Sure, getting your smart home ready for the holiday season (hosting, traveling, etc.) can wait a few more weeks.

But if you've started doing some online gift shopping, you're going to be getting a lot of packages delivered to your home. And the last thing you want is for those deliveries to be stolen. One way to combat porch thieves: video doorbells with package detection.

According to a study conducted by C+R Research, 43% of people will have their packages stolen by 2020. The average value of stolen luggage was $136. Most businesses refunded or replaced looted items, but the combination of shipping delays and packages sent a second time could reduce the number of gifts available under the tree.

Porch pirates, or people who steal unclaimed packages, are a vexing problem, though not without solutions. Half of the respondents to the same survey said that their experience had led them to purchase video doorbells to deter future thefts. All video doorbells can monitor what is happening at the door and send notifications if someone is outside or there is any other kind of movement.

The best video doorbells offer dedicated package detection notifications. They are also often preferred on residential front doors because they are positioned to provide a better view of faces and what is happening behind the door than traditional crown-mounted cams.

Some questions to ask yourself before purchasing a video doorbell are. One of them is, "Does it have package detection?" To be honest, when I purchased a Ring video doorbell (2nd generation) a few months ago for a smart home DIY project, I didn't think about package detection; I've been working from home for 18 months now, so I can pick up my deliveries when they're delivered, and I've been working from home for the past two years, so I'm not sure how I'd feel about that.

These days I am home less and less. In fact, most of the packages I have delivered are overflowing with clothes that belong somewhere that is not my couch. While I have successfully upgraded half my wardrobe from a rotation of oversized sweatpants, I have become anxious about the boxes that gather on my doorstep when I am not home.

Thankfully, that will soon be over, as Ring has announced that it will add package detection to two of its video doorbell devices by mid-November: the Ring Video Doorbell Gen 2 and Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2. Video Doorbell to tell you when a delivery has arrived, as long as you know how to set up package detection. You can also adjust the sensitivity in case you get a lot of false alarms.

If I had had the foresight to know how much I wanted the package detection feature, especially now that the holiday gifts I purchased early are arriving, I might have made package detection a higher priority in my purchasing decision. I opted for Alexa in my smart home, used Echo Show instead of Nest Hub, and the genius Brilliant Control Panel works well with the Ring device. In short, the latest entry-level doorbell seemed to make the most sense for mapping my smart home system.

But there are solid alternatives. Google's video doorbells, Nest Doorbell (battery powered) and Nest Hello, have both offered package detection for some time; so does the Arlo Video Doorbell; Nest also alerts me when a package has been removed; and Nest's video doorbell is a good alternative to the Nest Doorbell. Even with the obvious monitoring devices, balcony thieves are crafty.

However, only the Nest Doorbell (Battery) offers this feature without a subscription, with Arlo offering this feature starting at $2/month and Ring's plan at $3/month (to be fair, either subscription will also extend storage and notification options). If you want to know which is a better deal, take a look at our comparison of security camera storage plans.

So my advice is twofold. If you're ordering more stuff home than usual for the vacation season, at least for a limited time, consider taking advantage of the corresponding company's subscriptions, if you haven't already.

Next, you don't have to wait until the holiday season to purchase a video doorbell with luggage detection. Just purchase one of the two models with luggage detection and you'll be able to see your packages as they arrive.