3. Get a small wired or wireless camera for the front porch. They're pretty cheap these days, and you can see who's around from any TV in the house. Much better than a peephole in the door.
Exactly. With a peephole, your angle of view is restricted, you can’t necessarily see people hiding against the wall away from the door, it can distort images, and worst of all it tells the potential thug when you’re right in front of the door - for him to shoot through it, then kick it open end enter.