Already with one of the leading door access solutions in its portfolio with its Intercom Anywhere, Control4 is doubling down on the category with the debut of its $400 Control4 Chime Video Doorbell. The new solution, which was unveiled during Snap Pro Live, is designed to leverage all the capabilities of the company’s OS 3 platform.
“Video doorbells are incredibly popular, giving families the ability to see who is at the front door. But many are simply smart accessories that don’t leverage the full capabilities of a smart home to protect a family,” says Charlie Kindel, chief product and technology officer for SnapAV.
“Chime marries security and automation to a level that has never been done before. Users can determine what actions they want to occur when motion is detected or the doorbell is pressed. It’s entirely customizable, transforming the doorbell’s role in the smart home to deliver the experience homeowners want.”
In an exclusive interview with CE Pro, Kindel and Kordon Vaughn, senior director of product marketing, explained the three key differentiators of Chime versus other units in the space as:
- Aesthetics
- Full integration with OS 3
- Full support for professional installation.
On the aesthetics side, the unit is available in two metallic finishes (black and satin-nickel), Chime features HD video with a 5-megapixel camera for a sharp, crisp video experience, a 180-degree field view to see more of your property, and a built-in night mode for clear visibility, even in the dark. It also enables natural two-way communications using standards-based communications technology, allowing users to hear and speak at the same time without having to press an intercom button.
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With a 4Sight subscription and the Control4 Intercom Anywhere app, users can use their phone to answer the door, talk to visitors, and receive notifications from virtually anywhere.
Intercom Anywhere is included within the Control4 OS 3 mobile phone app – enabling communication and control of the entire Control4 smart home from a single app. Speaking of Intercom Anywhere, it already has a 57% usage, according to the 2020 CE Pro Brand Analysis Study, second only to Ring with 60% usage.
Vaughn say that Intercom Anywhere will continue to be available to integrators as a standalone system for a period of time.
When customers miss or ignore a doorbell call, they can also use their mobile phone or Control4 touchscreen to access a history of video recordings. Video can also be captured with a network video recorder (NVR), including Luma Surveillance NVRs.
Chime is suited for both new construction via a model that requires a simple one-wire installation using PoE, or retrofit (Wi-Fi) models for existing homes when an Ethernet cable cannot be pulled. Chime accessories include a new-construction wall box and two 15-degree wedges (left and right) to help optimize the viewing angle. Chime is also OvrC-enabled, giving CE pros the ability to remotely monitor system status, receive notifications, and reboot devices if needed from the OvrC web or mobile app.
“No other video doorbell on the market offers integration with Control4 like Chime,” Kindel concludes. “Chime allows users to customize notifications and programming to create a completely integrated smart home experience that starts before they ever go inside.”
The Control4 Chime Video Doorbell has an MSRP of $400 and is available in four models: Black, PoE – C4-VDB-E-BL; Black, WiFi – C4-VDB-W-BL; Satin Nickel, PoE – C4-VDB-E-SN and Satin Nickel, WiFi – C4-VDB-W-SN. Shipping begins on October 13.
Control4 also makes a point to note that it does not share or use customer information or information about their connected devices.
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