Install a video doorbell

A video doorbell is the eyes and ears of your front door. With some of the best video doorbells, like the Nest Doorbell

(battery) and the Ring

Video Doorbell (2020), you can do more than just hear and see what’s going on outdoors as both of these doorbells are smart enough to send specific package delivery alerts to your phone. These notifications go above and beyond the general motion alerts found on most video doorbells.

Google’s Nest Doorbell is one of the most specific, telling you when a package gets delivered when it’s no longer in view (which could potentially alert you to a porch pirate). The package detection feature comes free for up to three hours at a time with the Nest Doorbell (battery).

Only select Ring doorbells, like the (2020) model and the Ring Pro 2, can detect package deliveries. These two doorbells also have the unique capability to work alongside Alexa, allowing her to announce package deliveries via Echo speakers and smart displays.

Google Nest Doorbell: $180 at Amazon Ring Video Doorbell: Starting at $100 at Amazon

and

Install an outdoor security camera

One of the best outdoor security cameras that can detect packages is the Google Nest Outdoor Cam.

With up to three hours of free video notification history, the Nest Outdoor Cam can detect package deliveries on your porch and people in your yard, depending on where you have it set up. An outdoor security camera is a nice companion for a video doorbell, allowing the two to work together to give you the full view of what’s happening around your property.

If you catch someone swiping a package from your front porch, you can create a video clip of the event to share. With a paid subscription to Nest Aware, the Nest Outdoor Cam is capable of continuous recording when plugged into a nearby electrical outlet. The benefit to 24/7 recording is that you can scroll back through your camera’s video history to see what happened, if a notification is missed.

Google Nest Outdoor Cam: $293 at Walmart

Get an app-connected outdoor floodlight camera

During the holiday season, package deliveries may happen after the sun has gone down (or come up, in some cases), making proper exterior lighting crucial in keeping your packages safe. Smart floodlight cameras like the Eufy Floodlight Cam 2 Pro can not only illuminate dark spots on your property, but also have recording capability, giving porch pirates the boot if they try to make off around the sides of your home with your holiday packages.

Eufy Security S330 Floodlight Security Camera:

$300 at Amazon

Put your deliveries on hold

Going away for a while? You may want to arrange to have your holiday packages held at your local post office or shipping store.

Get a Wi-Fi-connected mailbox sensor

Some packages are small enough to fit in your mailbox, and therefore likely fall out of view of a nearby video doorbell camera. Instead, you can use a smart sensor like the Ring Mailbox Sensor, which sends notifications to your phone when your mailbox opens and closes. This can help you know exactly when your smaller packages are delivered.

Ring Mailbox Sensor: $30 at Amazon

Put up solar pathway lights

The more lights, the better when it comes to properly illuminating your exterior entryway and the walkway leading up to it with path lights. Philips Hue makes our favorite