Using a Ring Video Doorbell over a typical doorbell provides you with a number of perks, and can improve your overall home security. There are certain Ring features that you should always be using if you want to keep an eye on your home and fend off intruders. Let’s discuss them.
1. Two-Way Talk
As you likely know,Ring doorbells aren’t just doorbells. With this device, you may communicate with whoever’s at your door. This is useful when you’re at home, but can prove invaluable when you’re out and about.
Not only can you tell delivery drivers where to place your packages or notify friends that you’re not home, you may get notified when someone suspicious is lurking at your door and tell them you’re aware of their presence. Knowing that there’s a camera present can be very off-putting to criminals, especially when they’re being watched in real-time.
You don’t have to use this Ring feature if you’d rather not communicate with visitors remotely, but it can do wonders for your home security.
2. Shared Doorbell Access
If you live with others, like family, roommates, or a partner, you can share access to your Ring doorbell, so it’s not just you who has to keep on top of notifications and management.
Those who get shared access to your Ring doorbell can:
However, there are limitations to this feature. As a shared user, you cannot:
Make sure you trust whoever you provide Ring access to, as there’s still plenty one can do with this permission.
3. Motion Detection
Your Ring Video Doorbell doesn’t just notify you when the bell is rung. It can also detect motion at your doorstep and alert you of it. Of course, a potential intruder or snooping stranger won’t ring your doorbell, which is why Ring also uses motion detection to protect your home.
To get notified of movement at your front door, head into the Ring smartphone app, go to your device dashboard, and you’ll see the optionsMotion DetectionandMotion Alerts. ensure both of these features are active to get the most out of this feature.
you may alsopersonalize your Ring doorbell’s camera motion sensitivity zonesso that it focuses on certain areas within its view.
4. Two-Factor Verification
If anyone can access your Ring app, it becomes possible for someone to view and delete your recorded videos, enable or disable your Ring security system, or view some of your personal details. It’s important to safeguard the Ring app so it isn’t easy to access, reducing the chance of malicious activity.
With this two-factor login, the Ring app requires you to enter a six-digit verification code before granting access. This typically involves Ring sending you a text message containing the code, so someone on a separate device cannot log into your account and make changes. You’ll also have to enter your Ring account password login before the verification code, but this is standard with or without two-factor verification enabled.
5. Real-Time Notifications
One of the main points of Ring is to alert you of visitors when you’re away from home, so it’s important to always have the smartphone app notifications on. As soon as Ring detects a person, animal, or other moving object in front of your door, it can instantly notify you so that you know what’s going on.
Without notifications enabled, you’ll have to manually check the Ring app on a very regular basis to see if you’ve had any doorbell alerts. If you’re in a meeting or event, it might be wiser to turn your phone on silent mode instead of disabling Ring notifications entirely. This ensures you still get motion and doorbell alerts without any disturbance.
6. People-Only Mode
A problem a lot of Ring users run into is false alarms. Because your Ring doorbell camera detects motion, it can notify you of irrelevant movements, such as a bird or cat. This can happen multiple times a day, which is irritating and frustrating.
Using People Only Mode, you can cut out these false alerts. This feature ensures that Ring only notifies you when it detects a person at your door, not an animal, passing car, or other object. People Only Mode isn’t perfect, so you may get the odd false alert now and then, but this feature is designed to lower these instances considerably.
7. Privacy Zones
If your Ring doorbell looks out at a street, you may not want everything to be on show. Your car, neighbor’s cars and their registration plates, neighbor’s houses and family members, these can all be caught on your Ring camera, which poses a privacy risk.
Because of this Ring allows you to highlight an area of your camera’s view that is blurred, and therefore indecipherable. Maybe there’s a row of houses opposite yours that you don’t want caught on camera. Using Privacy Zones, you’re able to map out which area you want to remain hidden, protecting you and your neighbor’s privacy.
Note that you cannot recover any footage captured within your Ring camera’s privacy zone. This area remains off-limits to your doorbell, and there is no clear version of the footage that exists anywhere.
8. Alexa Integration
Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo speakers are a worldwide hit, and can be linked to your Ring doorbell for your convenience. If you’ve got a Ring motion sensor or wall camera, you’re able to also link them to your Alexa speaker or Alexa Show.
This allows you to answer your door and speak to visitors with your voice, view your doorbell’s live camera feed, and replay previously recorded video footage using an Echo Show.
You canconnect your Ring doorbell to your Alexa-enabled devicesby adding Ring as a skill in your Alexa app.
Ring Video Doorbells Can Protect Your Home
With today’s smart technology, it’s easier than ever to guard and monitor your home. If you have a Ring Video Doorbell, ensure you’re enjoying all the great features on offer to maximize your safety and boost your day-to-day convenience.
