Home Security & Surveillance Systems have come a long way in the past few years. My wife and I laid out a Security and Surveillance to protect our family and home from unwanted visitors and potential intruders. As a first line of defense around the physical perimeter, a high definition surveillance system.
One of the new devices we’ve been interested in, as part of our overall security and surveillance system, is the Ring Video Doorbell Pro, which has 1080 HD video, two-way audio and customizable motion sensor zones and infrarhttps://amzn.to/2LgO4pIed night vision.
It also includes 4 Interchangeable face plates (Silver, Brown, White and Black), it uses the existing doorbell wiring ( yes!) and it claims a quick and easy installation. Clear instructions, necessary hardware, wiring and installation aids, a screw driver and even a masonry drill bit nicely complement this kit.
Follow all the safety and prep instructions. My next step was to wire the Wi-Fi module to my door bell. It’s an easy process and the wiring aid kit makes even easier. Tucking in the small part in the doorbell housing is a breeze.
Next steps requires turning off the power to the doorbell switch and carefully removing it.
Using the template/level provided, I marked the screw holes where the Ring is going to be mounted on the stone face.
This kit comes with a masonry bit I used to drill the 2 mounting holes with my cordless drill. It was fairly easy in my case to drill the 2 holes.
After successfully drilling the 2 mounting holes on the stone face, I traced the footprint of the Ring on the stone. I did this because the surface of the stone is not very flat and most likely I’d have to chip away a bit of the stone with a mason’s hammer. I just wasn’t sure where and how much until I traced the Ring’s footprint on the stone.
I used my Estwing Mason’s Hammer to patiently chip away the face of the stone that was protruding the most. Then tested the Ring on the surface and chipped away a bit more until it was a good flat fit.
Next, I wired the Ring to the doorbell wires. The kit comes with a wiring extension kit to simply clamp on to the existing wires if they’re too short coming off the wall. In my case, I didn’t need them because there was plenty of wire coming off the wall. I also pushed in the white plastic screw plugs in the holes.
Then, using the provided screwdriver and screws, I proceeded to mount the Ring on the stone. It is important to notice that because there’s a reset button on the side of Ring assembly, silicone waterproofing needs to be achieved around the housing before placing the face plate over it.
After mounting the Ring and resetting the power to the door bell, the Ring began its booting sequence until a pre-recorded female voice introduced the Ring and announced it as being ready for setup.
Connecting the Ring to the internet is as easy (and the same) as connecting any device to the internet. Overall, probably the best end-to-end experience installing an electronic system of medium DiY complexity. The inventor and designer of the Ring have walk through the customer journey from researching and buying, to installing, setting up and supporting this surveillance solution. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. All needed parts and tools are provided. The system works as expected. The setup and configuration goes pretty fast. The app has views for Event History, Motion Snooze, Device Health, Motion Settings for custom motion zones, App Alert Tones, Linked Chimes, Sharing with Users (family or neighbors) and Ring+ Partners list to interface with. I’ve been notified by the Ring camera app that someone was at the door or within the custom Motion Zones I setup, and I have been able to clearly see who they were.
Here’s one of the first images of the Ring after installation.
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