Automotive

VW and DoorBird let drivers see who's at the door

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With a DoorBird doorbell installed at the house, VW drivers will now be able to see who is calling via the vehicle's infotainment system
The DoorBird doorbell lets drivers see who's calling
With a DoorBird doorbell installed at the house, VW drivers will now be able to see who is calling via the vehicle's infotainment system

Thanks to online shopping services, you no longer have to ferry yourself down to your local high street to punch a hole in your bank balance. But it's not all plain sailing. Once your product has been ordered and paid for, you then have the problem of securing delivery. Volkswagen wants to make it a bit easier to communicate with delivery drivers and mailmen, allowing people to connect their vehicle's infotainment system to the video bell installed on their doors.

The idea of connecting the doorbell with your car was floated by Volkswagen earlier this year. The Budd-E concept from CES was fitted with a (completely non-production ready) infotainment system capable of communicating with DoorBird doorbells.

The DoorBird doorbell lets drivers see who's calling

Now though, anyone with an App Connect- and Mirrorlink-enabled VW car will be able to hook the car up with a compatible DoorBird doorbell. When someone rings the doorbell, a message pops up on the dashboard touchscreen, giving drivers the option to talk with the person at the other end. This functionality is already built into the DoorBird smartphone app, but hasn't been compatible with in-car systems until now.

That means drivers can, potentially, tell delivery drivers where to leave the package. It also could be useful when guests arrive early, or completely unannounced. In future, the system will also be able to open gates or doors manufactured by Hörmann, another one of VW's partners in the project.

The video below shows the system in operation with a brand new Tiguan.

Source: Volkswagen

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2 comments
Booleanboy
This would be illegal in the UK where watching broadcast or recorded video while in control of a vehicle is (rightly) against the law. When level 4/5 autonomous vehicles arrive however...
ljaques
That's a pretty cool gadget, and probably only $1,000 each. Isn't this already available for Android phones? Skybell, I think. The problem with connectivity is hacking. If you can access it from your phone, someone else can, too. Usually the wrong person.