger security

How does a doorbell camera work?

As the name suggests, this equipment adds a video camera to a doorbell device. Most video doorbells, including the Nest Doorbell, are also connected to the internet to provide smart options.

A doorbell camera’s main function is to provide video footage of your visitors. If you aren’t home or aren’t able to answer the door, you can use this device to view and communicate with anyone who comes to the house.

Many security providers offer video doorbells because they can capture events that you might otherwise miss. From lurkers to package thieves, your device keeps you aware of everyone near your front door and helps capture any crimes.

More importantly, just seeing a camera is enough to turn some people away. You can keep your home and packages safer with this small but mighty device.

Does ADT have a video doorbell?

Getting a video doorbell through ADT means that this device seamlessly integrates with the rest of your security system. You can control and adjust the doorbell camera through the ADT Control app rather than using one app for security and another for the device.

As you’ll see below, the Nest Doorbell offers everything you need plus some exciting extras. Whether you’re building a network of cameras for your home or just want additional protection, this doorbell is an ideal option.

Google Nest Doorbell

The Nest Doorbell is a small device that is perfect for any home. Just six inches tall and less than two inches wide, it doesn’t stand out drastically. Would-be thieves will still notice it if they’re looking, but the camera won’t overwhelm your front entrance. It also works well for apartments or other living spaces that don’t have a large space around the door.

This weatherproof camera includes a 1.3-megapixel color sensor and a 145° diagonal field of view. You can use the 6x digital zoom to focus on small details in your video. Four infrared LEDs provide a clear picture, even at night. After dark, this feature can capture activity up to 10 feet out from the door.

When you have to rely on footage from your doorbell camera, you need a full view of the visitor. The Nest Doorbell offers a 3:4 aspect ratio, capturing people from head to toe. This feature also captures any packages left at the bottom of the door so you can make sure they aren’t stolen.

ADT allows customers to choose between wired and wireless video doorbells. To skip battery upkeep, you can have the professional technician install the device into the existing doorbell wiring. The camera will use the power source to keep the battery charged. Along with replacing your current doorbell, the Nest Doorbell will replace the original chime.

The wireless device is battery-powered, so you can work with the installer to find the best spot near the front door. You won’t be replacing the existing doorbell or using the chime. Instead, your camera will alert you to visitors through your phone or a Google-Assistance-enabled smart device, such as a Google Home.

The length of your battery life will vary depending on the amount of traffic you have at the door. A lot of traffic will reduce each charge to about a month of power while less than five recorded events per day will allow the battery to last for about six months.

The Nest Doorbell uses motion detection to identify people or other objects near the front door. It is designed with a motion and proximity sensor that will alert you to any relevant movement.

Now that you know a bit more about its specifications, let’s take a look at the many features that make this device a top choice for doorbell cameras.

Answer the door through two-way communication

This is the number one use and benefit of a video doorbell. As soon as someone comes up to the door, you will know they are there. 

The Nest Doorbell includes both a microphone and speaker so you can talk to your visitors. You can ask who they are and why they are at your house without opening the door. If you don’t like their answers or they are a known threat, you can immediately tell them to leave and reach out to the police.

By keeping your door closed and locked, video doorbells maintain security while still allowing you to interact with visitors. They also give you the freedom to answer the door from anywhere. Whether you’re in another country or comfortable on the couch, you can still connect with people at the door. Few, if any, devices offer this level of security and convenience.

In addition to answering the door through the ADT Control app, you can access your doorbell camera through an integrated Nest Hub device. Pull up the live video and speak to visitors without having to dig for your phone.

Intelligent analytics

A lot of movement happens outside your front door. If your camera alerted to every tree limb waving, stray dog sniffing, and plastic bag flying by, you would get an endless amount of notifications.

The Nest Doorbell minimizes false alarms with its intelligent analytics. It can tell the difference between people, animals, vehicles, and packages so you can know exactly what’s happening outside. Its proximity sensor also helps it differentiate between people passing by and someone approaching the door.

Even better, the camera tailors its notifications to the movement it detects. It will let you know what or who is outside the door so you can act accordingly. If you receive a package, for example, you can get to the door quickly to prevent theft. If it’s just an animal, you’ll know you can ignore the alert or that you’ll need to call your neighbor about their dog.

Personalized notifications

On the other hand, you may not have a neighbor with a dog. If you don’t want to be bothered by certain alerts, such as vehicles or animals outside, you can turn off the notifications for that type of motion. 

These customizations minimize unwanted alerts, as well as limiting the number of events your camera will be triggered by. It also helps you save battery power to extend the time until your Nest Doorbell needs to be recharged.

Familiar Faces

One of the best parts of getting a Nest Doorbell is its Familiar Faces feature. This facial recognition software can learn the faces of frequent visitors, letting you know whether a friend or stranger is at the door.

Each visitor’s face will be saved in a library, which you can access and manage. You can delete faces you don’t know and identify those you do. When a face in the library has a name, it will show up in the notification when they come to the front door. You will also have the option to save and name any new faces when they first visit.

Familiar Faces enriches your event history as well. If someone you know stopped by while you were out, the camera will automatically add their name to the recorded video so you can easily see who was there.

If you’ve connected your Nest Doorbell to a Nest Hub device, you won’t have to check your phone to know who’s at the door. The Nest Hub will identify the visitor using your Familiar Faces library and announce their arrival through its speaker to let you know they’re there.

Recorded videos

Even when you’re not home to answer the door, your video doorbell makes sure that you know who stopped by. Any time a movement triggers your camera, it will record a short video of the activity. You can decide how long these recordings last and change the settings on the app.

Your camera will save up to 30 days’ worth of event video history. Along with viewing these videos, you can save and share clips from them through the app.

For a longer event history, you can upgrade your Nest Aware plan (included with your ADT purchase) to a Nest Aware Plus subscription. You can then gain access to an extended event history.

Even during a power outage or internet issues, your camera will use its local memory to make sure you are covered. The device will store up to an hour of footage during outages so you can see what happened during that time. Though a battery-operated doorbell won’t be affected by a power outage, you may have to rely on this feature until your Wi-Fi is working again.

Live video streaming

Along with recorded videos, the Nest Doorbell offers a live-streamed video feed. After getting a notification, you can pull up the feed on your phone or computer to see who is at the door. If you hear something suspicious outside, you can view the area in front of your home to see if you can spot the problem.

Live streaming is also handy when you’re away from home for multiple days. If you get a package, for example, you can ask a friend to pick it up and hold on to it for you. If someone tries to break into your front door or trespasses, you can immediately see what is happening. You can then give the police detailed information to increase the chances of catching the person responsible.

You can access your live feed through Google devices, such as the Nest Hub, and through Alexa devices with touchscreens, such as an Amazon Echo. Use voice commands to show it on smart TVs as well. Your smart devices will livestream the view from your doorbell for five minutes before stopping. You can restart the feed through the app or by using the voice command again.

ADT security system integrations

When you get the Nest Doorbell with your ADT security system, your possibilities expand. Your doorbell will integrate with the rest of your system, including any smart devices in your home. You can have the doorbell chime sound through any smart device with a speaker, for instance. This connectivity opens the door to extensive automation opportunities.

You can create automated routines and schedules, for example. You can have your doorbell camera record a clip every time your smart lock is disengaged. Or, if you have a child or loved one that returns home at the same time every day, you can schedule a recording then to confirm that they got home safe.

Integrating a doorbell camera also helps you strengthen your security. Let’s say your doorbell camera alerts you to movement and you open the app to see a stranger at the door. In seconds, you can navigate to your smart lock to make sure it’s engaged or lock it if it’s not.

This capability is even more important if kids are home alone or with a babysitter. You can see and communicate with the person at the door through the app to let them know you’re watching. You can then make sure the door is locked and the security system is armed. If needed, you can send the police to your home to make sure your family stays safe.

On a lighter note, you can also use the ADT app to let visitors in. After getting a notification that they’ve arrived, you can unlock the door and disarm the system to let them wait for you inside.

Quick responses

Have you ever wanted to handle door-answering interactions without saying a word? Now you can! The Nest Doorbell allows you to record messages that you can play through the device.

You might record something like:

• “You can just leave it at the door” for packages and drop offs
• “I’ll be right there” for when you need a minute but don’t want the visitor to think you’re gone and leave
• “We’re not interested, thank you” for when you want to politely turn someone away

Along with these custom messages, you can use one of the responses in the built-in menu.

When someone arrives at the door, simply click on the message you want to use. It will play through the doorbell camera’s speakers so you can quickly move on with what you were doing before.

Customizations

One of the most important features for a security camera is its customizations. These settings help you get the best results from your device. When you use the Nest Doorbell, its extensive customization options won’t leave you disappointed.

You can adjust settings for picture quality, the length of your recordings, and the type of notifications you want to receive. The Away-only setting will only send alerts when it senses that no one’s home, for example, minimizing the notifications you receive throughout the day.

Activity zones are another easy way to limit alerts. You can tell the camera which areas to pay attention to, blocking off the street, other houses, and high-traffic areas. The video doorbell will only react to movement within these zones, cutting down on false alarms.

Nothing is worse than hearing the doorbell chime when you’re trying to focus or someone is sleeping. Activating quiet mode turns off the chime and audible alerts. Notifications will still pop up when there’s activity at the door, but you won’t be bothered by unwanted noise.