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The other good thing about Option#2 is that visitors do not have to give you their mobile phone number (which they are doing by sending the text). Just because

by toss1 2y ago

The other good thing about Option#2 is that visitors do not have to give you their mobile phone number (which they are doing by sending the text). Just because they are at your door for some reason does not mean they want to give up what has become their mobile ID. People are starting to get protective of it with good reason, since there are so many attacks using the Mobile #/ID... Also, as pointed out elsewhere, the static easily duplicated QR code has issues for you, but it would also be easy for someone to slap a malicious QR code over your static one, disabling yours and enabling their scam... Maybe I'm just the wrong generation, or live in a place that still has winter, but a QR code where I need to get out my phone, take off my glove in winter, activate the camera to scan, etc., seems a lot less welcoming. One thing that is good about your QR code option is that you do receive notice anywhere and you do have their mobile number, so you can reply immediately with a text or call, such as "sorry, I'm running late, not quite home yet, I'll be there in 10min". Ofc, you could also post your mobile number below the wireless doorbell. Perhaps Option #3 would be a doorbell that can display a scrolling message, so — wireless doorbell — sends text to you — you can reply to doorbell (e.g., "coming downstairs now", or "traffic, be there in 5min", "pls call me at 987-654-3210", etc.) This way, no one needs to reveal their mobile number, but everyone has the advantage of mobile communications, albeit with a small bandwidth. ?

axelthegerman 2y ago
How did you come to the conclusion that the mobile number is in play anywhere?! From what I read it says to scan the code and get a notification anytime it's scanned. Just looked at the android app listing and there seems to be something about taking a selfie which seems rather useless but hey maybe some people like it. Also love how people keep suggesting wireless doorbells when the whole point of this is not to install any hardware that could be to expensive, harder to setup/maintain than a QR code, or maybe stolen/damaged or not allowed to be installed
- toss1 2y ago
  Seems it is the visitor's phone scanning the QR code, which means whatever mechanism sends the text has all the identifiers of the phone which scanned the QR code, right? If it protects the visitors' numbers from disclosure, that's great, but there is no assurance (and none that could be given and absolutely trusted) that they are not disclosed. OK, maybe the point is to not install any hardware (beyond a sticker), but it seems people are pointing out that a QR code introduces more problems than it solves (trust, spoofing, copying, misdirecting, inconvenience, etc.). If he wants to install no hardware and get a text on his phone, perhaps the easiest thing is to post a sticker with "pls text me at [mobile number]" at the location of the doorbell or QR code?
  - axelthegerman 2y ago
    It would be possible to encode the phone number in the QR code and just send a text, but then you could just print out the phone number and write "text me" next to it. Given that they have an app I'm sure the QR code leads to a link that will trigger the notification via app on the phone, no text message anywhere. Again to your last point, no text message, dude just wants to get a notification on his phone without installing some dumbass $300 doorbell

by toss1 2y ago

axelthegerman 2y ago

How did you come to the conclusion that the mobile number is in play anywhere?! From what I read it says to scan the code and get a notification anytime it's scanned. Just looked at the android app listing and there seems to be something about taking a selfie which seems rather useless but hey maybe some people like it. Also love how people keep suggesting wireless doorbells when the whole point of this is not to install any hardware that could be to expensive, harder to setup/maintain than a QR code, or maybe stolen/damaged or not allowed to be installed

toss1 2y ago
Seems it is the visitor's phone scanning the QR code, which means whatever mechanism sends the text has all the identifiers of the phone which scanned the QR code, right? If it protects the visitors' numbers from disclosure, that's great, but there is no assurance (and none that could be given and absolutely trusted) that they are not disclosed. OK, maybe the point is to not install any hardware (beyond a sticker), but it seems people are pointing out that a QR code introduces more problems than it solves (trust, spoofing, copying, misdirecting, inconvenience, etc.). If he wants to install no hardware and get a text on his phone, perhaps the easiest thing is to post a sticker with "pls text me at [mobile number]" at the location of the doorbell or QR code?
- axelthegerman 2y ago
  It would be possible to encode the phone number in the QR code and just send a text, but then you could just print out the phone number and write "text me" next to it. Given that they have an app I'm sure the QR code leads to a link that will trigger the notification via app on the phone, no text message anywhere. Again to your last point, no text message, dude just wants to get a notification on his phone without installing some dumbass $300 doorbell