VANCOUVER -- As we continue to grapple with ways to practice physical distancing during the pandemic, even short encounters with a delivery person or neighbour can be cause for anxiety. One solution? A video doorbell.

Not only can a video doorbell provide security and peace of mind, it can also provide a safe way to greet people at your front door. 

Brandon Murphy's video doorbell saved the day when it captured his neighbour's car being stolen in the middle of the night. 

"The neighbour said his car got stolen, so the first thing I thought was, 'Well we have five days' worth of camera feeds off the smart doorbell,'" he says. "Sure enough, it was there." 

Because the doorbell footage helped confirm the car was stolen, Murphy's neighbour worked with local police and they were able to retrieve the car with absolutely no damage. 

And others are benefiting from video doorbells too. In fact, global sales are predicted to grow to $1.4 billion USD by 2023. 

Not only can they help with the security and peace of mind of homeowners, but when synced up with a smart speaker like Amazon Echo or Google Home, you can answer your door while keeping a safe distance – using just your voice. 

So how do you set up a hands-free front door experience? The best thing to do is go with what you know, Consumer Reports' Dan Wroclawski says. 

"There are video doorbells that claim they work with digital assistants, but they may not offer all the features," he says. "To ensure compatibility (the best thing to do) is to stay within the same product ecosystem or product family." 

If you're a Google Home user, try the Nest Hello video doorbell, paired with the Google Nest Hub Max smart speaker. 

As for Amazon smart speaker owners, a perfect pairing is the Ring Video Doorbell 3 and the Amazon Echo Show. Once you're all set up, you'll be able to talk to visitors from even the farthest point of your home. How's that for physical distancing? 

With files from Consumer Reports