The McMansions going up in my 1920s-era Southern California neighborhood have something in common, and it's not just earth-toned stucco. Electricians working on these abodes are installing sophisticated burglar alarm systems and surveillance cameras. Just a few doors down, I counted six cameras on the front of a single home. In one house I visited, surveillance cameras were linked to a 30-inch monitor whose display was divided into 10 separate zones.
But what about the rest of us and our 1,500-square-foot, minimalist mansions?
For us, there are portable surveillance cameras, some of which have to be wired together.
The latest one is the Ring Stick Up Cam, which broadcasts video in real time to a PC, Apple or Android device and can be attached anywhere inside or outside a home.
Much like the Ring Doorbell, which I installed a few months ago, the Ring Stick Up Cam is triggered by motion. You can adjust the doorbell and camera sensitivity settings in the Ring smartphone app. A chime alerts you that someone is either at the door or in the backyard, where I pointed my Stick Up Cam. You can hear and talk to anyone who rings the door bell or approaches either device, which means you can freak-out possible burglars, along with your gardener and letter carrier. Unlike sophisticated new-home cameras, which tend to be up high on the second floors, these devices can be ripped from where they're positioned if they're installed on the ground floor. Ring says it will replace a stolen cam or doorbell.
The Stick Up Cam, like the Ring Doorbell, is a class act. Well-made and sleek, it looks like it will last a long time outdoors. Ring doesn't leave anything to chance as far as installation goes. The company includes a screwdriver and a drill bit for installing the Stick Up Cam in wood, stucco or brick. The packaging is handsome and functional, too. Everything has its place. If you've ever drilled a hole and used a screwdriver, you'll have no trouble installing the cam yourself. Each piece of the base has a level. Ring also provides setup videos.
The cam has one feature that the doorbell lacks: the ability to show live video without the device being triggered by movement. This means that you can check in on your labradoodle pup from anywhere, providing your iPhone, for example, has notifications enabled. You don't necessarily need a Wi-Fi connection when you're away from home, as long as you have Wi-Fi at home. And if you sign up for web recording ($30 a year for each device), you can play back video you've watched, which is handy if an actual burglary took place. If your Wi-Fi connection doesn't reach outside your house, or the video quality is bad, Ring recommends Wi-Fi extenders for as little as $20.
The Stick Up Cam comes with a rechargeable battery that uses a mini-USB connection. It also can get its power from a ($49) Ring Solar Panel. Since the rechargeable battery lasts up to a year, the solar panel seems geared toward, well, gearheads (like me) who want only the latest gadgetry on the planet.
I've been using the $200 Ring Doorbell for several months, and with some tinkering, I've been able to adjust the area it monitors so that alerts don't go off every time someone walks his dog. Same goes for the Stick Up Cam. It will trigger a chime when I take out the trash because I've set up a wide perimeter that takes into account a double garage and a large back yard. If I'm not carrying my iPhone, the $30 Ring Chime, which I have plugged into an outlet in the kitchen, will chime when motion is detected. The volume of the Chime can be adjusted or turned off.
The Stick Up Cam costs $200. There are cheaper surveillance cameras out there, but the Ring model is so well-built and functional that it serves my needs just fine. If I had the money, I'd set up multiple Stick Up Cams around the outside of my house. For now, the Ring Doorbell and the single Stick Up Cam are a very good start.
Tech support phones are answered practically on the first ring, and the techs earn an A-plus for knowledge of their products and their courtesy. For more information: www.ring.com.
