There was actually a time when the common peephole didn’t exist, forcing people to have to open their doors to see who was there. Thankfully, this isn’t the case anymore. However, in the age of the Internet of Things, its due for an obvious upgrade.
The ubiquity of the smartphone has made products like Peeple possible, a rechargeable attachment that connects to a peephole to provide caller ID for a home. It does this by sending notifications to an iOS or Android device whenever someone knocks or opens the door. At that point, a user can open the companion Peeple app to virtually look through the peephole to verify the arrival of a friend, mailman, or that cable guy that’s always late. $149 gets those intrigued a Peeple of their own by May 2016. The campaign is looking to raise $50,000 by June 26th, 2015.
While Peeple is a low-key, easy-to-install version of what could be confused with a connected doorbell, it lacks all of the features that make a connected door device worthwhile. Not being able to open the door remotely nor use video chatting capabilities to speak with those at the door are clear misses, even if there are a range of accessories in the pipeline to expand its functionality. Similar products that hit the mark are those like Chui as well as a a number of doorbells with integrated cameras.