You may have an idea of what is considered safe and unsafe when it comes to protecting your home, but statistics may disprove some of your long-held beliefs about security. For example, contrary to popular belief, most burglaries do not happen in the middle of the night. In fact, 65% of burglaries occur between dawn and dusk, around 6am to 6pm.* Yes, in broad daylight.

Like most of us, who would likely choose the path of least resistance, burglars prefer to strike when they think a house is unoccupied. 34% break-ins occur through the front door, which is more than any other point of entry around the house (e.g., 23% first floor windows, 22% back door, 9% garage, etc.).

They ring the doorbell and knock on the door, and when there’s no answer, they make their move. This is also known as a “knock-knock burglary” to law enforcement officials.

But I can’t be home all the time!
Let’s face it, trying to stay home 24/7 just to prevent break-ins is as realistic as living inside a bubble. You can’t be home at all times, but thanks to security innovations like the Ring™ Video Doorbell, burglars don’t have to know whether you are there or not there. When someone presses the button on your Ring video doorbell, it notifies you via the Ring app on your iOS or Android mobile device (phone or tablet) – whether you’re upstairs or out of state.

You can then view an HD live-stream video of the person(s) at your door, and even interact with them through the two-way audio. This gives the impression that you’re home, or at the very least, it gives them pause. When someone is looking for the easiest way out – or in, as this case may be – they’re likely to be deterred by uncertainties. It’s the uncertainty that diminishes their confidence in breaking in, and that’s what makes Ring such an effective home surveillance solution.

When a resident of Rancho Palo Verdes answered her video doorbell with, “Can I help you?” the person at the door immediately said, “Oh, I have the wrong address” and fled to her car, which raised suspicions. Turns out, several neighbors reported getting a knock on their door that same day, and one house was broken into when no one was home.

And what if they don’t ring the doorbell?

That’s when the built-in motion sensor on the Ring Video Doorbell comes in handy. Motion up to 30 feet will trigger a notification on your Ring app, at which point you can choose whether or not to interact with the person. If it’s simply a package delivery, you can provide explicit instructions for where to place the item when you’re not home.

Or if there’s mail theft, you may even catch them in the act, as this resident of the Waldo neighborhood in Kansas City, MO, did when the motion detector alerted her at work. The wide-angle camera caught an unknown man taking her Amazon package with him as he ran off.

With Ring’s optional Video Cloud Recording feature, you can share the video of suspicious activities with local law enforcement or your neighbors to catch the culprit and prevent further home invasions.

As described by Jayson Siller from the LAPD, “The Ring doorbell acts as a deterrent for such thefts in that a suspect doesn’t want to approach a house where he will be caught on video. If a theft does still occur, then the cloud storage gives officers the tools to apprehend the suspect and retrieve the victim’s property.”

The video doorbell is easy to install on any surface with Ring’s proprietary mounting hardware, and should the doorbell ever get stolen, the unit will be replaced for free by Ring’s Lifetime Purchase Protection. Once installed, download the Ring app and follow the simple instructions to connect the doorbell to your home Wi-Fi network, protected by bank-grade encryption for further peace of mind, and that’s it – your home is now fortified.

A smart home is a safe home

With more and more people considering smart solutions that help increase their efforts in conservation, accessibility, and security, the Ring Video Doorbell is a logical addition to the smart home. After all, if you can install a timer to turn your lights on or off in your house to make it seem like you’re home to prevent burglary, why not take it a step further and foil a potential intrusion with a simple “Can I help you?” at the door?

Learn more about our line of Ring Video Doorbell products.

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* FBI, Crime in the United States, 2012