Arlo Touchless Video Doorbell Coming To Reduce COVID-19 Risks

We saw tech companies last year scrambling to put out new products that try to address the elephant in the room that is the COVID-19 coronavirus. Those ranged from air purifiers to UV-C gadget sterilizers to even face masks with filters and fans. The risks of contracting the virus, however, doesn't just revolve around the air that we breathe but also the surfaces we touch. That has also given way to products and procedures that remove the need for touch contact, like Arlo's upcoming Touchless version of its Video Doorbell.

It's often the simple things that we take for granted that become the unexpected sources of compromise. Doorbells, for example, are always exposed to the elements and touched by everybody but is also so mundane that people often forget to disinfect those, at least more than doorknobs and handles. Feeling that it has a responsibility and an opportunity to make a difference, Arlo is launching a new variant of its doorbell that tries to reduce that risk.

The Touchless Video Doorbell will Proximity Sensing Technology that it already uses for its other products. Once a visitor gets within a set distance from the doorbell, it will emit an audible chime and a visible light to clue in the visitor that the doorbell has already been triggered. Everything else will work the same way with normal Video Doorbells, including the ability to check remotely who's at the door.

That isn't the only new product variant that Arlo announced at CES 2021. There is also a new Essential Indoor Camera with Privacy Shield that physically blocks the camera and stops any motion or audio detection until the owner wants to start recording. Users can either manually open the shield via the Arlo app or have it automatically happen under certain conditions and settings.

Both the Arlo Touchless Video Doorbell and Essential Indoor Camera with Privacy Shield are still set to launch sometime later this year, though the exact dates have not yet been announced. It also seems that the Touchless variant is only available for the version of the Arlo Video Doorbell that requires a wired power connection, with no word on a similar option for the battery-powered model.