Ring

Jazz wants to know what a good option for DIY home security is? Leo says that SimpliSafe (a sponsor of the TWiT Network) is the one he'd recommend. RING is getting into it, but they are late to the party. Simply Safe also has cameras now, so it's a very good all-in-one solution. 

Another company worth looking at is WYZE. They are new to the home security game, but they are VERY affordable. Check out The Wirecutter for their reviews.

Janelle has a Netgear Orbi and she's been having issues with her RING doorbell dropping out front. Leo says that RING works best on 2.4 GHz, but that's also very congested. Leo suggests going into the RING settings and set the RING to connect to the 2.4 GHz band. And if she can name the band, it can be easier to connect. But she also may have a neighbor that has a powerful router that is knocking the connection offline.

Terry wants to know why the RING doesn't show an image like it's supposed to when he gets notified. Leo says that the RING camera will go to sleep. It's not on all the time, so he may have to wake it up to get an image. Once it wakes up, he will get an image, but by then, it may be too late. He also has to modify the doorbell chime. 

Sandy's RING Doorbell will not chime on her mobile phone. She installed an app called ZEDGE and it suddenly stopped. Leo says you can check your RING doorbell health by going into the app itself. Then look in the settings and see if it's been changed by the ZEDGE app. That could have caused it. Make sure your notifications are enabled.

Caller doesn't care for the RING doorbell and he wants an alternative. Leo says the NEST HELLO is a good alternative. It's made by Google. But he may end up with the same problems of having it not stay on very long. He won't know until he tries it. Others include Skybell. Check out TheWireCutter.com for reviews. 

Sundip was going to get a RING doorbell but then heard about their privacy issues. Leo says that Amazon bought RING and has addressed the issues. So RING is pretty good right now. But Google NEST also makes a doorbell, so if you'd prefer an alternative, the NEST is a good option.

George needs security cameras for his house. Leo says that the Wyze Cam is a good one, but a doorbell cam will stop package thieves dead in their tracks. There are two kinds: the Nest or Ring camera. They connect to the same power source as his doorbell, and he can get connected with his mobile device. The he can interact with the person on camera. It'll also record to the cloud. But he would need Internet.

JT wants to create a smart home. What gadgets should he add to his Ring Doorbell? Is there a smart lock? Leo likes the August smart lock the best, followed by Schlage. But Leo recommends visiting StaceyoniOT.com. She has her finger on everything pertaining to the internet of things.

Dan would like to get a doorbell that can not only notify his parents with video when someone is at the door, but can also unlock the door remotely. Rich says there are products that do one or the other, but not a lot that can do both. Ring is a great video doorbell, and he can view it remotely on a mobile device. Nest IQ has face detection, and could unlock the door. But he really doesn't want something fully automated.

Mimi recently bought a Ring Video Doorbell 2, but she doesn't have internet at home. Leo says she would have to have internet access at home to get it to work. It has to have Wi-Fi to connect. She could use a cellphone in hotspot mode, but that would be as expensive, or more than just having a home internet connection. She could talk to her neighbors to see if she can use their Wi-Fi to connect her doorbell. Another option is to use a MiFi card. That would enable her to connect up to five devices, including the doorbell.