Ride the Lightning

Foiling Burglars With The Ring Video Doorbell

August 10, 2015

Hat tip to Dave Ries. I am a sucker for new tech toys and this one is pretty slick. The Ring Video Doorbell, installed at your front door, uses your home WiFi and the cloud to give you a notification on your smartphone when the bell is pressed. You can see who is there and pretend to be home whether you are at work, out to eat or on vacation.

Typically, burglars will ring the bell to see if anyone is home. You can see them and say hello – you may hear that they are selling something or collecting for charity, and you can simply tell them you are not interested. The video is not excellent, but it's good – and it has night vision as well. The bell contains a motion detector so you can see anyone approaching the front door after you receive a notification on your smartphone. If it's a delivery person who rings the bell, you can simply tell them to leave the package by the door. And yes, you can record the video.

Two downsides: Sometimes the gap between pressing the bell and getting the notification is a bit long – and then you still have to get into the app to talk to the person, which further delays things. Also the price is $199.

Here's the video Dave sent me and here is the manufacturer's website.

I thought about what I would say to someone I didn't know pressing my doorbell and I think the best approach is to say, "I never open the door to strangers and anyway, I have to go now – I am busy feeding my Dobermans. Goodbye."

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