See who is at the door without opening it or drilling into the corridor. Here is how peephole cameras work, which kind to pick and what to check on your door.
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A peephole camera replaces the small glass viewer in your door with a lens outside and a screen inside, so you see who is at the door without opening it or putting your eye to the hole. Because it sits in the existing viewer hole, nothing is fixed to the corridor wall, which is why it suits condo doors. Simple models only show the picture; others record visitors or ring your phone like a video doorbell. Check that your door has a viewer hole and whether it is a fire-rated door before buying. For the wider set-up, see smart home installation.
A traditional door viewer is a small round opening through the door with a lens arranged so you can look out but people outside cannot easily look in. Wikipedia's entry on peepholes notes that glass viewers often use a fisheye lens for a wider view, and that digital peepholes put a camera outside and an LCD screen inside, with no information going from the inside to the outside.
A peephole camera is that digital version. The outer part is a small lens barrel that looks much like the old viewer, and it passes through the same hole to a battery-powered screen on the inside of the door. Press a button, or let a motion sensor wake it, and the screen shows the corridor. Children, older parents and anyone who cannot reach the viewer comfortably can see the visitor at a glance.
Most condo unit doors already have a viewer, and most condo corridors are common property. That combination makes the peephole camera the least intrusive option at a high-rise door. A doorbell camera screwed beside the door needs a bracket in the wall or frame, and the strata by-laws ask for the management's written approval before anything is fastened into common property. A peephole camera uses the hole that is already in your own door, so nothing new is fixed outside.
It also looks discreet. From the corridor it reads as a door viewer, not a camera on a bracket, so neighbours are less likely to feel watched. The full picture of mounting choices, by-laws and the PDPA at a condo door is in the condo video doorbell guide.
| Kind | What it does | Good for | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital door viewer | Shows the corridor on an inside screen when you press a button | Seeing visitors without peering through the hole | No recording and no phone alert |
| Recording viewer | Adds a motion sensor and saves photos or clips to a memory card | Checking who came to the door while you were out | You view the clips on the screen or card, not remotely |
| WiFi peephole doorbell | Rings your phone, lets you talk to the visitor and stores clips in an app | Answering the door from work or another room | Needs WiFi at the door, an app account and regular charging |
Decide which job you need before you compare models. A household that only wants to stop opening the door blind may be happiest with a plain viewer and no app at all.
A peephole camera depends on three things about the door. First, the hole: the outer lens has to pass through your existing viewer opening, so remove the old viewer or measure it and compare with the product's listed hole size. Second, the door thickness: the lens barrel and the fixing ring cover a range of thicknesses, and both very thin and very thick doors can fall outside it. Third, the inside face: the screen needs a flat area around the hole, clear of the lever handle and any panel moulding.
If the door has no viewer at all, a hole has to be drilled. On an ordinary timber or steel door that is a small job. On some doors it is not something to do without asking, as the next section explains.
Many condo unit doors open onto a corridor that forms part of the building's escape route, and some of them are fire-rated door sets. On a rated door, the leaf, the frame and the hardware are part of what the rating depends on. Replacing an existing viewer with a camera of a similar size is a different question from drilling a new hole, but neither should be assumed to be acceptable.
Ask the management office whether your door is fire rated and what they need to see before the viewer is changed. The guide to smart locks on fire-rated condo doors explains how the same question works for locks.
Peephole cameras are small, so their lenses are compromises. A wide lens shows more of the corridor but makes a visitor's face smaller and bends straight lines. In a narrow corridor, a moderate lens pointed at the doorstep usually gives a more useful picture than the widest one on offer.
Night view relies on infrared light from the outer lens. In a well-lit corridor that rarely matters; in a dim one, check reviews for night clarity. A motion sensor that wakes the screen or starts a recording can be useful, but in a busy corridor it fires all the time, so look for adjustable sensitivity or a way to turn motion off.
The inside screen is the part the family touches every day. Think about who answers the door. An older parent may want a large screen and one obvious button; a young child may need a screen low enough to see but not a button that opens anything. Some screens can be mounted lower on the door than the hole, using a short cable, which helps both.
Keep in mind that the screen is battery powered. Most show a battery warning, and many charge from a phone charger. Put charging on the same routine as the smart lock batteries so both are done together.
A plain digital viewer that only shows a live picture raises few privacy questions; it does what the glass viewer always did. A recording or WiFi model keeps images of whoever stands at your door, and in a condo that includes neighbours walking past. Section 45(1) of the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 exempts personal data processed by an individual only for personal, family or household affairs, so a household's own viewer is generally a domestic matter. Keep clips for the family, do not post neighbours online, and remember that a unit run as a homestay or office may be treated differently.
| Option | Fixed outside | Records | Rings your phone | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plain glass viewer | No | No | No | Doors where the family is happy to look through the hole |
| Peephole camera | No, uses the viewer hole | Some models | WiFi models only | Condo doors and anywhere the corridor wall is off limits |
| Video doorbell | Yes, on the door, frame or wall | Yes | Yes | Landed homes and doors where mounting is approved; see the battery vs wired doorbell guide |
On a landed house the decision is usually about the gate rather than the door, which the video doorbell vs intercom guide covers.
We install peephole cameras and digital door viewers in existing viewer holes, set up the inside screen at a height that suits the family, and connect WiFi models to your phone and app. We do the smart device, app and low-voltage side of the job. If the door may be fire rated, bring the management office's answer to the site visit so the right option is chosen first time.
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Your management office decides what may be changed on a fire-rated door.
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