Black Friday and Christmas are coming, and with them the busiest weeks of the year for parcels. Almost all of them arrive the same way: on a weekday morning, when nobody's home. The courier rings, waits a few seconds and leaves. In the evening you find the "sorry we missed you" card, and the parcel is at a pick-up point or with a neighbour.
You don't need to stay in waiting. What you need is for the doorbell to find you, wherever you are, and for your home to know what happens to the parcel once it's left at the door. Here's how, and what changes if you live in a flat or a house.
Why parcels go astray
- The bell rings in an empty home. A traditional entryphone only alerts whoever is inside. If nobody's in, nobody knows someone rang.
- The courier doesn't wait. There are dozens of deliveries in the van. If nobody answers within a few seconds, it's on to the next one.
- And when they leave it at the door, you don't know. Neither that it has arrived, nor whether it's still there when you get back.
1. The doorbell on your phone
This comes first, and in most flats it's done with the entryphone you already have, using the cable that already runs up through the building. How it's done for each device and brand is in our guide to the smart video entryphone that replaces your old one.
Once it's connected, when someone rings you get a notification on your phone with a photo of whoever is at the door, if there's a camera, and three buttons:
- "View camera", to see them live.
- "Coming", if you're at home and going to the door yourself.
- "Open", to let them in from wherever you are.
When the home is empty, the notification goes to all of you. If someone's in, only to those at home, and the speakers say "Someone's at the door", for whoever is in another room or wearing headphones.
2. Opening from the notification, sensibly
Opening the street door from the office is what gets used most, which is why it has limits:
- Only the people you choose can open. If someone else in the household presses it, nothing opens.
- Only right after the bell rings. After a while, the button no longer opens. A notification from two hours ago can't be used to open the door.
- Never with the alarm set. You have to disarm it first.
- On an iPhone, it asks you to unlock the phone before opening.
When someone opens, the notification disappears from everyone else's phone, so two people don't let the courier in at once. And it's logged who opened and when.
Our advice: have the button open the building's street door or the garden gate, not your front door. You let the courier into the building and they leave the parcel upstairs, at your door. Your front door is for people who have their own code.
3. When you can't answer, the doorbell speaks for you
Some days the notification arrives in the middle of a meeting. If the doorbell has a speaker and nobody's home, a few seconds after the ring it gives your message. For example: "We're not at home right now. If you have a parcel, you can leave it in the letterbox. Thank you." You change the message whenever you like, from your home's panels: leave it with the concierge, at the back door or with the neighbour on the second floor.
If someone in the family is home, the doorbell says nothing. And it speaks once per visit, even if the courier rings again straight away.
And if someone is home but doesn't answer? It happens more than you'd think: they're in the shower, wearing headphones or asleep. If after a while nobody presses "Coming" or "Open", and nobody opens the door, those of you who are out get "The doorbell rang and nobody answered", with the photo. So anyone can open from wherever they are.
4. The parcel at the door: your home keeps watch
Some camera doorbells recognise parcels as well as people. With one of those, your home knows when one is left at your door:
- When it's left, you get "Parcel at the entrance", with the photo. So you know it has arrived, even if nobody rang.
- If it's taken while the home is empty, you get an important alert, "The parcel has been taken", with a "Watch live" button. If whoever picks it up is a family member who has just come home, there's no alert.
Recordings stay at home, with no monthly fees and without going through any manufacturer's server, as we explain in our guide to security cameras with local recording.
Flat or house: what changes
In a house, all of the above is within reach from day one. The camera doorbell goes on your door or on the gate, pointing into your own property. If the angle takes in part of the street, that area is masked in the image: a private individual can't record the public street beyond the minimum strip in front of their entrance.
In a flat, the most useful part is the entryphone on your phone: you open the street door and the parcel comes up to your door. A camera on your flat's door is another matter, because it records the landing, which is a common area. That needs the owners' association to agree. Without a camera, you still have the call notification and the "Open" button, which is what really puts an end to the "sorry we missed you" card.
What it takes
Depending on what you have and what you want:
- For the notification and opening the street door: connecting the entryphone or video entryphone you already have.
- For the doorbell to speak: a doorbell with a speaker.
- For the parcel alert: a camera doorbell that recognises parcels.
What you have now and what can be done with it is checked at the visit. The video entryphone, the smart lock and how we install them are on our smart locks and access control page, with prices. We quote it as a one-off payment, with no monthly fees. We guarantee our installation and configuration for 5 years; the devices carry their manufacturer's warranty (2–3 years), and we handle it for you.
Common questions
Does it work with any courier company?
Yes. It doesn't depend on any company's app: the courier rings the bell like anyone else, and you answer from your phone.
Do I need a doorbell with a camera?
Not for the main part: with your entryphone connected, the call already reaches you and you open the street door. The camera adds the photo to the notification and the alert for a parcel at the door. For it to speak when nobody's home, the doorbell needs a speaker.
What if I'm in a meeting and can't answer?
If nobody's home, the doorbell gives your message for you, for example where to leave the parcel. And the notification stays on your phone, with the photo, so you can see later who came.
Can it open with the alarm set?
No. The doorbell notification won't open anything while the alarm is armed: you have to disarm it first. That way a button pressed without looking can't leave the house open and unprotected.
Does it work if the internet goes down?
At home, the entryphone keeps ringing and opening as always, because that part doesn't go through the internet. What you lose while there's no connection is the outside part: the notification on your phone and opening remotely.
In short
Parcels don't go astray because you're out, but because the doorbell only rings inside. With the doorbell on your phone, you see who's there and open the street door from wherever you are. If you can't answer, the doorbell tells the courier where to leave it. And if a parcel is left at your door, your home tells you when it arrives and if it's taken. You don't need to stay in for the courier: you just need the doorbell to find you.
