I check my email several times a day but the same cannot be said about my mailbox. Unlike my inbox, I rarely (if ever) receive mail that I’m excited to open. Instead, it’s usually only invoices and ads that would be better placed in your spam folder.
As a result, unopened mail tends to pile up in my mailbox. In fact, it got so bad a few years ago that the post office stopped delivering mail to my house. That’s when I realized I had to do something different and that’s why I did it I installed a smart sensor in my mailbox.
Maybe it was the weather or a reckless driver, but one day I walked out of the house to discover that my mailbox had fallen over. After examining things more closely, I realized it was time to create a brand new mailbox that would hold physical mail. It took some work but I was able to install my new mailbox. However, the old mailbox sensor was damaged and I had to get a new one to replace it.
If you have a hard time remembering to check mail yourself or just want a way to track when mail is delivered, here’s how I gave my mailbox the ultimate upgrade and added it to my mailbox Smart home.
Different type of motion sensors
If you already have a smart home, you’re probably familiar with it Motion sensors And know all about how to use it Turn on the lights Or launch other actions. The Ring Mailbox Sensor works in much the same way but is specifically designed to be placed inside your mailbox.
When I got my first ring mailbox sensor, I needed to get a Ring Bridge ($49, Amazon) to get work. Now thanks to Amazon Sidewalk, which works just like Apple’s Find My network, you no longer need one. However, if you don’t feel comfortable connecting your devices to Amazon’s low-bandwidth wireless network, you can use either the Ring Bridge or Ring Alarm Pro Base Station to add a Ring Mailbox sensor to your home network.
The Ring Mailbox sensor is powered by three AAA batteries and pairs with your smartphone through the Ring app. Depending on how often your mail is delivered, its batteries should last up to a year before they need to be replaced. If you are setting up a brand new Ring Mailbox Sensor, it may take a few minutes as several updates need to be installed before you can install it.
The second time is the charm
As I mentioned before, the Ring Mailbox Sensor comes with an antenna to help its signals reach other Amazon Sidewalk-enabled devices or your Ring Bridge. Installation is optional if you have a plastic mailbox instead of metal but I chose to install it anyway.
Installing your Ring Mailbox Sensor starts with drilling a hole in the back of your mailbox to place its antenna. Fortunately, Ring includes a large drill bit for this purpose in case you don’t have one on hand. Keep in mind that if you plan to use an antenna, you’ll want to drill a hole and run the cable before attaching the Ring Mailbox Sensor to the back of your mailbox.
The reason for this is that the antenna is attached to the back of the sensor and is not easily accessible once installed with tape. You also want to leave a little space on either side so you can easily detach the sensor when you need to change its batteries.
The antenna cable is about a foot long so you have enough room to place it on either side of your mailbox. Since I live on a cul-de-sac, I decided to place the antenna on the left side of my mailbox where it could be clearly seen. The antenna itself is made of black plastic but Ring gives you a sticker to put over it which looks nice but can also help deter porch pirates.
You’ve got mail
With the replacement Ring Mailbox sensor installed on my new mailbox, it was time to add it to my smart home. If you don’t have a smart home or aren’t interested in starting one, don’t worry as you’ll receive alerts from the Ring app when the sensor detects motion. However, the Ring Mailbox sensor is actually what got me started using Best Alexa speakers Before I eventually upgraded to Echo display 15.
As someone who grew up with AOL in the ’90s, my first thought was, “You’ve got mail,” here’s how to set it up.
If you have an Alexa-enabled smart speaker or one of Amazon’s best smart displays, you can easily integrate the Ring Mailbox sensor into your smart home. From getting a security camera log of when your mail arrives to turning on your porch lights, there’s a lot you can do with this little motion sensor. As someone who grew up with AOL in the ’90s, my first thought was, “You’ve got mail,” here’s how to set it up.
Once you’ve added the Ring Mailbox Sensor to the Alexa app, tap more In the lower right corner. Then press Plus icon To create a new routine and select Ring Mailbox Sensor after clicking on it Add an event Under Matthew. From here you have to choose discoverer option. under Alexa Willthen you need to select Alexa says Enter a phrase like “You’ve got mail.” Finally, you need to choose which smart speaker or smart display Alexa will speak from. To finish your routine, just tap Memorizes At the bottom.
With a routine like this, any time someone opens your mailbox, you’ll hear “I’ve got mail” on your favorite smart speaker or smart display. However, you can also ask Alexa to connect this line from your phone if you want.
Make mail fun again
Now, adding a smart sensor to your mailbox probably won’t change the type of mail being delivered to your home, but with the right Alexa routine, it might make receiving unwanted mail a little more exciting, especially if you’re a fan of the Tom Hanks movie And Meg Ryan. Even if you’re not, at least messages won’t pile up in your mailbox when you forget to check your mail.
I swear by the Ring Mailbox Sensor and I think it’s one of them Best smart home devices You can get. Not only is it inexpensive, it is also fairly easy to install and use. Likewise, it lets you turn a mundane task into something more interesting. Now that you no longer need to purchase a $50 bridge separately for it to work, the Ring Mailbox Sensor is almost a no-brainer if you’re a smart home enthusiast like me.
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