Door Peephole: The Main Varieties And Designs, Their Pros And Cons, Installation Features

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Types of door eyes and their features

In order to protect your house or apartment from strangers and unwanted guests, only a solid door and a reliable lock are not enough. For maximum safety, you also need to see who you will open the door to. The easiest and most affordable way to ensure this is to install a door peephole. There is a wide variety of such devices on sale that can satisfy any customer request.

Content

• 1 What are the door eyes

  • 1.1 Design features
  • 1.2 Pros and cons of door peepholes
  • 1.3 Door eye latch

  • 1.4 Types of door eyes

    • 1.4.1 Panoramic
    • 1.4.2 Video: Panoramic Peephole
    • 1.4.3 Periscopes
    • 1.4.4 For double doors
    • 1.4.5 Video Peephole
    • 1.4.6 Video: Analog Wired Video Peephole
    • 1.4.7 Electronic or digital
    • 1.4.8 Secret
    • 1.4.9 With motion sensor
    • 1.4.10 Anti-vandal and bulletproof
• 2 Features of choice

• 3 Installing the door viewer

  • 3.1 Video: installing the door peephole
  • 3.2 Dismantling and replacing the door peephole
• 4 Reviews

What are the door eyes

Despite the abundance of models and the desire of manufacturers to equip their products with new useful functions, the device and purpose of the door peephole remain the same: it is inserted into a through hole in the canvas and allows you to see the face of a person standing outside.

Design features

The peephole consists of several parts:

• eyepiece - an element facing the owners of the premises. Through it they can see who has come to them;
• lens - located on the outside directly opposite the visitor;
• optics - a set of lenses that are located between the eyepiece and the objective. Depending on the design of the eye, the optics can include up to 15 elements. Most often 4 lenses are installed. This is quite enough to obtain a clear image without distortion with a viewing angle of the order of 180-200 ^o;
• body - serves to combine all parts into a single structure;
• outer and inner nuts, with which the peephole is fixed in the door leaf;
• thread - allows you to adjust the length of the eye;

• the gate is optional. It is installed on the inside of the peephole and allows you to close it so that the light from the apartment is not visible from the outside.

  

  The main elements of the door peephole are the body and the optics

Pros and cons of door eyes

The peephole is a useful device with several advantages:

• provides an opportunity to see everything that happens in front of the front door;
• it is simply mounted, even a beginner can cope with this task;
• if a video camera is built into the peephole, it allows you to inspect the territory even in the absence of lighting, while many models can record and save an image;
• has an affordable cost. Even a video peephole, which is more expensive than simple optical models, is still cheaper than an intercom.

Among the disadvantages of door peepholes, it should be noted:

• both optical and video eyes can be glued or closed, then the visitor cannot be seen;
• there is no way to talk to the visitor.

Door eye latch

The latch is an important but optional element of the peephole and may not be available on many models. It has two functions:

• hides a peephole on the inside of the door;
• does not allow an outsider to look inside, does not let light into the apartment and from it into the entrance or onto the street.

Some manufacturers use specular coating on the lens instead of the valve. It solves the same problems, but degrades the quality and brightness of the image.

The latch closes the peephole from the inside and provides additional security

Types of door eyes

To decide on the choice of a door peephole, you need to know what types of these products exist, their features and differences.

Panoramic

A feature of panoramic models of door peepholes is that their lens is divided into two halves. This solution allows you to increase the horizontal viewing angle, so the observer does not need to be in front of the eyepiece. You can see what is happening behind the door from a distance of up to 1.5 meters from the peephole.

A panoramic peephole allows you to see what is happening behind the door, being at a distance of up to 1.5 meters from it

Video: panoramic peephole

Periscope

The difference between periscope models is that their eyepiece and lens are at different heights. A system of mirrors installed inside the periscope eye is used to transmit the image.

The periscope peephole is convenient for families with small children. The eyepiece, located at the bottom of the canvas, will allow the child to see clearly the adult to whom he will open the doors. The disadvantage of this model is that to install it, you will have to disassemble the door leaf.

At the periscope eye, the eyepiece and lens are located at different heights

For a double door

This solution is convenient to use if a vestibule door is installed in a house or apartment. The double peephole consists of two parts, which are installed in both doors and are located opposite each other. Thus, you can see everything that happens in front of the door without opening the inner canvas. Please note that as the distance between doors increases, the image quality will deteriorate. The best option would be when there are about 2-3 cm between them.

Double door peephole allows you to see the visitor without opening the inner leaf

Video-eye

The work of the video eye is similar to the principle of the video intercom, but in this case there is only an image and there is no way to talk with the visitor. This solution can be used both in an apartment and in a private house. To obtain a high-quality image in the dark, infrared illumination is installed on most models.

The video peephole can be connected to a computer, TV, or any other equipment capable of displaying an image. The signal transmission from the camera to the screen can be performed in the following way:

• by radio channel. The signal is transmitted in the UHF range, and then converted into a TV format, the image can be viewed on a TV, turning on the 38-42 channel;

  

  The video peephole can transmit a signal to the screen via a radio channel in the UHF range

• by cable. There is a wire between the camera and the screen, through which the image is transmitted. It connects to the TV through the LF input.

  

  Most models of video eyepieces can transmit a signal to the TV screen via cable

Video: analog wired video peephole

Electronic or digital

One of the most modern options is the electronic peephole. Its difference from the video eye is that there is already a small monitor in the kit. It is installed on the door from the inside. Outside there is a button, a light sensor and an infrared light. They are located on a plate that is fixed from the inside. With the help of a loop, the outer and inner parts of the bell are connected into a single mechanism.

The digital peephole consists of a lens and a monitor connected by a ribbon cable

After pressing the call button, an image appears on the screen. The device runs on batteries, so there is no difficulty in connecting to the network during installation. Digital video eyes have built-in memory, the amount of which may differ from model to model.

Hidden

The peculiarity of the secret eye is that it is practically invisible on the surface of the door leaf. It can imitate a screw head or one of the door hardware elements. Such a peephole can be placed not only on the canvas, but also on the door frame or generally next to the door.

Free sale of secret door eyes is prohibited. If you managed to purchase such a model somewhere and you want to install it, then you will have to hang a warning next to it that covert surveillance is being conducted. Secret eyes are usually used by special services. The main disadvantage of these models is that they usually have a limited viewing angle.

The hidden peephole provides a viewing angle of about 100 degrees with a minimum opening diameter of 0.7 ± 1 mm on the outside of the door

With motion sensor

This is one of the varieties of video or digital eyes. The peculiarity of such devices is that they automatically start recording when a movement appears in front of the front door. This is a handy feature when you are not at home. By viewing the entry, you can see who approached your door.

Peephole with motion sensor automatically starts recording when there is movement in front of the door

Anti-vandal and bulletproof

If there is a risk of intruders entering your house who can spoil the peephole, it is better to purchase an anti-vandal model. The lens in such eyes is made of durable glass, and if a video camera is built into the device, then it is safely hidden inside. The viewing angle in anti-vandal products is small - usually about 75 ^o, light sensitivity is also lower than that of standard eyes.

There are also bullet-proof models with extra durable lenses. It makes sense to mount them only in armored doors. Most often, they are installed at the entrances to banks, financial institutions, but they can also be used on the door to a house or apartment.

The bulletproof eye has extra strong lenses

Selection features

In order to make the right choice of a door peephole, you need to pay attention to the following characteristics:

1. Viewing angle. This parameter shows what space can be viewed through a particular peephole. The optimal indicator is considered to be a viewing angle of 180 ^°. Some manufacturers produce models for which it reaches 200 ^o, but this rarely makes any practical sense.

   

   The optimal viewing angle for the eye is 180 degrees

2. Door thickness. The choice of the length of the door peephole depends on its size. There are several types of eyes and each of them has the ability to adjust the length in a certain range:

   • standard - used for doors with a thickness of 35 to 55 mm;

     

     Standard eye length 35-55 mm

   • elongated - 55–100 mm;

     

     Extended eye length 55-100 mm

   • extra long - more than 100 mm.

     

     Extra-long eyelet length is more than 100 mm

3. Light sensitivity. It characterizes how clear the picture will be when there is insufficient illumination in front of the front door. Light sensitivity is measured in lux and in modern devices it is usually tenths or hundredths of a lux. The lower this parameter, the better you will see visitors in the dark. If there is always lighting behind your door, the light sensitivity of the peephole is not so important, if it is not there or it periodically disappears, it is better to take a model with a minimum value of this indicator or with IR illumination (it happens only for video eyes).
4. Diameter. It is important when the eye is replaced. It is important to choose a product that fits into the existing hole tightly and without gaps.
5. Body material. Most often, these devices are made of plastic or metal. Plastic models have a lower price, but their service life is short. Metal products are characterized by high strength and durability, and their cost is much higher.
6. Lens material. These peephole elements can be made of glass or plastic. In more expensive and high-quality models, glass optics are installed, and in cheaper ones, plastic ones.

One of the most common mistakes that are made when choosing a door peephole is buying products with plastic lenses. They are scratched very quickly, therefore, after 2-3 years of operation, the image quality deteriorates greatly. The best option is a device that has at least 4 glass lenses. This solution, due to the gradual refraction of light, allows you to obtain an image of normal quality.

Installing the door peephole

Despite the fact that there are different types of door eyes, the technology for their installation is almost the same. It also doesn't matter if you insert it into a steel or wooden door. The only difference will be in the effort involved, since working with wood is much easier than with metal.

To install the door peephole, you will need the following tools:

• ruler;
• electric drill with a set of drills;

• screwdriver.

  

  To install the door peephole, you need a drill, screwdriver and a ruler

Installation sequence:

1. Markup. The height at which the door peephole should be installed is not specified by the standards. Choose it in such a way that this device is convenient for all family members. At eye level, masking tape is glued to the door leaf and the location of the peephole is marked on it. It is necessary in order not to damage the door leaf during installation work.

   

   The door peephole is mounted so that it is convenient for all residents to use it

2. Disassemble the peephole. You will have two details.

   

   Unscrew the thread and disassemble the peephole into two parts

3. Create a hole. Using a caliper, the part of the eye with an internal thread is measured, since its diameter is larger. Take a drill, the diameter of which is larger than the size obtained by 0.5 mm. A hole is made so that the drill only appears from the back side. After that, they continue to drill from the other side of the canvas. This is necessary so that chips do not appear on the wooden surface.

   

   When creating a hole, the drill must be located perpendicular to the door leaf

4. Install a peephole. From the outside of the door, insert a part with an external thread in which the lens is located, from the inside - a part with an eyepiece. Holding the outer part of the peephole, use your hands to twist the element, which is inserted from the side of the apartment, until it stops. It has splines. Using a wide screwdriver or a plate of a suitable size, tighten both parts of the device well. To ensure a tight connection of both parts of the eye, the screwdriver must be inserted into both slots at the same time.

   

   Both parts are inserted from different sides of the door and twisted together

Video: installing a door peephole

Dismantling and replacing the door peephole

Sometimes there are situations when vandals damaged the lens of the device or the lenses are out of order due to their poor quality. In this case, you must dismantle the old door peephole and install a new one. There is nothing difficult in this and everything can also be done by hand.

The work is performed in the following sequence:

1. Unscrew the door peephole. This must be done from the inside of the door.

   

   Unscrew the peephole from the inside of the door

2. The diameter of the eye and its length are measured. Purchase a model with similar parameters in the store.
3. A new peephole is inserted.

If the glass lens is scratched, then it is not always necessary to replace the door peephole. You can buy a glass polishing paste such as Xerapol or similar. It is enough to squeeze a little paste onto the lens and polish it with a rag.

Reviews

Thanks to the large selection of door peepholes, you can buy a simple and inexpensive optical device or a more modern model with a video camera and various additional functions. Regardless of the type of such device, it provides a good overview of everything that happens in front of the front door. The ability to see a person who has come will allow you to decide whether you want to let him into the house or not. Installing a door peephole with your own hands is within the power of any home craftsman.