Ring Doorbell

[gadfly56]

The only thing I don't like about Ring & others is that, usually, everything is stored up on the cloud. Something happens on your property the police, lawyers etc. can file a request. Sounds fine, unless they represent someone else and then your Ring is a 'Snitch' (and a liability).
Used to be easy for Police to use the 'Request for Assistance' tool but they finally put a stop to that. But it doesn't mean they still can't request and get footage and audio for other reasons.
I much prefer the IP cam record directly to an onsite NVR (with months of storage). Now you have control. You can say hard drive stopped working long ago, swap out drive, destroy, whatever.

If you are placed on notice, or the "reasonable man" rule suggests you have reason to believe the data will be requested, and you destroy it, you are guilty of spoliation of evidence, and as Nixon found with Watergate, that will get you into a lot of trouble.

 

[packersparky]

Rather than sidetrack an existing thread on doorbell transformer location, I'll start a new one.

My wife mentioned yesterday that she is interested in getting one of these things. We have lived for 2 years in a 5-year old townhouse with an unfinished basement. The doorbell button outside the front door has a battery that needs occasional replacement. I don't know whether the doorbell itself is hard-wired to a transformer, but I think it likely. I have never looked for it, but my guess is it's in the fully visible basement ceiling.

Questions:

1. Does this mean that I would have to have someone run wires from the transformer, through walls, to just outside the front door?
2. If so, how easy or hard is that task?
3. Would an electrician likely need an hour or two, or a half day, or longer?

I had a great experience with a local electrical installation company for our lighted pot rack, and would certainly call them first. What I am hoping to learn is whether such a project would be prohibitively expensive, especially since we are likely to go for a doorbell kit under $250.

Our Ring doorbell has a battery that they say lasts six months. I have my doubts in our climate. It can also be hardwired, which is what I did.

 

[Little Bill]

Our Ring doorbell has a battery that they say lasts six months. I have my doubts in our climate. It can also be hardwired, which is what I did.

All of them have batteries. The problem people face is they install the Ring solo, meaning it isn't replacing a standard doorbell. The transformer for the chime/doorbell will charge the battery. So the Ring has no way of charging without a transformer. They soon forget, or tire, of having to take the unit inside to charge the battery.

 

[TwistLock]

If you are placed on notice, or the "reasonable man" rule suggests you have reason to believe the data will be requested, and you destroy it, you are guilty of spoliation of evidence, and as Nixon found with Watergate, that will get you into a lot of trouble.

What evidence ? And there's no expectation that NVR's, or any electronics, are fail proof, especially hard drives. Quite common for media drives to fail unknown to homeowners while live stream works fine. Mans home is his castle, not a public office, and the burden of proof is on others. Even cloud storage gets corrupted or lost. It's simply to your benefit to be in control of your personal data rather than others.

 

[ptonsparky]

I understand that 12 gauge, 00 at 20' does accidentally cause data loss.

 

[LarryFine]

I understand that 12 gauge, 00 at 20' does accidentally cause data loss.

Something tells me you're not talking about wire.

 

[TwistLock]

I understand that 12 gauge, 00 at 20' does accidentally cause data loss.

Or just email a buddy once a year asking him if he’s ever coming back to replace the bad hard drive he removed so he could find a replacement. That’ll do.