Doorstep & neighbours · 4 min read
Parcel theft.
Doorbell camera or CCTV?
Doorstep theft follows delivery vans. A doorbell camera is the obvious answer and it's often the right one — but not always. Here's how to think about it.
What a doorbell camera does well
It sees the doorstep, it records who came, it lets you talk to the courier and say 'leave it round the side'. For a house where parcels are the main worry, a properly installed doorbell — wired, angled to see faces not sky, with a strong Wi-Fi signal — is the right first step. We install Ring and professional intercoms.
Where it falls short
- It sees one spot. If the parcel's left by the garage or the side gate, it's out of shot.
- Event clips, not continuous — and cloud-dependent. If the Wi-Fi's weak you get nothing.
- At distance, faces blur. Someone crossing the drive is a shape.
When you want CCTV as well
If parcels are one of several worries — the car, the side access, the garden — a small CCTV system with a doorbell is the better structure: continuous local recording, colour at night, and a person alert on the drive so you see them arrive, not just leave. Many homes end up with both, and there's no conflict.
Parcels only, small frontage: a wired doorbell camera, installed properly. Anything more: doorbell plus a 3–4 camera system. See professional CCTV vs Ring for the full comparison.
Your property decides. Not the logo.
Questions
Good to know.
Do doorbell cameras stop parcel theft?
They deter and they record. Combine with a safe-place instruction to the courier and a parcel box and the problem largely goes away.
Wired or battery doorbell?
Wired. Battery ones go flat in winter and miss events waking up.
Can I send doorbell footage to the police?
Yes — export the clip. Faces at the door are usually clear enough.