Ring4Retirees began in mid-2023 in an 1100-site, 55+ active adult resort in Mesa, AZ. The park, like many, is leased land, so residents have no control over community security, but were increasingly troubled by bicycle and property thefts, and crime in nearby neighborhoods. That kicked off a DIY effort to “Do Something!” Video doorbells seemed a logical answer, but there were a bewildering variety of choices.
With several generations of residents from age 50 to 95, we recognized that many of the oldest in our community were often:
- Living Alone,
- Least adapted to technology,
- Have limited income,
- Are the most vulnerable;
so any video doorbell security system needed to be easy to use, trouble-free, and affordable.
There were already several installations of Wyse, REO-link, Ring, and other doorbells that we reviewed. What emerged after also considering SimpliSafe, Nest, Honeywell, ADT and others, was just a simple, affordable (under $100) video doorbell, not some expensive whole-house security system.
After testing several products, we saw that false alarms were a common problem; frequent false alerts of an imminent intrusion were unacceptable, so that became the first reason to reject a brand.
Additionally, for many battery units, because they operate on lower power, the alerts were so delayed that an intruder was no longer “on camera,” or video quality was degraded, so we decided wired was the only way to go.
The technology is improving almost daily, and for the present, we chose the Ring system (even though optional stored video replay costs about $4/month), because it is so easy to setup and use, super reliable, and the basic doorbell is very affordable.
A remaining problem was that all of the commercial security system installers were (naturally) totally focused on whole-house systems at $1500 and up, generally with a minimum labor charge for a fancy $200 doorbell of $150.
At the same time, we realized that many retirees would welcome a “side hustle,” a part-time opportunity to supplement a limited, fixed income, helping friends and neighbors in their own community. Thus was born
“Ring for Retirees, By Retirees”
where members of our own 55+ communities do these small-scale installations, set their own hours, and can earn more than the classic “Walmart Greeter.” And because we are you, our installers don’t pressure to up-sell or coax you into buying expensive features you’ll likely never need. In most cases, “good enough” is plenty good.
Now a footnote: for all of us, what’s important is quality of life, and safe, enjoyable longevity. I call it Independent Living, the healthcare industry calls it aging-in-place. Whatever you call it, sooner or later we have parts that wear out and we need some form of monitoring that can get help in time of need. Far better to have a rapid response than to delay treatment for many hours. We found that most video doorbells can access 24/7 security services. As new technology for elder heath develops (AgeTech, it’s called) Ring4Retirees will be leading the way to offer health safety devices and affordable addons that will give us, individually, and those who care about us (families and friends) the peace of mind that comes from planning ahead. It will all start with a simple video doorbell.
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