🟢 Get a free Ting warning device from your insurance company
This is a plug-in device that listens for potential electrical problems in your house and warns you before an electrical fire starts...
Everyone,
Last month I received an email from my homeowners insurance company about signing up for a free electrical warning device called Ting. So I called my local agent to see if this was a scam or a real offer. As far as I can tell it’s a real warning device with a free offer that’s paid for by a bunch of insurance companies.
What’s a Ting?
This is a small device that plugs into an unused electrical outlet in your house and connects to your home WiFi. It will warn you of any electrical arcing noises in your house wiring that could start a fire.
How does it work?
I talked to Ting tech support and it appears to operate on real engineering principles. By monitoring your home’s electrical voltage and listening for high-frequency noise, it can predict if there’s sparking that’s going on in your home’s electrical system. And that sparking is what causes many residential fires. So I ordered a free Ting through my insurance company and installed it last month. Here’s what the phone app shows.
Why is it free?
It appears that a number of home insurance companies are paying for this in order to reduce the number of house electrical fires. Contact your insurance agent and see if they offer one free. Find out more about getting a Ting HERE.
Will Ting work in your RV camper?
While Ting could potentially warn you about loose wiring in your RV that can arc and melt down, tech support said it’s not designed for RVs. However, they’re studying a future Ting that’s designed for RV use, and I’ve offered to be a Beta tester for that product. Please stand by for future updates.
Let’s play (and stay) safe out there… Mike
Terms from my insurance company when I started the enroll,ment process are that when insurance chooses to terminate program, I agree to continue a paid subscription to Ting service, unless I cancel and return the device. So free like a puppy that comes with one bag of dog food :-)
Another comment had a Q re data. Per terms I read (yes I’m one of those crazy people that reads all the terms of something before I click Agree), you agree to share your personal and insurance data, and all Ting data it collects, with both your insurance company and Ting. As a software engineer, I know all too well what an internet connected device is capable of collecting from my home network, and I don’t see why Ting needs to know what cars I have and whether I’ve ever replaced a broken windshield.
I’ve seen zero quantitative (or even qualitative) info about frequency of fires caused by this issue, that frankly never entered my consciousness before this post, so I can’t quantify the upside, and have some concerns on the downside.
It looks interesting, but I decided to pass and not press the final Enroll button.
I'm concerned with how much info/data someone else has access to and who they might sell or give that to. Big Brother and all. Any info on that aspect?