A Ring doorbell offers users motion-activated surveillance, live streaming, notifications and two-way communication with visitors. Credit: Lauren Savitsky | Campus Senior Writer
Moving into an off-campus house can be a difficult transition for first-time tenants. While many houses come with their own locks on doors and windows, Ohio State student-renters are turning to other methods to help keep their homes secure, including doorbell cameras.
Companies such as Ring and Blink Smart are amongst the popular choices for students looking to keep their home safe while living in the University District, and are known for their doorbell cameras’ easy-to-use features, allowing students to focus on their studies, instead of security concerns.
Claire Courtright, a third-year in nursing, and Sam Jalics, a third-year in mechanical engineering, said they chose a Ring doorbell for their first off-campus house because of its popularity amongst other residents in their area.
“It protects us and makes me feel more at ease,” Courtright said. “I feel like it also deters anybody, because they see that we are recording.”
According to the company’s website, battery-powered Ring doorbells can be mounted near a home’s front door to detect motion, send real-time notifications and allow users to see, hear and communicate with their visitors. The device also records activity, to let users review footage.
The roommates said Ring makes them feel safer when leaving for class or late nights because they can see people approaching their home from the system’s live streaming feature.
“It’s a very typical thing to do and I almost feel better with it because now we are alerted if anything happens at night,” Jalics said. “If something happens when we aren’t home and we need to tell someone who is home, then we can do that too.”
The two agree that their Ring doorbell gives them peace of mind in a house of all female tenants, and their decision was one they would make again.
Blink Smart, a third-party security system that offers doorbell cameras with features similar to Ring, is an investment Emerson Beitzel, a third-year in primary education, said she would reconsider.
Beitzel said she purchased a doorbell from Blink because of its more affordable upfront cost, but has been disappointed with its lack of recording in important moments.
“There’ve been two break-ins right in front of our house, and our Blink camera has not caught either of them when the cars were literally right in front of our house,” Beitzel said. “Two smashed windows on back-to-back days and it didn’t record either.”
Beitzel also said she and her roommates were especially disappointed when they realized that after their free first month, the subscription was equivalent to other third-party security systems.
According to the Blink Smart website, the doorbell cameras include very similar features to other companies, like Ring, at a similar subscription price, but with a more affordable upfront cost of purchasing the device itself.
Despite her negative experience, Beitzel said she thinks the camera generally deters possible threats from approaching their front door, and is considering purchasing another camera from Ring or Blink Smart to ensure more reliable surveillance of their cars on the street.
“It’s nice knowing there is a camera out there, but the fact that it didn’t catch [the vehicle break-in] is kind of crazy,” Beitzel said.
Courtright said she feels similarly, and that the deterrent of the camera recording is enough protection to make her feel safe in her neighborhood.
Other students are content to rely on their homes’ built-in locks.
Lauren Haley, a third-year in public policy, said she and her roommates never purchased a doorbell camera and haven’t had any problems to cause them to want one.
“When we were first planning to move in, [a doorbell camera] was one of the things we had on our list to do, but then we just moved in and never got around to it,” Haley said.
Haley said she only wishes she had a security system when packages are delivered and she fears they might be stolen.
“Our windows have alarms on them and all of our doors have deadbolts and stuff, so we do have those things to help,” Haley said.
Haley said she and her roommates are diligent about making sure doors are locked at night and blinds are shut, but her next-door neighbors owning a Ring doorbell camera provides a second sense of security.
Overall, the off-campus student-tenants think doorbell cameras help deter potential threats and are an easy way to keep their homes safe.
“I’m glad that we do have a camera, because people can easily break into houses even when they are locked,” Beitzel said. “It’s nice that it’s there.”
