So, I had a chat with my landlady about this. I rent an apartment that can't be substantially modified, and we really can't put anything outside that is noticeable.

Something that has driven me rather crazy is that I cannot see my doorstep. I cannot really see it from the front window; I definitely can't see it from the peephole in the front door; I definitely can't see it if I'm not home. The only way to see if an object is sitting at my door, is if I go and open the door.

So that set up a quandary for me, as receiving package deliveries, or groceries or whatever, can be troublesome, because those delivery services just aren't into notifying someone that delivery is complete (the further away they are, the noisier the notifications!)

It would've been great to monitor my doorstep remotely, and know if someone put something there. So I looked into Ring and into Nest/Google Home. They literally have nothing except the cameras. A compatible, under-mat sensor is simply not a thing for consumers (was discontinued at best.) For some reason, we consumers are not allowed to have a weight-sensing mat for outdoor use.

Since I live in high-density housing, a motion-sensing camera would be stupid. It'd be triggering dozens of time every day. Also looking directly into the pool area, and I'm not excited to "surveil" my neighbors: I just wanna know about deliveries!

I think the best I can do is some sort of "corner mirror" mounted near my front window. That won't permit remote monitoring, though.