New Front Entry Door - March 2026

Background

We had our house exterior repainted about two years ago. The stucco painting went well but not so for the south-facing fiberglass front entry door. The new paint poorly adhered to the door, resulting in numerous paint blisters. The paint contractor was terrific at handling repainting of the door. However, after three different attempts at repainting, the blisters continued to occur after each repriming and repainting. The contractor had tried Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore paints in the hope of avoiding the blister results. This door faces the south and experiences direct rain in the winter and hot sun in the summer.

 

The paint contractor offered a fourth and last repainting effort but acknowledged different paint compositions over time have made painting a fiberglass door more challenging. Apparently, other area painting contractors have had issues with re-painting fiberglass doors. Our painting contractor no longer recommends repainting weather-facing fiberglass doors and will not warranty such entry door painting.

What to Do?

The painting contractor suggested a longer term solution could be door replacement and avoiding repainting a new front entry door. At this point, we decided that this would be our best solution, but the next question was which door manufacturer to select - ProVia, Anderson, Pella, Therma-Tru, or Marvin? Another alternative was to visit our local Home Depot. Ultimately. ProVia was our choice as its Signet doors have a 15 year warranty on its manufacturer finishes and lifetime warranty for door frame integrity. No other door manufacturer offered this warranty. ProVia is located in Ohio and manufactures doors, windows, siding, stone facia and roof materials..

We were impressed by the following ProVia painted entry door features:

• Self adjusting threshold
• Hardware strike stile
• Dove-tailed stiles and rails
• Insulated foam core
• Hardwood door internal edging
• Four ball-bearing hinges
• 5-ply finish process, with oven-cured multiple paint coatings
• Energy Star Certification

With a 96 inch tall front entry door, ProVia requires a multi-point locking mechanism. This is a traditional center lock accompanied by a similar locking device at the top and bottom of the door. Thus, there are three points securing the door to the doorframe. This locking mechanism enhances door security but also helps to engage the tall door into the door frame when locked and ensure weather sealing. Moreover, the ball-bearing door hinges are supported on non-hinge vertical side when the tall (and heavy) entry door is locked. Multi-point locking systems are now able to be integrated with digital locks. Thus, you can have a single digital smartlock, integrated with a back-up key lock, controlling all three locking mechanisms. 

Our new door was manufactured by ProVia with a PanoLock Plus multi-point lock, new handset, digital smartlock and a new peep viewer.  We ordered all entry door components (and component installation) from ProVia. This approach preserves the warranty coverage as the installer did not drill additional holes in the door. Our door contractor was a local ProVia certified installer. 

Source: Enduraproducts.com

The primary downside of selecting a ProVia door is the cost. ProVia fiberglass front entry door are expensive. Our selected front entry door (presently the top-tier ProVia fiberglass door offering) does not have glass panels and we have no entry door sidelights. Nonetheless, the cost of the new door, multipoint lock, new handles, digital lock and labor for old door removal and new door installation can easily run $10k (depending on door size, finish and hardware). This could be twice as much as the purchase and installation of a Home Depot entry door.  It took one installer about seven hours to remove and install the new door, with new interior three-inch door casings.

We will not repaint this ProVia door in the future and accept possible fading over time.  We've learned from our exterior painting experience.

Note: I received no compensation from ProVia or Endura for this post.

Updated Water Leak Detection - January 2026

Background

An undetected water leak in an unattended house can result in one of the most expensive household repairs. About ten years ago, I installed a central water leak monitor for my residence and about eight remote sensors. The remote sensors detected water on the floor and notified the central monitor in the house. The central monitor, connected to my landline, would then call my mobile number and indicate the sensor location reporting a leak. The central monitor could be configured to call out to multiple phones. This system worked flawlessly over ten years and did not have any recurring costs, other than sensor batteries.

We recently decided to terminate our landline service and just rely on our mobile phones. This anticipated change meant the landline-based leak monitor would no longer be able to call out.

Search for New Water Leak Detection System

I started looking for a replacement leak detection system and came across the Firstalert L1 WiFi Water Leak and Freeze Detector. Each remote detector communicates over WiFi to a central app. When a water leak or excess humidity is detected, the app sends text messages and emails to the registered homeowners (and other enrolled contacts). All configuration is performed using the app. There is no physical central hub to purchase and install - which was one of the primary features I was seeking. 

Source: Firstalert.com

Benefits:

• The FirstAlert system permits me to drop my landline. 
• There is no cost for app download or a monthly/annual subscription app fee.
• The remote sensors are easy to configure.
• Each remote has an adjustable temperature setting, which permits setting the temperature for a freeze alert. 
• Each remote has an adjustable humidity alert setting. This is needed for high humidity sensor placements, such as in a bathroom/shower area.
• The remote sensors are small and, in most cases, do not need to use the supplied cord. The cord is only required as a sensor extension. The remote is able to detect leaks without a cord.
• The app provides a date and time history of leak and high humidity detection.
• Customer service quickly replaced a remote sensor that failed a leak test upon setup.
• My homeowners insurance provides a discount for use of at least two leak detection sensors.  

Downsides: 

• The system is dependent on WiFi communication and electricity for Internet connectivity.
• The cost of an individual Firstalert leak sensor is $68, though I was able to reduce sensor cost by purchasing multiple sensor units through my home insurance partner. 
• It is unknown if app use will remain free.
• It is unknown if and when the app will reach an end-of-life date. This could be a serious issue.
• Each sensor uses two AA batteries that will need to be periodically replaced. I place a "battery installation" date label on each sensor to help remind me to proactively change the batteries in 18 months. This battery issue was similar to the previous leak detection central monitor and sensors. Note, I place a similar battery installation date label on my smoke alarms - I really dislike having a dead smoke detector battery alert going off in the middle of the night.

The new leak detection system has been running for a few months without issue. I'm still uncomfortable with the leak detection systems that can shut off the household water supply upon leak detection. Our house has ceiling fire sprinklers. I wouldn't want the fire sprinkler water supply inadvertently shut off or incur additional plumbing alterations to prevent this from happening.

Note: I received no compensation from FirstAlert for this posting.

Genealogy Research - May 2024

For some time, I've wondered about my family roots. My parents and grandparents didn't discuss
their relatives in Japan to any great extent and over two generations, all communication was lost with my grandparents' family in Japan.

My research started with an account on Ancestry.com. I was surprised at the amount of historical records that are available from this site. I found that I could build a family tree but, with my existing family knowledge, only with some first generation family US immigrants and most second and third generation family members. Ship passenger registries, census records, telephone directories, birth, death and marriage information, high school yearbooks and news articles available on Ancestry helped me to collect some missing information.

First Step

The realization that I had a copy of my paternal grandparent's Japan passport was an "eureka moment." These documents allowed the identification of the town or village office (Honseki or registered domicile) that most likely processed the Japanese passports and also held official genealogy registry records. Since 1867, Japan law required vital records, such as birth, death, marriage, adoption information to be collected and maintained in a local registry office in a document called a "Koseki Tohon." Identifying the office that processed the passport was key to finding the Koseki document. Of course, WWII damage to registry offices, office consolidations and local record retention practices can make finding a family Koseki challenging.

Second Step

Sample Koseki

Once I learned the passport could help to retrieve the family Koseki registry, the question was how to go about requesting a copy. While I could send a postal letter to the office location identified in the Japan passport, I had no idea if this registry office still existed or moved. Moreover, I couldn't read the passport (or office location) as I don't have Japanese language skills. Nor could I write a letter in the Japanese language requesting a Koseki registry, with the requisite proof of my relation to the Koseki household(s). As an additional hurdle, I learned that handwritten registry entries could use Kanji characters that are no longer commonly used (there are 50,000 known characters). This could require some additional expert translation assistance.

The answer to this quandary was to engage a genealogist in Japan to assist confirming the registry office and collecting the Koseki copy. Japan has several organizations that can help perform these tasks. Possible assistance sources include Family Search and the Association of Genealogists. I engaged Koichi Muro, in Hiroshima, to represent me for collecting the Koseki and property record.  As we later identified related households, four Koseki registries were ultimately retrieved. Mr. Muro services include finding people, retrieving Koseki registries, researching Japan property records, translation services and assisting your Japan travel arrangements.

I had to provide Mr. Muro with a copy of my grandparent's Japanese passport, a document confirming my family relationship to the holders of the passport and a US notarized form authorizing Mr. Muro to work in Japan on my behalf.

Once I received the Koseki copies and property records, I asked a local Buddhist minister to help me translate the documents. This translation was a terrific help and essential to family tracing - and done without a fee. I made a financial donation to the church and gave a gift to the Reverend to reflect my appreciation. Mr. Muro could also have performed the translation services but I was trying to control my costs - which are described at the end of this blog entry. In addition, I thought it would be more convenient to have local translation assistance for subsequent Koseki questions.

It took about 3.5 months for registries and property record to be collected and translated into English. If you're thinking I could have used Google Translate, I found it didn't work very well. Koseki entries on a registry document can be crossed out when an individual marries, dies or is adopted (or after other major life changes that causes the family member to move to another Koseki household). Google Translate would often get confused when cross-out marks or stray pen marks overlaid a Kanji character. I learned that Kanji characters are not phonetic and can be interpreted with different translated meanings. Google Translate only provides one interpretation with no hint of an alternative. Finally, how you cut and paste a Kanji image to Google Translate can alter the resulting translation. To solve the issue of accurately translating and pronouncing names from Kanji characters, starting in 2025, new entries in a Koseki will include name pronunciation.   

Third Step

With new information from the translated documents, I was able to add many names, birth dates, marriages, divorces, children, adoptions and, sometimes, death dates into the family tree I was building on Ancestry.com. My family tree now has about 150 family members, from the late 1700s to 2024. I shared this updated family tree with my relatives. Note that I did not have similar passport documents for my maternal grandparents and, thus, for now the tree is somewhat sparse on this family tree branch.

Final Step

The property record allowed me to learn if my ancestors were reflected as previous property owners in the region reflected by their passports. I requested Mr Muro to help in reaching out to a likely family member that was listed in the retrieved property record. It might be possible for my wife and I to meet my relatives when we visit Japan in 2025. It would be interesting to learn more about my family history. As an update, we were able to initiate communication with my Japan relatives. They live at the same residential address as my great grandfather.  We will spend a day visiting my relatives in 2025.

Costs

When my research is over, I anticipate the cost of the four month investigation will total at least $750. While some of the registry retrieval could have been done by me, I suspect the time would have easily extended to six to eight months and subject to a number of errors and misdirection. I'm fairly confident that the information I've collected is accurate and retrieved without extraordinary delay. If you're fluent in the Japanese language or have friends/relatives with this skill, you could conduct this research without professional assistance. For me, I found the above process well worth my time and expense.

Suggestions

If you're considering similar genealogy research in Japan, I suggest watching the introductory videos prepared by Marty Wolf as a first step. Marty also hosts a website with additional information on Koseki research. This web content is helpful but is more instructional rather than offering personal assistance. If you want to start a Koseki search and have no idea as to which registry office to contact, you could start here, using a Japan city, town or village from which your family originally resided.

  

   

 

 

Volvo V60 Recharge Polestar Engineered (T8) in the Garage - July 2023

What a long name for a car model! 

In late April 2023, the Volvo V60 we ordered in December 2022 finally arrived in San Francisco from Sweden. Its arrival date coincided with a $7,500 price reduction for a lease brokered by Volvo Car Financial Services. This seemed like a good offer and for the first time we leased a car instead of a straight purchase.

The V60 joined our Polestar 2 EV in the garage. We already had a Chargepoint Flex EVSE installed and the EVSE charging cable was long enough to reach both cars while in the garage.

What is a V60 Recharge Polestar Engineered Car?

This plug-in hybrid electrical vehicle (PHEV), with both electrical motor and internal combustion engine, has limited distribution in the US. An estimated 280 Model Year 2023 V60 Recharge vehicles will be delivered to the US (2024s are now being delivered to the US). Hence, you'll rarely find one on a dealer lot for general sale as just about all have been pre-ordered by customers. The V60's 455HP and 525 ft-lb torque are produced from the combination of a turbo-charged four cylinder and a rear electric motor. The V60 can be driven as an all battery vehicle, hybrid or high performance sport wagon. In this last setting, the V60 can reach 0 to 60 in about 4.2 seconds.

To handle this power, the all-wheel drive Volvo V60 has large gold colored Brembo front brakes with 16 inch slotted rotors. The V60 also has manually adjustable Ohlin dampers at front and rear and additional special suspension components. The Ohlin dampers can be adjusted to a stiff setting for track use or a more comfortable setting for daily driving. 

The V60 in the US comes standard with many features that are often options for other car models. The only items that can be ordered include color and some optional accessories (e.g., luggage cover, cargo liner). 

An informative review is available from the March issue of Car and Driver.

We decided to pay off the lease early and avoid the monthly lease payments. This process was simple and required one visit to the local DMV office to pay California and city sales tax and owner and smog transfer fees.

Fuel Economy

With charging the Volvo V60 on a regular basis (45-48 mile battery range), and using the battery only for local trips and hybrid for mixed city/freeway over 50 miles, I'm seeing about 44-48mpg. That is pretty good for a 4,500 pound high-performance "wagon" that seats five and is about 188 inches long. The vehicle qualifies as a California Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) and can be driven in high-occupancy lanes during commute times. As a CAV, the V60 receives some limited bridge and highway toll discounts. 

From Car and Driver, March 2023

 

EVs and PHEVs - January 2023

We've been pleased with our 2022 Polestar 2 electrical vehicle. For those unfamiliar with this EV, Polestar was the performance division of Volvo before separating into an electrical vehicle company. Polestar and Volvo (and Lotus) are now owned by Geeley. We use the Polestar for local trips and, with our expanded solar panel array, we easily re-charge the Polestar battery without additional PG&E costs.

Our experience with our Audi A5 was very good until fall 2022. In September, the SOS warning system no longer functioned and repeatedly blasted a loud alarm every minute. The alarm stopped after a month - not sure if the alarm mechanism is now broken. Shortly afterwards, the A5 lost Bluetooth capability (no mobile phone services), GPS became inoperative as the map now wanders over oceans and mountains while we reside in town and the sign recognition service only works sometimes. Apple CarPlay provides an alternate GPS service but the Audi issue prevents any CarPlay calling out or receiving calls for mobile phone service. The mobile phone will ring through CarPlay but it can't be answered until the driver pulls over to use the actual phone. It seems the problem also caused the interior microphone to become unresponsive. The dealer told us a telecom module has most likely failed. It has been almost four months of waiting for the part to be delivered from overseas. Rumor says the failing part is waiting for manufacture in Ukraine - so there's that issue, as well. There were about 10,000 2020 Audi vehicles delivered just in the US that use this telecom module. From what I've read, other Audi model lines also use the same or similar failing part. Audi Customer Service indicated that 2,400 new modules were manufactured in December for 'world' distribution. (Update: In late January 2023, warranty repairs were made that seem to address the mentioned problems. We're watching for any relapses.)

The above situation and interest in reducing our gasoline use has led me to consider a PHEV - a plug-in hybrid electrical vehicle. More specifically, I've focused on a Volvo V60 Polestar Engineered (PE) Recharge AWD model. This is an estate car or, alternately, referred to as a 'wagon.' We've owned two SUVs in the past but I now prefer a lower riding auto that has additional carrying capability.  This car is the same length as our Audi hatchback. The V60 seems to offer a great combination of power, interior space, comfort, 74MPGe and all wheel drive. The V60 PE Recharge is a very fast Volvo - which is unusual to many. This vehicle has almost a 50 mile range for running solely on electrical power. With careful driving, owners report an overall 45-55mpg. l've been told that there may be only 200 V60 PE PHEV estate models allocated for US delivery for 2023. This creates somewhat of a challenge for locating and purchasing this model. If we proceed with this purchase, the V60 will be the third Volvo we've owned over 40 years. Our first Volvo (245) still drove nicely for 14 years (though long-term maintenance became costly). Presently, we have a 2023 V60 PE Recharge reservation for an early summer delivery - presuming we lose confidence in the Audi and decide to sell it.

A Few Backyard Pandemic Photos - July 2021

This spring, I updated my DSLR to a mirrorless digital camera. Here are a few images taken from around the yard. I still need to get out more and increase my experience using the new camera. 

Sago Palm Flower

Pink Super Moon

 

New Pellet Smoker on Order - September 2020

 

Sheltering in place has meant more cooking at home. Although we have visited our local restaurants for take-away, our last on-site dining was probably six months ago.  

For the last nine months, I've been smoking meat and vegetables on a Traeger Jr Elite pellet grill. The grill was a gift and well enjoyed. For the most part, the grilling results have been very good. The few issues have been variance from the set temperature (25-60F), difficultly maintaining lower temperatures (200-225F) and smaller smoking capacity. I found the Jr Elite requires more hands-on monitoring rather than a "set and forget" attitude. We've enjoyed using the Traeger for chicken, salmon, tri-tip, pork ribs, potatoes, roasted vegetables and, yes, even candied bacon. The Jr Elite is about 65 pounds, can hold 8 pounds of pellets and offers 300 square inches of grill space.

In a few weeks, we should receive a RECTEQ RT-590 grill. While only one size up from the smallest RECTEQ pellet grill, the RT-590 pellet smoker, as pictured above with a competition cart, is close to 220 pounds. The pellet hopper has a 30 pound (about 30 hour) capacity. Stainless steel construction is primarily responsible for the greater weight. The RT-590 is uses 304 stainless steel for the smoking chamber, heat deflector, drip pan and grates The grill also offers 592 square inches of grill space. In addition, the competition cart base adds heft as well as durability and easier maneuverability. One of the features that attracted me to this pellet grill is the PID temperature controller which can help to reduce wide temperature swings. Nonetheless, this is not an electric oven and cooking with wood and fire always brings some temperature fluctuations. The key is how quick the chamber temperature can return to the original setting. While I tend to monitor my grills - whether pellet or gas - the RT-590 includes remote WiFi control.

Stay tuned for updates on our fall pellet smoker grilling. I'm thinking about a spatchcock chicken for my first grill use.

Projects While Travel is Curtailed - September 2020

Solar Panel Cleaning

If you're residing in California this fall, you are likely used to seeing lots of ash and dust in the air.  The many fires have caused local air quality to remain unhealthy for several days in a row. The past two days have finally been low in particulate counts and we've been able to exercise outdoors. 

About a month ago, we scheduled our solar panels to be cleaned this past week. The above photo shows how much ash had accumulated on our solar panels and the difference after rinsing. Our local window washing company uses a soft brush and clean water to rinse the solar panels. This approach avoids the use of any harsh chemicals and ensures no solar panel damage from cleaning. Of course, we don't know how long the air will remain reasonably ash-free. In the past, our solar production improved about 20 percent after cleaning heavily soiled solar panels. As a side benefit, cleaning the panels helps a local business in these tough economic times. I suppose as a homeowner I could do this cleaning but, frankly, my days of climbing on the roof are in the past. I've heard of too many stories of acquaintances falling off the roof or from ladders.

Re-Landscaping the Front Yard

With our travel curtailed, we decided to use the time at home for some yard work. Originally, we had plans for changing our front walkway and plantings since late 2019. The original walkway had two steps to the sidewalk and we wanted a gradual sloping walkway. The plants were installed by the original building contractor and was not particularly creative nor unique from any other house in the development.

With the pandemic upon us, the actual work had to be postponed from spring 2020 to fall 2020. With a local landscaping company performing the very heavy workload of removing and replacing the concrete walkway, moving large boulders and a large planter into place, adding topsoil, removing and adding new plants and adding bark and pebbles, the project is finally done. The front yard looks great and maintenance should remain minimal. When travel restarts, we prefer not to have a lot of yard maintenance facing us upon return.

The steps were removed from the walkway

The pebbles will keep the bark from floating onto the sideway during heavy rain.

Another Trip Postponed 

We were scheduled for a March 2021 cruise to Hawaii. With the recent increase of COVID-19 infections in Hawaii and possibility of limited access to Hawaiian ports, we decided to move this to later 2021. Whether the trip will depart as scheduled remains questionable, but March seemed just too unlikely. 

Cooking for Summer - 2019

With our next international trip not until Fall, we've been experimenting with trying to recreate some of the foods we had in Japan as well as past travel. We recently added an Instant Pot to our kitchen and are using it where recipes permit. We're somewhat late to the Instant Pot crowd, but for those still on the sidelines, the Instant Pot is an electrical cooker that can be used as a pressure cooker, steamer, sauté pan, slow cooker and warmer. For many dishes, the Instant Pot can be used as the sole cooking pan/pot - which is convenient when it comes to cleaning up.

We had a stovetop pressure cooker, but we never used it. The Instant Pot seems easier to use with digital controls and numerous safety features to prevent excessive or insufficient pressure, prevent food scorching and control temperature. One of the greatest advantages that we've found with the Instant Pot is the reduced amount of time devoted to actual cooking. Preparation time is likely about the same regardless of cooking method.

As examples of the time savings, we made split pea soup over 20 minutes of cook time, baby back ribs with an Asian inspired glaze in 30 minutes of cook time and a beef bolognese in 40 minutes of cook time. Without using a pressure cooker, the split peas would have required overnight soaking and 60-90 minutes of simmering.

If you haven't yet used an Instant Pot, I recommend considering the advantages. Amazon has about the lowest Instant Pot prices, along with Costco. The six quart size seems most convenient for us as we enjoy leftovers. Our next Instant Pot dishes will be a risotto (no continuous stirring!) and Coq au Vin.

Several of my favorite "go-to" recipes have been collected and tested from the following online sources:

• justonecookbook.com, Namiko (Nami) Hirasawa Chen
• seriouseats.com, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

Monitor and Record Activity at Your Front Door via A Ring Video Doorbell

Back in July 2016, I posted my independent review of the installation and use of a Ring Pro Video Doorbell on this blog.  This device was pretty easy to install and the operation provides an additional security measure. It's handy to be able to use the Ring smartphone app to record or monitor motion at your door. The app will also permit you to speak to the person ringing the doorbell when you're busy and can't reach the door in time or when you're away from your house. During the holidays, the Ring Video Doorbell can record motion from any package delivery or, alternatively, package theft activity. Keep in mind that if the package delivery is made outside of camera range or the individual is extremely quick and/or obfuscates appearance there is a limit to how much video the Ring device can capture.

In addition, any recording from your front door could be a valuable tool that helps law enforcement identify possibly criminal activity in your neighborhood - which translates into a safer community for all of us.

Ring recently contacted me and authorized me to offer a $25 discount to readers that are interested in installing a Ring video doorbell.  Below is the offer that is valid until December 31, 2016. UPS ground shipping is free with this offer. Orders can be made directly at the Ring website.

Review of Ring Pro Video Doorbell - 2016 (updated 2019 & 2025)

Update November 2025: I just replaced my Ring Doorbell with the latest Doorbell Pro model. Why? The rubber cover that is pressed to activate the doorbell cracked from nine years of brutal summer sun. The rubber cover can be replaced with some effort but I noticed a replacement unit was on sale. Are there other security doorbells to consider? Yes - but I have three other Ring exterior cameras and one interior camera. So, I've already committed to storage for my five Ring devices. 

Update (July 14, 2016): After a few additional weeks of using the Ring Pro, I noticed a way to adjust motion detection sensitivity.  Creating an extremely small motion detection zone in a critical viewing area greatly reduced my false motion detection alerts and still provided accurate motion detection reporting.

Background

Recently, burglars broke into my neighbor’s house during the mid-day hours. Apparently, after receiving no response from a door knock or doorbell ring, the culprits kicked in the front door and proceeded to ransack the residence. Given my frequent travel schedule, this incident prompted me to consider how to better protect my home, beyond the existing centrally monitored alarm system.

Over the past month, I added two additional home security components – an exterior motion detection enabled camera and a Ring Pro video doorbell ($249, Amazon). Admittedly, there is some feature overlap between these two security devices as both support a smartphone app that receives alerts when either monitoring system is triggered as well as offer cloud storage of video clips. 

This review is focused on the features and operation of the Ring Pro video doorbell. The Ring Pro, released by Ring.com in April 2016. The developers of the Ring Pro have several years of video doorbell experience, beginning with the release of the "Doorbot" in 2013 and the subsequent "Ring" video doorbell release in 2014. 

Update: In 2018, I replaced my exterior motion detection camera with a Ring Spotight Cam (wired). This camera  monitors my rear patio door area. All Ring products are working fine and managed by a single smartphone app.

What does Ring Pro do?

The Ring Pro replaces your standard residential doorbell with a slim device (4.5 x 1.85 x 0.8 inches) that can send an alert to an app on your Apple, Android or Windows 10 device when someone either rings your doorbell or enters into the video doorbell’s custom motion detection zone. The captured video clips can be stored on Ring cloud servers. If you choose this subscription storage service, the cost is $3 per month or $30 per year. 

Ring Pro Hardware Installation

Installation of this video doorbell is straight forward. A prerequisite is an existing hard-wired doorbell chime. Your chime serves as a power source. The Ring Pro does not use replaceable batteries.

Upon opening the box, I noted that:

• All components and installation tools are in the box.
• Four faceplates with different finishes are included so that you can customize the exterior appearance of the doorbell.
• Instructions in the box are clearly written and installation videos are available.
• A telephone support line and online support chat function are both available.

I suspect the most challenging installation step for most purchasers will be installation of the provided “Pro Power” kit into their existing transformer-powered wall door chime.  This installation requires removal of the chime cover after temporarily turning off the electricity to the door chime. With the chime cover removed, you attach two wires from the Pro Power kit to the internal chime connections for the front doorbell and to the transformer. While the “Pro Power” kit is small, I mounted the kit on the outside of the door chime cover with the supplied double-mount tape. There was little additional interior space within my door chime to permit me to place the kit in the chime enclosure and still replace the chime cover.

Mounting the Ring Pro doorbell to my exterior wall simply required me to remove the two screws used to mount the existing doorbell. As I reused one of the existing mounting wall holes, I only needed to drill one additional hole in the wall to mount the Ring Pro.

Ring Pro App Installation and Final Setup

Once the Ring Pro video doorbell was connected and “Pro Power” kit installed in the door chime, I attempted to complete the last installation step. This step required the download of the Ring video doorbell app from iTunes, Google Play or the Microsoft Store for Windows10. 

After app installation, there was a connectivity test between the video doorbell and the app running on my Nexus 6P cell phone (2018: replaced Nexus with iPhone). The initial test failed. I called Ring technical support and was advised to reset both my WIFI router and the Ring Pro doorbell. The setup communication error was still present and support recommended that I then install the app on my Nexus 9 tablet and reattempt the final wireless communication test. This bypass worked and I was then able to receive doorbell and motion detection alerts on my Nexus 6P phone, iPhone, Nexus 9 tablet and iPad. I am still not sure of why this initial problem occurred as I was running the most current Android flavor (Marshmellow, 6.01) - at that time - on both Nexus devices and the then current version of the Ring Android app. The communication error may have also been related to the strength of my WIFI reception at the front door. 

I found Ring’s telephone and online chat technical support functions required little wait time and the guidance was both helpful and clear. Ring also provides installation videos that can help guide you through each step of the installation process.

Performance

The distance between my front door doorbell location and wireless router extended beyond the 25 to 30 feet limit recommended by Ring - in fact, the distance was almost double. Thus, my Ring Pro installation experienced some intermittent voice and video quality issues likely related to poor WIFI bandwidth at the doorbell. The video capture after the doorbell was generally very good but the sound quality was poor. Real-time video and audio function (LiveView) was choppy and inoperative at times.

After consultation with Ring technical support, I ordered and installed a wireless range extender (Netgear EX2700, $30 on Amazon) near the downstairs front door. My intention was to increase the reach of the upstairs WIFI router. The EX2700 was one of two WIFI range extenders that Ring has tested with its video doorbells. My below comments reflect testing with use of the WIFI extender.

Doorbell function: When the doorbell button is pushed, Ring Pro triggers a chime located in the doorbell and informs the Ring app of a doorbell ring. About two seconds later, the wall doorbell chime rang. The app permitted me to either remotely answer the doorbell using the app's video and audio function or, if unanswered, I could capture a video from the doorbell location. Once a video is captured, I could view it later and/or download the video to my computer or tablet.

The extender greatly improved doorbell WIFI reception and video and audio quality within the app when devices in the house were used to respond to doorbell rings or motion detection events. However, audio quality sometimes broke up when using the Ring app on my cell phone to respond to a doorbell ring or motion detection from a distant location. This audio issue is difficult to resolve as interference at the remote location, cellular service strength and/or quality of guest WIFI connectivity could contribute as problem sources. 


Motion detection: Multiple custom motion sensing zones can be established and monitored by Ring Pro. However, it is not possible to adjust the motion detection sensitivity. My external security camera has this adjustment function and it helps to reduce false motion detection from extraneous activity such as plants moving from wind, walkers or traffic. Lacking this sensitivity adjustment, false motion alarms do occur with the Ring Pro.

Motion detection, as well as the doorbell monitoring, can be individually enabled or disabled through the app.

LiveView: Real-time viewing at the exterior of the front door is a very useful feature as I used it to initiate a conversation with an individual at the door via the Ring app. Local video and audio reception quality of LiveView improves greatly after installation of the WIFI extender.

Day vs Night: The daylight video images were bright and clear. I noticed that my downloaded video clips indicated a 1280x720 resolution. It was not clear if the Ring Pro file export function reduces an actual 1080p video feed to a 720p downloadable clip. Evening infrared LED assisted video was grainy and less sharp than daylight video images.

Adding users: The Ring app permits you, as a doorbell  owner, to add/invite/revoke additional individuals to respond to Ring Pro alerts. This feature is particularly helpful for adding household members so that they can respond to doorbell or motion detection alerts. 

Integration Feature: During this evaluation, I did not attempt to integrate the Ring Pro doorbell with any other security device, such as a WIFI enabled door look mechanism or existing residential security system. It appears that such integration is possible with a limited number of vendor security solutions.

What’s the difference between the “Ring Pro” version versus the original "Ring" video doorbell?

This latest Ring product supports higher video quality(1080p HD video), both 2.5GHz and 5GHz wireless connectivity, provides a “LiveView” real-time video option, permits the establishment of a custom motion detection zone rather than a fixed zone, is a bit thinner and smaller than the original Ring video doorbell and requires connection to an existing hard-wired door chime mechanism as the “Pro” device lacks an internal rechargeable/replaceable battery. The Ring Pro offers significant enhancements over the Ring video doorbell.

Are there other 2019 wireless video doorbells to consider?

The market is becoming very competitive with several WIFI enabled video doorbell alternatives. I have not reviewed any of the other devices and am not sure how the Ring Pro compares to these units in respect to features, installation, operation, reliability nor ease of use. Looking through Amazon reviews, owners of of the below alternative video door bells report varying degrees of installation and/operational success:

• Arlo Video Doorbell
• August Doorbell Cam Pro
• eufy Security Wi-Fi Video Doorbell
• Nest Hello
• Remobell S Wi-Fi Video Doorbell Camera

Summary

Ring Pro, the latest iteration of Ring's video doorbell, appears to meet its feature specifications. As mentioned above, there were some audio challenges when I attempted to respond to a doorbell ring from a remote location via my smartphone. These difficulties required me to verbally repeat my audio responses. There are several possible contributors to this problem, so Ring firmware/software/hardware components or the Ring app may not be the primary problem - hard to tell without detailed code review or inspection of network communication. Finally, the Ring Pro's motion detection does produce false positives that a motion sensitivity adjustment, if available, could likely reduce. For this reason, I favor the combination of Ring Pro's doorbell function with my standalone motion detection camera.

Overall, I recommend the Ring Pro as a well performing video doorbell solution - as long as you have sufficient WIFI upload bandwidth at the doorbell location (3 to 4 Mbps). Less bandwidth could lead to unstable video and audio functions and suggests the need for a WIFI extender. Over time, I firmware and app enhancements have made this a stronger product in a crowded marketplace.

Suggested considerations for product Improvements, include:

• Sensitivity adjustment for motion detection to help avoid false alerts.
• An adjustment for the vertical video capture zone. The default viewing zone is a fairly broad. However, when the doorbell is mounted on horizontal exterior siding with overlapping slats, there is a possibility of the camera view being tipped up a bit. The capability to adjust the video camera view angle could be helpful for some installations.
• A setting to permit scheduling of wall doorbell chime monitoring. This would allow the chime sound to be disabled when a household member wants to sleep during a regularly occurring timeframe. At this time, the app provides only a single setting to enable or disable the doorbell chime.    
• Improved doorbell monitoring from remote locations.

Note that my review did not specifically review the security protocols used by Ring Pro. A more detailed security evaluation would require substantial resources to complete.

Rear Camera View

 

Acknowledgement 

Ring provided a Ring Pro evaluation unit to me at no charge. However, Ring did NOT have any influence on the content of this review. In addition, all contact with Ring's technical support was done without identifying myself as a product reviewer. 

Making Headboards

While I enjoy traveling, I've been spending some of my spare time on household projects. One project has been building headboards for two guest rooms.

(c) 2014, R. Ono

On the right is my first effort which used a faux suede fabric. The lack of a design on the fabric made
the project fairly easy. The headboard is free standing. It is hung on the wall via a French cleat picture hanger. The cleat is anchored to a wall stud for further strength.

This project is fairly easy. It requires half inch interior plywood (grade B or C), a foam pad, batting material, adhesive spray glue, heavy duty thread to mount the buttons and a 7/8 inch fabric covered button kit. The only tools required are a tape measure, electric drill, heavy duty stapler and a level for mounting. To reduce the cost of the foam, I used a foam mattress topper, with the egg crate portion glued against the plywood.  The most time consuming task is aligning the buttons so that they are vertically and horizontally straight. 

(c) 2014, R. Ono

My second headboard project was again a full size headboard but the fabric had a more pronounced design. The fabric required a bit more attention to ensure the design remained straight. We had some left over fabric for my wife to make a couple of pillow bolsters. This headboard is shown at the left unmounted. The eight fabric covered buttons are visually subtle as I used the background color for them 

The headboards are very comfortable for reading in bed. Previously, the guest bedroom in the first picture had a brass headboard. The brass headboard looked nice, but wasn't very practical. The 'brass pipes' on the headboard made it necessary to use a bunch of pillows for bed-time reading.