So what’s the investment?

First, you really need a smartphone.

“There's really no getting around it,” said Dan Wroclawski, a writer on smart-home technology for Consumer Reports.

Old-fashioned security cameras that record footage to a DVR system are still out there, he said. But all doorbell security cameras — which only popped up in the last couple of years — are smartphone-enabled.

Whether they're batterypowered or wired, the video feed is wireless and appears in an accompanying app, which the user can download.

Most on the market are motion-sensor cameras, meaning they only record when they sense movement rather than recording a continuous stream. Most also require hard-wiring, with the Ring Video Doorbell being the only exception worth mentioning, Wroclawski said.

He owns an older model and said a single charge can last up to a few months.

The most talked-about doorbell cameras range from less than $100 to almost $300, but the products vary in how much video data storage you can get for free.

For example, the Ring Video Doorbell Pro — the more advanced sibling to the batterypowered Ring Video Doorbell and considered the best video doorbell by Consumer Reports — does not come with any free storage.

Ring offers two tiers of storage plans ranging from $3 to $10 a month.

Zmodo, though a less-sophisticated product, offers 36 hours of free motion-video storage — the higher end of the range.

Could the expensive-looking doorbells themselves be stolen?

“They'd have to be gutsy, because there will be video of them stealing it, which will make its way to the user,” Wroclawski said.

Generally, the decision to buy a security system depends on the solution desired. Other options include seeking the help of neighbors, or using mail dropoff services such as Amazon Locker.

“You can't guarantee that these things will solve the problem,” Wroclawski said, referring to cameras. “But at least they give you a fighting chance.”