Ring doorbell hell!

[Biddums]

Hi all,

My neighbors door is right next to mine with only a brick between them. They have just got a ring doorbell (2 days ago) and I hate it!

Not only is the noise bloody annoying but it's covering my door. There is no way they can set it up to not cover both doors, they are just too close.

I don't like the fact whoever comes to my door is now on their bell cam. I also feel uneasy about the fact my kids will be on there, because you know kids leave the house, my house!

I'm pissed off that anything I buy, like a new TV, they will see and be able to have a good nose. Because they can rewatch and bloody pause.

So I need Mumsneters help. How do I go about this? Do I talk to them? How do I word it? How do I tell them that the bell they paid for has got to go? Do I offer to pay for it?

What if they say no? Do I have a leg to stand on here?

Or do I just get a family member with face covered in the night to nick it and smash it? Yes ring do replace nicked bells but not unlimited. I could get it nicked time and again.

AIBU here? Should I just accept that this is the way now? People videoing your door and kids? Idk I just feel they were wrong to get it without asking if I minded.

Funny enough a family member asked me if I wanted one about a year ago and I said no because it would invade my neighbors door.

[williowrosenburg]

I have a ring doorbell, and I don't spend my days watching footage of people walking past.
Yes they will get notifications, if they have them set up. But they may only have it set up for someone ringing the doorbell. Have you asked?

I barely look at the footage! Only if there is something I specifically want to look at.... like where did the postman leave a parcel. I certainly don't look at it every time I get a notification.

They Can also set the camera to not cover your property. They've updated the app recently so you can be quite specific about what areas you want covered.

[yahyahs22]

You think its bad them putting a camera doorbell for their door which subsequently will capture your in and out movements, but putting them through stress as to who is sabotaging their doorbell theyre probably exciting about time and time again is okay?

I don't get this at all, I'm baffled! I love my neighbours and would gladly give up parts of my own wall for them. Clearly you don't get on with your neighbours and thats the real issue here.

[Bzzzzzbumblebee]

I would be more concerned about Amazon (and all the third party organisation they share data with) knowing everything about your family.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51281476

Technology is moving faster than legislation and the amount of personal data the big companies are getting it just going up and up.

[MellowYellow101]

What makes you think they will be having a nose through to see your ins and outs? I have had a ring doorbell for years and never used it to check on my neighbours -that thought has never even crossed my mind. I sometimes get alerts if my neighbour comes home and walks on my driveway (which is a non-issue) or puts the bins out but it's not like I sit and review, spy and make a drama out of it. I will literally switch it off and carry on with my day.

I think you're being a bit precious tbh.

[Biddums]

Gosh, so they record sounds too?

So not only am I watched on my own doorstep, I can't talk out there now as well.

I'm going to knock their door in a bit and tell them it needs to go. Not sure how it's going to go. But I guess that's the first step.

So annoyed over the whole thing. Oh and no this is not because I have nothing better todo. I just care about privacy. As I said, I declined getting one because it would invade my neighbors. Although from most of the replies here, they would not give a shit if I was videoing them anyway or listening to their chat outside.

[AcornAutumn]

OP tell them they need to re-site it

If they refuse, do this “ You could play with their minds and keep opening your front door, step out, step back in. Their phones will be pinging with notifications non stop, it will drive them nuts.”

Another good point about how they will get to know your patterns as well. My mums neighbour just got rid of her cleaner after discovering the cleaner’s son was very shady.

[crazycatgal]

A couple of people have suggested a screen at the side of your door. Why would this not work?

[TheChosenTwo]

When we got our cctv installed about 4 years ago, we had to speak to neighbours on both sides to show them what we could see of their properties (very little, on the side we are attached to you can see nothing on the front and you’d be able to see the very top of a tall persons head above the fence If they walked down the back garden. On the side that’s detached from us, you can see a bit of their drive and the top of their car. Both neighbours were happy that their privacy wasn’t invaded).
We’ve very rarely had cause to watch cctv footage back, I did recently when Yodel said they tried and failed to deliver a parcel I had waited in all day for but other than that, I don’t think I’ve ever watched footage back.
Dh did once when someone asked if we could have a look when there had been an RTA at the end of our road.
I reeeeeally don’t think anyone is interested in your comings and goings.
The ding dong sound though would drive me nuts so I can see your point about that!

[MAK93]

Let us know how that chat goes 😅

[AcornAutumn]

@MellowYellow101

What makes you think they will be having a nose through to see your ins and outs? I have had a ring doorbell for years and never used it to check on my neighbours -that thought has never even crossed my mind. I sometimes get alerts if my neighbour comes home and walks on my driveway (which is a non-issue) or puts the bins out but it's not like I sit and review, spy and make a drama out of it. I will literally switch it off and carry on with my day.

I think you're being a bit precious tbh.

You don’t know what odd people will do

In my block of flats, I had a very nosey parker lady say to me “I’ve noticed there’s no pattern to when you’re home or not”.

She’s not even on my floor - she’s constantly watching the entrance.

[AcornAutumn]

@Bzzzzzbumblebee

I would be more concerned about Amazon (and all the third party organisation they share data with) knowing everything about your family.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51281476

Technology is moving faster than legislation and the amount of personal data the big companies are getting it just going up and up.

Thanks for flagging this up.

[BlueBrian]

The women opposite got one, it was lighting up every time every time I went in or out, and anybody went past, guess she's got fed up with all the alerts, because she's turned it off now.

[Biddums]

@willowrosenburg, no I have not asked but I would not trust them anyway. I will speak to them later.

As I have said our doors are right next to each other. Would you not watch a video of someone going up to your door? If your phone pinged and you could see someone by your door would you really not look? You are clearly in the minority in that. Because people tend to want to see what's going on when their attention gets drawn to it and it's there to see.

The camera would have to be blocked out by more then three quarters to not cover my door and path. Again it's a shared path so would be a problem.

[FrazzledChip]

No advice but I sympathise. Husband bought a similar security thing for our house and I hate it. He's not at all controlling but now he can now monitor every time I leave the house, every rushed school run, everything. I know he's not watching it constantly and he rarely mentions it but it doesn't sit comfortably with me.

[NoProblem123]

Smash it tonight and report back.

[Funkyfriends]

Are you sure that they are filming though. The “CCTV” option is an extra that you have to pay a monthly subscription for. We have a ring doorbell but without that function so it’s essentially the same as someone who spent the entire day looking out the front window.

[AcornAutumn]

@FrazzledChip

No advice but I sympathise. Husband bought a similar security thing for our house and I hate it. He's not at all controlling but now he can now monitor every time I leave the house, every rushed school run, everything. I know he's not watching it constantly and he rarely mentions it but it doesn't sit comfortably with me.

Um, it’s your house too?

[AcornAutumn]

@Funkyfriends

Are you sure that they are filming though. The “CCTV” option is an extra that you have to pay a monthly subscription for. We have a ring doorbell but without that function so it’s essentially the same as someone who spent the entire day looking out the front window.

How do you know anyone is telling the truth?

[Funkyfriends]

@AcornAutumn you don’t, but it seems that OP has assumed that the neighbours are making a video collection of the comings and going’s of her front door.

[Throwntothewolves]

We have one but live in a detached house so it only covers our property and the path/road beyond it.

This story won't fill you with hope, but recently I dropped something off at the local Women's Aid offices which are in a residential street in a converted terraced house. The private front door immediately next to their door (the set up sounds like you've described) had a ring doorbell. I can't believe that is ok with Women's Aid as women attending for help will be clearly visible on it as they have to pass that door. I didn't feel comfortable and I wasn't there for help so I can't imagine how those who've asked for help feel. I stood with my back to it and hood up, I don't know who lives there or what they might do with the recordings they have. Then again maybe they get unwanted visitors kicking off or causing damage as a result of being next to Women's Aid.

If Women's Aid can't do anything about it than I doubt you'll have much luck, sorry.

[CausingChaos2]

They shouldn’t have set up to record your property as well. It should be covering the boundaries of their own home, not yours. Can you put up a fence between the front doors?

[Henio]

My nan has one so I've played with the settings a bit... it won't necessarily be saving the videos, you have to pay a yearly subscription to playback videos that have been saved and they may have also turned off motion sensors so they only get notifications if someone actually presses the bell not if you just walk past. Hope this puts your mind at ease a bit, I'm not sure there's anything you can do

[FairyFairy]

@Throwntothewolves that is awful and incredibly selfish of them.

[Leaannb]

@Biddums

Gosh, so they record sounds too?

So not only am I watched on my own doorstep, I can't talk out there now as well.

I'm going to knock their door in a bit and tell them it needs to go. Not sure how it's going to go. But I guess that's the first step.

So annoyed over the whole thing. Oh and no this is not because I have nothing better todo. I just care about privacy. As I said, I declined getting one because it would invade my neighbors. Although from most of the replies here, they would not give a shit if I was videoing them anyway or listening to their chat outside.

Be prepared to be told to get fuck. You can't control this

[notapizzaeater]

We've a ring camera (detached no privacy issues) but tbh I don't look at the footage unless someone asks on our village group if anyone saw anything on Friday at 3am. The rest of the time I just ignore the recordings. I do t need to see milkman, postman Etc