My son and his girlfriend are moving into their first apartment together. My husband and I are getting them a security system as a housewarming gift. My son's girlfriend is deaf, so I need to adapt the system to her needs. I checked through the threads here and did see talk of using a hub with wifi bulbs, but I'm kind of a newbie with "smart" technology. So I want to see if I understand how this all links together and if anyone has experience making this work as an alert system. I was a little surprised that neither the Ring forum, nor the Alexa forum seemed to address anything having to do with adapting to the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing. And contacting customer service is a bit of a joke.
The things I think need to be addressed are:
Knowing when someone is at the door (even when they don't use the doorbell) like for package deliveries.
Being alerted to the smoke detectors.
Being alerted to the security system notifications.
I have a Ring system at work, so I know a little about it. And since the kids really can't redo wiring in the apartment, it seems like an easy fit for that kind of setting.
My thought is that they could use a hub like Alexa with the Ring system (since it seems like they are designed to work best together).
I don't have the video doorbell, so what I don't know is if the motion detector actually gives you a notification on your phone. If it does, then great.
At work, we have a smoke detector "listener" from the Ring system, and we get notifications if the smoke detector goes off.
And of course there are notifications if the security system is triggered.
What I'm wondering is if Alexa could be set up to flash wifi bulbs in the house, when things like the doorbell motion detector, smoke alarm listener, and security system are triggered and send app notifications. I see that there are lights like Phillips Hue that even have multi-color capability. I'm thinking that since you would/should get app notifications for those things, that idea should work. I just don't know exactly how much a "hub" can actually do. I know his girlfriend would be able to feel her phone with those notifications, but flashing lights would help more.
For sleeping, I was thinking about the HomeAware alarm clock with bed shaker. I believe that by adding the cell phone transmitter, that would transmit all the Ring app notifications to the clock. I've seen the suggestion for using a smart watch for notifications when sleeping, but I get the feeling that she would prefer the bed shaker and flashing lights for notifications.
Let me know if you think I have the gist of how the hub, security system, and lights could work together, and if you think that would meet the needs of a deaf person. I naively assumed that my son's girlfriend would somehow magically know how this all works, but it seems that she is used to just "making do." But the mom in me is not okay with that. I want to get this right so they both feel secure.
I'm open to any suggestions. Thank you for your help.
The things I think need to be addressed are:
Knowing when someone is at the door (even when they don't use the doorbell) like for package deliveries.
Being alerted to the smoke detectors.
Being alerted to the security system notifications.
I have a Ring system at work, so I know a little about it. And since the kids really can't redo wiring in the apartment, it seems like an easy fit for that kind of setting.
My thought is that they could use a hub like Alexa with the Ring system (since it seems like they are designed to work best together).
I don't have the video doorbell, so what I don't know is if the motion detector actually gives you a notification on your phone. If it does, then great.
At work, we have a smoke detector "listener" from the Ring system, and we get notifications if the smoke detector goes off.
And of course there are notifications if the security system is triggered.
What I'm wondering is if Alexa could be set up to flash wifi bulbs in the house, when things like the doorbell motion detector, smoke alarm listener, and security system are triggered and send app notifications. I see that there are lights like Phillips Hue that even have multi-color capability. I'm thinking that since you would/should get app notifications for those things, that idea should work. I just don't know exactly how much a "hub" can actually do. I know his girlfriend would be able to feel her phone with those notifications, but flashing lights would help more.
For sleeping, I was thinking about the HomeAware alarm clock with bed shaker. I believe that by adding the cell phone transmitter, that would transmit all the Ring app notifications to the clock. I've seen the suggestion for using a smart watch for notifications when sleeping, but I get the feeling that she would prefer the bed shaker and flashing lights for notifications.
Let me know if you think I have the gist of how the hub, security system, and lights could work together, and if you think that would meet the needs of a deaf person. I naively assumed that my son's girlfriend would somehow magically know how this all works, but it seems that she is used to just "making do." But the mom in me is not okay with that. I want to get this right so they both feel secure.
I'm open to any suggestions. Thank you for your help.
