Renters
The QR intercom: a video doorbell sticker for renters
You cannot wire a doorbell into a rental, and most leases frown on drilling and mounted cameras. PhoneTag Intercom is a $14 tag for your door. Visitors scan it with their phone camera and a live video call to you opens in their browser, and you can answer from anywhere.
The renter's doorbell problem
Video doorbells are built for homeowners. They want low-voltage wiring or a charging schedule, a wifi connection at the door, a hub or a bridge inside, and screws in the door frame. Renters get the short end of all of it. The building's wifi does not reach the entrance, the landlord bans mounted cameras, and whatever you screw in stays behind when you move. So most apartments still have a door with no bell at all, and visitors resort to calling your cell from the sidewalk, if they have your number.
A tag that works like a video doorbell, without the hardware
PhoneTag Intercom takes a different route. The tag on your door has no electronics, no battery, and no wiring. When a visitor scans it with their phone camera, a private live video call to you opens right in their browser. They need no app and no account. You see and talk to the person at your door from your phone, whether you are in the back bedroom, at work, or in another state. Your phone number, name, and anything else about you stays hidden, because the call is routed through PhoneTag.
Because the call travels over the visitor's phone connection, nothing at your door needs power or wifi. That is the whole trick. Where a hardware doorbell brings the camera and the network to the door, PhoneTag Intercom uses the camera and the network the visitor is already holding.
Answer the door from anywhere
A delivery driver scans and you tell them to leave the package with the neighbor. A friend arrives early and you say you are five minutes out. A contractor shows up while you are at work and you talk them through where the key is. If you cannot answer, the visitor can leave a voice or text message that reaches your phone right away, or an optional AI receptionist can answer for you and send you a summary of who came by and what they wanted.
A doorbell you can take with you
PhoneTag Intercom is a flat $14 per tag. Stick it on, scan it once to set up, and your door has a video intercom.
Get PhoneTag IntercomShips from the US. No wiring, no hub, works on any door.
Not just the front door
At $14 a tag, doors that would never justify a hardware doorbell get one too. Put a tag on the garage so a delivery or a neighbor can reach you from the alley. Put one on a side or basement entrance. Hosts put them on Airbnbs and rentals so guests can reach them the moment they arrive, without exchanging phone numbers or installing anything at the property. When you move out, the tag comes with you and the door is exactly as you found it.
To be fair to the hardware options: a wired or battery video doorbell records continuously and detects motion, and if you own your home and want a camera watching the porch all day, that is what it is for. A tag only rings when a person chooses to scan it. For a renter who mainly wants to see and talk to whoever is at the door, that trade is usually the right one, and it is the one the lease allows.
Common questions
Does the visitor need an app or an account?
No. The visitor points their phone camera at the tag on your door and the video call opens in their web browser. There is nothing to download and no account to create.
Does PhoneTag Intercom need wiring, wifi, or a hub?
No. The tag itself has no electronics, no battery, and nothing to install. The call runs over the visitor's phone connection, so there is no wiring at the door, no hub inside, and no wifi bridge to set up.
Will my landlord allow it?
A PhoneTag Intercom is a tag on the door, not a mounted device. There is no drilling, no wiring, and no permanently installed camera, and it comes off cleanly when you move, which puts it in the same category as a nameplate rather than a hardware install. Check your lease if you are unsure.
What if I miss a visitor's call?
The visitor can leave a voice or text message that arrives on your phone right away. You can also turn on an AI receptionist that answers for you and sends you a summary.
How much does PhoneTag Intercom cost?
A flat $14 per tag. Put one on the front door, another on the garage or a side entrance, each for $14.