One of the most established names in video doorbells is Ring. While there’s now tons of competition in the video-doorbell space, Ring has expanded their functionality and product line and continues to be the go-to name for front door security. Before you get one, however, there are a few things to consider, like what type of model you’ll need and how you’ll mount it.

Choose the right Ring model

First, you need to know whether you’ll be able to support a wired camera, or if you need a wireless version. A wired doorbell camera will connect to the wiring that your existing doorbell uses and means you’ll never need to recharge your camera. Just be aware that even though it’s using the same wiring, a ring camera doesn’t sound your existing door chime—it alerts you via phone, and you can purchase a chime accessory to hear an alert in your home. If this wiring doesn’t exist, Ring has plenty of doorbells that are rechargeable. You’ll take them down overnight once in a while, connect them to a USB cable, and once they’re recharged, put them back up. This sounds labor-intensive, but it’s really not. Whether wired or wireless, Ring offers a few models to choose from. 

The most important requirement, regardless of which model you choose, is the ability for your internet signal to be relatively strong near the doorbell. This is how the doorbell will communicate with your phone, and send video back and forth. The faster the connection, the quicker you’ll receive notifications and be able to communicate with people at your front door via video.  

Consider your mount

Now you need to consider how and where you’ll mount your doorbell, and if it will require any accessories. For instance, if you live in an apartment building, you may not be “mounting” the doorbell on the wall, but may use a clamp just for this purpose, so the doorbell remains outside the door, but secure. If you are mounting the doorbell on siding, at a slant, you’ll need a “wedge” mount that compensates for the slant. If you need to aim your doorbell at an angle, rather than straight out from the house, you’ll want a swiveling mount. Some mounts allow for a vertical and a horizontal angle. If you’re able to mount the doorbell to a flat wall, aiming straight out, everything you need is in the box, and you won’t have to buy an additional mount. 

Assemble your tools

If you’re connecting a wired doorbell, you’ll need a screwdriver, a pair of wire strippers and your phone, as well as a voltage tester. For either wireless or wired, you’ll want a drill with your drill bit set, and a screwdriver or Phillips bit for your drill. You’ll also want a level, and some silicone caulk. 

Turn off the electricity to the doorbell to existing wiring (for a wired doorbell)

First, you’re going to want to make sure the electricity is off to your doorbell. If you have your voltage tester, an inexpensive tool to check if a wire is safe or hot, you can try to shut off just the circuit that controls your doorbell. Shut off the circuit you believe to a match, and then once you’ve removed the existing doorbell, carefully use the detector to double-check the electricity by touching the plastic tip of the tester to each wire to see if the tester sounds an alarm. If you don’t have a detector or you aren’t sure which circuit goes to the doorbell, turn off the main power instead. This should kill electric to your whole house.  Once you know the electricity is off to those wires, you can proceed.

Install the mounting plate

Using the mount you chose, trace where the mount should go by holding it against the wall, using a level to ensure it’s straight, and note where the screws will go. Now match a drill bit to the size of the screws included with the doorbell, and drill ½ inch deep where you noted the screw holes on the wall. Switch to the Phillips bit, and install the mount. In some cases, you’ll need to install the flat wall mount that came in the box to a wedge, angle or clamp mount you’ve bought. If so, do so now. 

Connect the wires (for a wired doorbell)

The wires that are coming out of the wall connect to the mount, not the doorbell. Follow the directions to ensure the right wires go to the right receptacle on the mount. Use the wire strippers as needed to create a nice clean wire connection by cutting off frayed or burned-out wire and stripping the end. Once the connections are made, you can proceed to installing the doorbell itself. 

Install the Ring app on your phone

If you haven’t yet, now is the time to install the Ring app for iPhone or Android. This is needed to proceed to the next step. Set up an account, and then add a new device. Select the doorbell you’ve purchased, and follow the directions. Make sure you have the box the doorbell came in, and the doorbell itself. There may be a QR code you’ll need for setup on the back of the doorbell or the box. Follow the prompts on the app—it may ask you turn on location services, and doing so will allow your doorbell to work properly.  The app will guide you through connecting the doorbell to your wifi, and how to test the doorbell. 

Mount the doorbell

Finally, it’s time to put the doorbell on the mount. The mount that came in the box has two hooks that secure the doorbell when you slide the doorbell down onto the mount. Then you simply secure it with the included screws, using the included screwdriver. If you are using another mount, directions may differ; follow the directions on the mount. An incredibly important tip: Do not lose the included screwdriver. You will need it to recharge your doorbell or to ever remove it. It is a unique screw head you cannot purchase except from Ring. 

Choose settings to personalize your Ring doorbell

With the doorbell mounted, powered and connected, it’s time to personalize it to your home and preferences. The Ring app guides you through what the camera can see, and how much of it the doorbell should focus on, in a setting called “motion zones.” If you have people walking up and down a sidewalk in front of your home all the time, you may want to adjust the motion zone so that the camera only focuses on foot traffic closer to the house. This setting is highly adjustable. 

You can also use schedules to decide how the doorbell should act and what it should act on. For instance, overnight you might want it to behave differently—perhaps you want it on “do not disturb” or it should focus on a different motion zone.  You’ll likely adjust it a number of times over the first few weeks to find what is comfortable for you. Once you find what works for you, you won’t need to readjust it. 

Get acquainted with the app

Now, you just need to get used to having a video doorbell! This means getting used to the different notifications (someone is at the door, someone rang the doorbell, someone left a package) and how you want to react. When someone rings the doorbell, do you want to respond by interacting with them? 

You can change the sound the phone makes when someone rings the bell, you can even set some auto responses for the doorbell. Going through the app will show you all the latest features you can play with. 

Enjoy your doorbell

A video doorbell can be a powerful tool to feel safe in your home, to ensure you catch packages while away from the house, or can aid the police with video if a break in does happen. Setting them up is just a few steps, and once you’ve done it, it’s very easy to do it again if needed.

Source: LifeHacker – How to Choose (and Install) the Right Ring Doorbell for You

Since their introduction back in 2016, AirPods have become a staple in Apple’s ecosystem, in no small part because of how well they work with all of Apple’s devices. While most AirPods users tend to use their earbuds with their iPhone while on the go, you can easily pair your AirPods to your Mac as well. There’s a reason it’s called the Apple ecosystem, after all. Here’s what to do.

How to pair AirPods to a MacBook

To connect your AirPods to your MacBook, first open up your Mac and go to System Settings, then click Bluetooth. (You can also access Bluetooth settings via Control Center in the top right of the menu bar, near the date and time. If Bluetooth isn’t already turned on your Mac, enable it.)

Next, pick up your AirPods case and open the lid. On the back of the case, you should see a button. Hold that button for a few seconds until it flashes white. (For AirPods Max, hold down the noise button until the light flashes white.) Go back to your Mac, and you should see your AirPods appear under Nearby Devices. Click on the Connect button next to your AirPods name.

Your MacBook might ask you to enable Siri and select your voice assistant settings. Once you do that, you’re done, and your AirPods are paired to your MacBook.

How to switch AirPods between Apple devices automatically

One cool benefit of the Apple ecosystem is the ability to easily switch which device your AirPods are connected to automatically, provided you have a compatible pair. First generation AirPods can’t handle auto-switching, but all other models—including second- and third-generation AirPods, first- and second-generation AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max—can do it.

If you’ve already paired your AirPods with your iPhone and are signed into your Apple account on both your iPhone and Mac, your AirPods should switch between all devices as you play media between them. So, when you’re using your AirPods with your iPhone but start up a video on your MacBook, your AirPods should automatically switch to your Mac seamlessly. However, if they don’t, you can always connect to them manually from Bluetooth settings on the device you want to listen to.

If you run into any additional technical difficulties with your AirPods, you can always try a reset.

Source: LifeHacker – Here’s How to Connect Your AirPods to a MacBook

Learning often requires taking different risks, whether it’s the willingness to try something new or trying after a failed attempt. For children, it’s this process of learning how to take risks and becoming comfortable with failure that can help them grow and develop. But encouraging them to take these risks, even when it’s scary and uncomfortable, can be a difficult task for parents. As research is showing, the willingness of a child to take risks in learning can depend on what their relationship with their parents look like.

Taking risks while learning  

In a recent study, conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, children who viewed their parents as being reliable were more willing to take risks while learning. In this study, which included more than 150 children, participants were asked questions about their home environment, which included their relationship with their parents, after which they were asked to play a series of games.  

Children who viewed their parents as being more reliable, which included answering yes to questions such as whether they could count on them to pick them at specific times, follow through on their promises, or predict their reaction to different situations, were more likely to take risks during the games.  

“The children from more stable backgrounds, they play around and experiment in our games. They use that to get a sense of how things work, maybe earning them more money or more points,” said Seth Pollak, a psychologist at University of Wisconsin-Madison and the lead researcher on the study, in a press release.  

Having parents who are seen as reliable can be thought of as a buffer for children, one that gives them the security to take risks and explore. “If you trust your parent is there, you trust the reliability and the stability, it allows you to venture off and come back,” says Sarah Greenberg, executive director of behavior change and expertise for Understood.org, which is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting people with learning differences. “It’s almost like this internalized feeling of a safety net.” 

It’s this sense of reliability and predictability that gives kids the sense that it’s okay to take risks and to fail, as they have a parent at home that they can count on, who will be there to support them.  

Look for patterns of behavior

Creating a supportive learning environment for your child often includes identifying what they struggle with and what they need. One way to do that is to track certain behaviors over time, looking for patterns. “Your child can’t necessarily tell you what they need, but they are often showing you,” Greenberg says.  

For example, if your child is consistently having a meltdown after school, that could be a sign that they are overwhelmed or overstimulated from the school day, and need some extra time to decompress before starting their homework. Other behaviors could include refusals to do something, such as writing with a pencil or doing their math homework, which may be a sign they are struggling in specific areas.  

Small, consistent routines make a difference

Oen way to create consistency and reliability, even when swamped with all of the day-to-day demands of raising a family, is to develop small, but consistent routines with your child. “One positive routine can be a really good starting point,” Greenberg says.  

In terms of these routines, it’s less about how big or time-consuming they are, and more about their predictability. For example, it could be making the effort to give them 10 minutes of undivided attention when they come home from school, making it a habit to play LEGOs with them every Friday evening, or a predictable bedtime routine. “Ten or 20 minutes of consistent, positive attention can make such a world of difference,” Greenberg says.  

The key is to make it consistent and enjoyable, to give your child a sense that their parents are there for them. “It’s not about the rigidity, it’s really about the solidity, that the child feels the ground beneath them,” Greenberg says.  

Source: LifeHacker – To Become Adventurous Learners, Kids Need Routine