2020 Part II: Easily Amused

Recently we acquired a Ring doorbell and is it a hoot!

   It's not something we would have purchased on our own, we weren't looking for any new devices, but when my sister-in-law upgraded the system they had on their home, they offered us the old one. At first it sat for about two weeks on the microwave in the kitchen (where everything we are unsure of what to do with goes until someone breaks down and makes a decision). Then it moved to the office floor for another week or so, because isn't that where everyone puts stuff they don't know what to do with?

   The new doorbell wasn't really necessary. After all, we did have a working doorbell, albeit the old fashioned kind where you push a button and it makes a ding-dong sound through a box mounted in the stairway and it worked just fine.

If it's not broke, don't fix it.

Unless someone has given you an exciting new toy to replace it.

   Cleaning away the accumulated junk now on the floor in our office, we reviewed this new acquisition. Since it didn't require a subscription to operate, we thought, why not?

My husband installed it with very little difficulty.

   After he synced it to our wifi, I downloaded the app. That's when the fun started!

   Now the first thing we did was practice ringing the doorbell. I mean, it's not like we didn't know how to use a doorbell, but it had been a long time since we actually pressed the button. Doorbells are notorious for not working and once you push that button, there is no way to know if it actually signaled anyone inside the house as to your presence on the porch. Then you are stuck with the dilemma of trying to decide if you should ring again, or if that might strike the occupants as pushy and impatient.

Most of the time we just knock.

There is no guessing with knocking.

   This doorbell was different. It gave off a tone when pressed so the user would know it was working. The immediate gratification was like getting a treat when you performed a trick. A really simple trick, but hey, some of the best things in life are simple. Once rewarded, who cares if no actually answers the door because they're either not home or are actively ignoring/avoiding you.

   Once the novelty of this instant gratification wore off, we began exploring all the other features offered with our new toy. There were a lot of functions that only worked with a subscription, which we promptly ignored. However, there were some really cool options available without the subscription. For instance, we could receive an alert when there was motion at the front door. Any motion at all, including dance moves. Apparently the button is obsolete and just there to make homeowners feel better about their purchase. 

   Even neater than being alerted there was someone standing (or dancing) on our front porch was the camera function. With just a few taps on my smarter-than-me phone, I could see live video footage of exciting events unfolding in front of my home...

 

I no longer had to be home to stare out my front window.

It's amazing where technology has taken us.

   With our new toy we were able to engage our teenager in conversation after she had gone outside to avoid answering questions while she waited for a ride. We didn't even have to leave the comfort of our couch inside our warm living room!

She was obviously pleased with our newfound abilities. 

 

   

We found we could also select a live view on our phones at any time, day or night...

   

Just one small problem, identifying someone during a pandemic can be a bit tricky.  

Unless of course you're this guy!