A few years ago I picked up a Ring video doorbell to help keep my 91-year-old father safe. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
How to watch over an aging parent while you’re camping
After we lost Mom 5 years ago, my siblings and I moved dad into a townhouse very close to me. When he took a big fall we got him a fall-alert which alerted us a few times when he tripped in the house. But I was worried about dad going to the mailbox across the street of his senior community and getting lost, or even locking himself out of the house when he took a few steps to get his newspaper in the morning. Dad was getting more confused every day, but insisted on living alone, and refused to go into assisted living. This concern was compounded by my cross-country seminars, where I would be gone for several days at a time teaching RVelectricity seminars.
A possible solution
So I thought that a Ring video doorbell on the front door would help give us some peace of mind, especially when I was 1,000 miles from home and Dad wasn’t answering his phone. Perhaps you have your own aging parents who you worry about while you’re out camping or on business.
Well, a basic Ring Doorbell camera with full features costs around $150, connects to your existing doorbell wiring or runs off its internal battery, and links to a Wi-Fi router in your home. For $49.99 per year for a single camera or $99.99 per year for all your Ring cameras and devices service fee, Ring will keep recordings of whatever happens on your Ring devices, sending an alarm to your cell phone no matter where you are in the world. And you can easily send these video clips to the police or call 911, if need be.
Cheap insurance
Yes, I was even able to monitor dad’s doorbell camera on my Apple watch while I was in the catacombs beneath the Duomo in Tuscany, IN REAL TIME. And it will also let you know (from thousands of miles away) if there’s been a report of neighborhood break-ins or a lost pet.
The latest Ring video algorithms are great since they allow you to set the sensitivity and trigger area – including waiting for a person-shaped object or delivered package in visual range to start the recording and send an alarm to your smartphone. And, of course, it’s great at recording when a delivery person drops off a package at the door and rings the doorbell. You can even talk back to the person at the door by using your smartphone and the built-in speaker in the Ring device.
Now, my dad couldn’t operate the Ring App app since he still had his 10-year-old flip phone, so I had his Ring Doorbell linked to my own smart phone to help watch over him. This is just one more tool to help keep your aging parents or other family members (including your pets) safe while you’re on the road for business or camping.
Learn more about the Ring video doorbell or order at Amazon.
Lets play safe out there… Mike
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