Who's At The Door?


I know I just blogged about technology's role in helping with disability, but our digital doorbell is a bit different and deserved its own place in my world.  Sue me.

The ring, my new BFF
First of all, our nephew ordered and installed it at his house.  It was nice not to be the early adopter this time.  Secondly, it does help me as a person with disabilities and limited mobility to feel safer in responding (or not) to the door. Thirdly, installing it by our front door, required some simple tools.  What else was different from my more recently acquired 'gadgets'?  A total absence of ridicule and laughter.*  Must be the tool time.

I can choose to answer and open the door in the usual way when someone's there.  But it's often too much effort to get out of a wheelchair and stand to reach the peephole.  So when the old doorbell rang, I would often opt to not answer it or take a leap of faith that there wasn't a magazine salesperson, non-profit solicitor, or burglar on the other side**.  The digital doorbell alerts me on my smart phone that there is some motion at the door (not wildlife), I can see who it is, and talk to them from wherever I am.  I can choose to answer using either my smart phone or smart watch (so there).

I wouldn't even answer...
Since it's my house, it doesn't feel like spying.  We can observe the comings and goings from any distance.  It is pretty funny when a voice answers the caller and we're elsewhere.  They think we're at home.  Our daughter and granddaughter dropped by the house last month while we were in Maui, 3000 miles away.  To hear her grandparents say "Hi sweetie, how ya doin'?"creeped the poor girl out until we explained.

The really cool thing is that all motion at the door is recorded.  Right now we just play with it and review the visits.  Maybe some day, we'll use it to help catch the thief who took my Amazon delivery off the porch.  Most of the time, however, it's the person dropping the Amazon delivery off and leaving it on the porch***.


The lesson: I'm watching you...put that package back!

 *Previous post: Hi, I'm Tammy and I'm a Tech Gadget Addict
**Previous post: Knock, knock–who's there?
***Previous post: Technology–Unintended Consequences

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