A camera reboots when a first timer expires but defers when a connection enables a server to reset the first timer. The system uses a visitor filtration apparatus to encode and store time-windows for expected visitors and generate optical credentials as visitor indicia and policies to greet, transform messages, and determine various access to visitors, both expected or unexpected. A video doorbell component of the system triggers on image or audio capture, transforms and verifies optically encoded credentials and actuates a physical access control actuator, triggers a visitor filtration apparatus, or relays images and audio with an interview panel. The optical credential is transmitted electronically to an expected visitor and may be printed or displayed from an electronic media.