How a Silly Game Taught Me Security in Our Home Needed to Be a Priority
As a kid I remember playing ding dong ditch. My friends and I would ring the doorbell of a friend’s house and then hide when they answered the door. Of course, we never hid that well and our friend always found us. But it was all in fun and a thrilling game to play when you were ten years old.
But when someone plays ding dong ditch because they are trying to determine if anyone is home at your house so they can break in, then it’s not a good thing. This happened to us a few weeks ago and suddenly, safety in our home became a top priority.
About a month ago we had our doorbell ring at all different times of the day and night. Every time we answered the door … there was no one there. (And yes, I did start running to the front door after about the fifth time.) But I just assumed it was neighborhood kids playing Ding, Dong, Ditch.
At first I didn’t realize it was happening only when my car was parked out front and not in our driveway. But when it started happening after 10:00pm it seemed weird. So I called the police and they warned me it was likely someone was trying to determine if anyone was home in the house. I mean, it’s easier to rob a house when no one is home, right? Ok, that’s not funny.
Now I was scared.
Fortunately, the random doorbell ringings stopped. But, about a week later I partnered with Logitech Circle 2 and installed three Circle 2 security cameras in and outside of our home. (Be sure to head to my Instagram because I have partnered with Logitech to do a giveaway of one of these cameras!)
Of course one of those cameras is now at our front door. You can see it in the photo below on the top left side of the door. I am so happy with my Logitech Circle 2 Combo kit, which is currently on sale at Amazon. It came with one wireless camera and two wired cameras. And that was enough to secure our entire home.
Circle 2 detects and records motion as soon as there is movement within the 180 degree camera angle. It works not only for someone who rings your bell, but is great for knowing when your packages are delivered. (And according to my husband, that happens way too often around here!) Today I was out running errands and I received an alert on my phone with a photo of all of these boxes sitting on my front porch. I came straight home to put them away and then went back out to finish my errands.
So let me tell you why I like the Circle 2. First, I love how it looks. I know that sounds kind of silly, but when it comes to our home, looks are important to me. Duh, I am a home decor blogger.
Secondly, the camera can be installed anywhere so I like it up high where it can hardly be seen (or reached). That’s why I didn’t get the one that is a doorbell. Thirdly, it’s super easy to install. I installed it all myself and even connected it to my phone and our Alexa Show so we are alerted when someone is at the door!
If you go to my Instagram Stories you can see exactly how the Circle2 works! I receive an alert on my phone when someone is at the front door. This is a screen shot of what popped up on my phone when Michael came home today. I love that now I receive an alert on my phone when someone is at our front or side door. And even if you aren’t home, you can talk to the person so they will think you are home!
Plus Circle 2 records all of this activity. You can revisit an entire days worth of activity (which is edited only to show the action) and then save it or delete it.
On our Alexa Show I just say “Alexa, show me the front door” and the live camera feed on the Circle 2 will show on the Alexa screen. Here is what the feed looks like on our Alexa. This was after the packages were delivered to our front porch!
You may not be aware that June is #NationalSafetyMonth. This might be a great month to make sure that your loved ones and belongings are safe and secure. I did it and I can’t believe we waited so long.
We will never know whether our ding ding ditch incident was a kid in the neighborhood, a not so good person trying to determine if we were gone, or a malfunctioning doorbell. I am just glad that thanks to Logitech Circle 2, we will know who is at our front door the next time it happens.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Logitech Circle 2. The opinions and text are all mine.
I would LOVE to be entered to win one of these. Crime happens in every neighborhood and I don’t want to be the recipient! Thank you.
This is cool.
Great article, how do I enter this giveaway?
Leslie, Thanks for the reminder! Back in the day when raising our family we had a security system installed that wired every window and door. It took days, hundreds of feet of wires, and thousands of dollars. Crazy how it has improved. Will check this out. Just makes sense 😉
I need theses!
How frightening. Yikes. This seems so much simpler than our present security system. Thanks for an informative post.
I’m impressed that you bought 2(!) Balsam Hill copper plated drink dispensers! COOL❤️
Maybe investing in such product. I have three dogs one of which is the feared pit bull breed. She will lick them to death. Then a dachshund that will destroy their ankles and then a chihuahua that will hop to lengths to get close. I really thought that a dog is a good deterrent. Not any more. ‘They’ have ways of silencing them, which is frightening. Thanks for the great post!
Just reading this months later but it’s making me think about a security system, even for my small condo. One can never be too safe! Now I’m curious what is in those big boxes at your front door from Balsam Hill!