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AIBU?

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Original poster

Neighbours Ring doorbell

138 replies

Mumz3 · 17/09/2020 09:21

So I live in a block of flats and noticed earlier my neighbour has installed a Ring doorbell which directly faces my flat door. There’s a fire door between our flats so unless it’s open she won’t be recording my actual door all the time but as far as I know these doorbells record any motion they sense for 20/30 seconds? So she’s recording the communal close area whenever someone passes her door (which is very often because her flat is directly to the left of the main door) and I do have to walk past her door to get to the letterboxes or to take my bins out. She’ll inadvertently record anyone that comes to my flat thru the main door as well (so that’s everyone that visits me) and my son at primary school age will be recorded every time he goes to school and back. There is a back door to the flats that I can use but it means a detour round the car park to get to the letterbox or to go to the bin shed. Am I being unreasonable to want her to take the doorbell down?

OP posts:
Fantabulous1 · 17/09/2020 14:52

@Mumz3 do you have an external buzzer system to let people in from outside? If so, it wouldn't make any sense for your neighbour to have it on only when the doorbell is pressed as she/he would already know who is at the door.

The doorbell has red lights appear when it is in record mode. Keep an eye on it and you'll know that way if it is recording when you're around. As an FYI mine has started recording overnight from about 8pm to 8am regardless of motion (i think its a new feature)

Original poster
Mumz3 · 17/09/2020 15:02

@Fantabulous1 yes we do have a buzzer system but it’s just a phone not a camera. We do have spy holes on our doors as well tho so if someone did got let in by accident then u could also just double check before you opened the door

OP posts:
Cissyandflora · 17/09/2020 15:05

I’ve got one and I could watch 3 neighbours but honestly I never even look at it. If someone rings the bell then we look. If you think about it I’m sure on your school run and on the way to the shops you will be caught on camera many times. The posh houses all have cameras. I think my neighbours are unimpressed with mine but as above- it’s no different just because it’s a flat. And no one would watch just for the sake of it. I mean they could watch you through a door spy hole if they wanted.

Cissyandflora · 17/09/2020 15:06

And my first one was stolen by a neighbour who was angry that I had it.

unmarkedbythat · 17/09/2020 15:07

@Iminaglasscaseofemotion

And there's cctv all over the place. When you walk down the street and go into shops, you are being filmed. Whats the problem?
Lots and lots of people have raised this as a problem. Just because it's happening absolutely doesn't mean we are all ok with it. For some people the surveillance we are under is acceptable and makes them feel safer- that's certainly not the case for all of us.

The problem is I don't want to be filmed and recorded. Why should I be?

Cissyandflora · 17/09/2020 15:07

Ask me how I know who stole it

Terrace58 · 17/09/2020 15:16

The ring owner tailors the motion sensor zone. Ours tries to capture people approaching our door, but not cars driving by. So it may not actually be triggering on your movement depending on how the owner set it up.

My neighborhood is now covered by cameras. I’m happy about that. It meant I didn’t have to buy one for one side of my house because I knew the neighbors already had it covered. Plus if there is an incident we all check our cameras for any footage that might be useful. That is the culture of our neighborhood though. We are all mostly a bit high strung parents to growing children and things like a pumpkin getting taken from a porch and smashed or something eating someone’s cat are big news.

Cissyandflora · 17/09/2020 15:31

Something ate someone’s cat? You’re not highly strung to worry about that. That’s a pitchforks response.

Original poster
Mumz3 · 17/09/2020 15:33

@mummydoingamasters we live in a really good area (one I wouldn’t be able to afford to stay in if we rented privately). Obviously there is some crime but we’ve never been affected by any. If I see her I’ll say to her, we’ve had issues in the past but we’re on talking terms 😂 I just try to avoid her because It’s always gossip about someone.

OP posts:
mummydoingamasters · 17/09/2020 15:40

[quote Mumz3]@mummydoingamasters we live in a really good area (one I wouldn’t be able to afford to stay in if we rented privately). Obviously there is some crime but we’ve never been affected by any. If I see her I’ll say to her, we’ve had issues in the past but we’re on talking terms 😂 I just try to avoid her because It’s always gossip about someone.[/quote]
To be honest, I only have mine because we had it at our old house.

To us it's just a doorbell but I can see how others might think of it in as intrusive.

In our case, the opposite neighbour is the gossip 😂 if I go out I have to allow an hour just in case I get stuck 🤦🏻‍♀️

Original poster
Mumz3 · 17/09/2020 15:46

@Cissyandflora sorry but I don’t agree with the statement that no one would watch just for the sake of it. People are nosy and they probably would. I agree we get watched everywhere as it is and she could just watch thru her spy hole yes but she does have to leave the house to go to work etc and if someone was watching you thru their spy hole constantly it would be weird, the same as recording someone’s door constantly is weird imo

OP posts:
OneForMeToo · 17/09/2020 15:46

You are allowed to record in public area so your shared footpath issue isn’t an issue.

Inside a communal area within a flats isn’t a public area as such but it’s not a private area either so you would have to check.

To have cctv covering you need to display signs and have correct time stamps etc for it to be legal. We catch part of our neighbours garden and they catch ours we are all ok with it.

Just at the end of our little street is 5/6 houses with known cameras your just as likely to be caught by an outside camera entering your block as you are by the ring camera.

If you complain and it’s all legit though don’t expect any help if you ever need the footage I’d say.

SafeInBed · 17/09/2020 15:51

The problem is I don't want to be filmed and recorded. Why should I be?

You object to actual cctv in shops etc now too? Even when they can be used to catch criminals?

Original poster
Mumz3 · 17/09/2020 15:58

@mummydoingamasters yes I would be stuck having a conversation that I didn’t want to have for 30 minutes 😂
And @OneForMeToo I’m not sure about when it’s a public area either. So I can set up a live feed for my street then?

OP posts:
Cissyandflora · 17/09/2020 16:03

I do know what you mean. I just hope that my neighbours realise that I’m not watching them although in theory I could. I worried about it at first and then noticed all the cameras on the houses on the way to school. And they are the same. I feel like just because it’s flats it’s not seen as so acceptable. That’s what I’m getting at Really. Just because you’re not in a big house it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to keep your home secure. I don’t feel I’m harming my neighbours because I’m not watching them or recording. I’m just hoping more people get the doorbells really. Then we are all more secure. I def wouldn’t mind someone watching my comings and goings!

Cissyandflora · 17/09/2020 16:04

Sorry- that was for the OP. In reply

OneForMeToo · 17/09/2020 16:06

You can record outside of your boundary if you follow the laws. You can’t just sit and watch it all day however. You have to protect the information so you cant just invite Doris around to show her what amber has been upto etc.

Police have requested my footage a few times due to incidents in the road that my cameras catch outside of my boundary’s.

HolyForkinShirt · 17/09/2020 16:12

Ooh this is a tough one. I can see why they would want a ring doorbell for security, but your privacy is indeed invaded.

Maybe they are not suitable for a flat?

I would look positively, your flat is also being really protected at no cost to yourself.

Original poster
Mumz3 · 17/09/2020 16:13

@OneForMeToo ah is that to do with the data protection laws? Yeah and the thing is I don’t suppose u ever know for sure where any footage of u has ended up or who is watching it. I’m just not a fan of this big brother culture at all 😂 and i fully accept that the footage might be useful if my own flat were broken into but I’m just not willing to give up my privacy, or what’s left of it in exchange for that.

OP posts:
Danni91 · 17/09/2020 19:06

If you are that bothered that someone else clearly finds your life so interesting that you genuinely think shes recording all of yours and your childs daily moves.. then why not just buy one yourself and stare at it all day until you see the red dots pop up on hers? Or watch her as she takes her bins out? You can record her recording you 😁

Obviously you are not going to do that, right? Because no one does that.

Why do you think shes weird enough to do that?

Its a doorbell, you literally only check it when the door bell rings. (Usually if you are not home, if you are - its faster to use the spy hole anyways!) Motion detected can be set off by a leaf blowing by. Its highly boring.

Original poster
Mumz3 · 17/09/2020 19:52

I wouldn’t buy one because I’d be concerned that I’d be invading peoples privacy that’s the point 🤦‍♀️😂 I didn’t say anywhere that I thought she was intentionally recording my family’s every move. What I said was that she will inadvertently record me and my family’s every move, which I’m not alright with. And just because no one YOU know does that doesn’t mean that no one does that 😂

OP posts:
MomToTwoBabas · 17/09/2020 20:01

YABU

Boulshired · 17/09/2020 21:09

A system was put in for my disabled aunt as it takes to long for her to get to the door. Hers has a display unit, when I came to check on her, my aunt and uncle were watching it like Eastenders. I do not particularly mind in shops or streets as I cannot imagine anyone really viewing it unless they had to but neighbours can be nosy, I would hate it being pointed at my property.

Danni91 · 17/09/2020 22:15

@Mumz3

I wouldn’t buy one because I’d be concerned that I’d be invading peoples privacy that’s the point 🤦‍♀️😂 I didn’t say anywhere that I thought she was intentionally recording my family’s every move. What I said was that she will inadvertently record me and my family’s every move, which I’m not alright with. And just because no one YOU know does that doesn’t mean that no one does that 😂
No you didnt say it was intentionally recording you, but you said she was invasive and 'creepy' so you clearly believe she is 😂

Honestly, the end of it is she probably wants to know whos knocking on her door, or speak to delivery drivers dropping parcels maybe she has alot of parcels dropped off? Protect herself from robberies or burglars? Weird ex? Bailiffs? Who the fuck knows.

Or maybe just maybe, she wants to spend £150 plus an annual fee to see whos knocking on her neighbours door and see you taking your bins out.😁

Kinneddar · 17/09/2020 22:24

Shes probably got it set so that it doesn't detect you. When I set mine up it shows you the view from the camera split in zones. You can activate or deactivate as it suits you. I cant for a minute think she'll have it covering your door it means shed be getting notifications on her phone when you or anyone else come in and out. That would drive you nuts. Shes probably just got it set to cover her door. As pp said there's also a good chance its not recording all the time. I switched that feature off because it drains the battery

Instead of going to the HA etc why not ask her about it. You could do it in s 'I'm thinking of getting one' way and establish how she has hers set up.