Your smart doorbell could be increasing your home insurance risk, here's 4 reasons why

The security contradiction  

With interest in home security systems up 30% recently [3], safety is clearly at the forefront of homeowners’ minds. Many are installing Ring, Nest or Yale devices for peace of mind against theft. 

Tamzin Metcalfe, Home insurance expert at Go.Compare explains:  

“Things like smart doorbells make life much easier, and they’re great tools. But you need to make sure your tech is actually working for you, rather than advertising a tech-savvy household full of expensive gadgets. It’s a bit of a Catch-22: the exact thing you bought to protect your home might actually end up attracting thieves who think a fancy doorbell means your house is full of pricey items like 4K TVs, bladeless fans or top-spec gaming consoles.” 

Affluence clue 

While a visible smart doorbell could deter opportunist burglars, criminologists argue that this savvy tech could signal to calculated criminals that you’re more likely to have expensive gadgets inside worth stealing [4]. 

If your household appears to own state-of-the-art tech, you could be making yourself more vulnerable to planned burglaries. 

1. Signal jamming 

Many homeowners are unaware of the prevalence of signal jamming devices linked to home break-ins and vehicle thefts. Devices capable of cutting your smart doorbell’s Wi-Fi connection can be bought online for as little as £30 [5]. A criminal can then use these to prevent your smart tech from recording or sending security alerts.  

Even if your doorbell appears to be up and running, if one of these devices are used, you might find you have no footage to use as evidence if you need to make a claim. 

2. Footage quality 

Installing a smart doorbell is one thing, but obtaining useable footage is another. Homeowners tend to assume their smart tech is accurate enough but might neglect to check their device settings for quality. 

Unusable footage could make it harder to claim. If the coverage range is poor, it might miss the incident entirely. Or if the video is grainy or shaky, it could be tricky to use as evidence. Plus, some security systems require a paid subscription to save clips - or else you might lose the footage. 

3. Insurance blind spot 

Research reveals that homeowners are already underinsured for the tech they own - 67% of Brits have never totalled the value of their home contents and laptops and tablets are among the most commonly forgotten items [6]. 

Installing flashy security features without checking your home contents cover exacerbates the risk of both theft and a claim that falls short. 

Take the right measures to protect your home 

Tamzin concludes:  

“To get the most out of it, make sure your smart doorbell is set up correctly. Here are three things you can do right now if you have a smart doorbell: 

1. Check whether you need a monthly subscription to save and watch older footage. If someone tries to break in and you haven't activated that history, you won’t have any evidence to hand over to the police or your insurer. 
2. Check the camera angle and quality of the footage - like if it’s blocked directly by a hanging basket. If you capture footage and it’s just silhouettes where you can’t make out any faces, it won’t be much use.  
3. Check the connection, most smart doorbells rely on WiFi, so make sure yours reaches the front door. You could choose a model with a backup local memory card in case of signal jammers or WiFi issues.  

 It’s also the perfect time to update your contents insurance. Make sure your policy includes all your newest tech as well as designer clothing, smart TVs, or expensive jewellery - so if anything does happen, you’re fully covered for the replacement costs.” 

Homeowners are advised to review both their smart doorbell security system and contents cover: https://www.gocompare.com/home-insurance/