Even When Globetrotting, I am #AlwaysHome with Ring Video Doorbell

(Last Updated On: July 18, 2016)

There have been a lot of comings and goings at my house this summer. But because of our system I’m always able answer my front door, even from Stockholm, Sweden.

Thanks to Ring for sponsoring this post. All opinion are my own. Click through to and how it works.

This is perhaps the most complicated summer we’ve had as a family. My husband and I have traveled internationally, separately and together. My teenaged daughters are also traveling, my sons are in and out of camp and we’ve had houseguests. We practically need a large calendar in the hallway to keep it all straight.

My husband likes to joke (though it’s not that funny) every time we leave home that the house will still be standing when we return. His nightmare image is pulling up to a big smoking hole, post trip. He doesn’t imagine the details of what caused the hole to exist. That’s my department.

I imagine the break-ins, and burglaries. The sprinklers that don’t shut off and the bored vandals. I imagine the workmen that break things and the coyotes that come in the night to stalk our cats. The helpful “solicitors” who come to sell us something? What if they are really casing the joint to see if we are home? Yes I’m paranoid, and yes that also actually happens!

I’m a specialist in imagining all these things. And while we do have a regular home security system and great/watchful neighbors I still worry. Many of my neighbors are also traveling this summer. Who would know immediately if something happened? How long would it take before anything could be done?

And realistically, I feel so cut off even from the everyday things when I travel. What if my sons are home alone for a half hour while my husband is running errands? They are old enough for this, but without being home and prepared to answer my cell phone, it bugs me more. I worry enough about who is coming to our door when I am just running out to the market at home. The sense of worry and helplessness is far greater when I am traveling abroad.

The system has helped mitigate some of that anxiety.

“Oh look, we got a UPS Package.” I mentioned to my husband as we sat in a cafe in Sweden. I’d recieved a motion based notification from my front door, alerting me to the delivery. I then turned on the camera, said hi to the UPS guy, told him to leave the package there, no problem.

Then I texted a neighbor to pick it up and bring it in.

When my husband returned home from his latest trip, I knew he was there before he even texted me. I got an alert from my courtyard and saw the car pull in.

Prior to owning the , it seemed a bit like a novelty. Now that I have it, I cannot imagine travel and living without it. Not only is it a comfort when I am abroad, but also when I am at home. I don’t always want to answer the door for the many many solicitors that roam my neighborhood. With Ring I can “answer” from anywhere – see them, chat with them and politely ask them to leave their literature and go away. Nobody has to know whether I am doing that from upstairs because I am on a conference call, or from a cafe in Sweden.

Having Ring installed is a boon for parents of teens as well. When your daughter says she was home by curfew? There’s a lasting record of that… or not. The only tricky bit for them is that they can’t have a traditional good night kiss on the front doorstep or EW! Their parents might see! Worse, we might share the recap videos from our cloud recordings.

My kids and the neighborhood kids all think the videos from our doors are hysterical.  I can see a fad about to start. We let the neighbors know how easy it was to install our system.  It literally took less than 20 minutes to stick it all up and network the cameras. The cloud video recordings are extra peace of mind and useful to share with neighbors and law enforcement should the need ever arise.

I’m so grateful to Ring for taking some of the stress and worry away from our summer travels, and our lives in general!

Some things to consider if you travel in summer:

• Summer package thefts are all too common since many homes are left unoccupied due to frequent summer traveling. With Ring Doorbell, you can benefit from the peace of mind of knowing exactly what’s happening at home, remotely, from your cell phone, tablet, or computer.
• Ring Video Doorbell is perfect for that second vacation home. Let Ring Doorbell be your second set of eyes and ears while you’re not around, and alert you of any and all activity that takes place thanks to the device’s advanced motion detection, crystal clear HD video, and two­way audio.
• Ring Video Doorbell is perfect for when you are traveling and away from home. Let Ring Doorbell be your second set of eyes and ears while you’re not around, and alert you of any and all activity that takes place thanks to the device’s advanced motion detection, crystal clear HD video, and two­ way audio.

Here’s even more information about the system from our original Ring Video Doorbell Review.