ring doorbells...have a question for those that use the product

[abdullah_sharif]

i have a full exterior surveillance system so i don't have a ring doorbell but have a question for those that do.. i know that the app developer allows you to build a neighborhood watchlist to help neighbors keep an eye out for the goobers stealing $hit but what keeps someone in the neighborhood from joining the neighborhood watch group then checking out what houses don't have ring’s surveillance and knocking them off (hoping they don't have a hard wired system?). i would think the success rate could be astronomically high.

thoughts were prompted by the article in the wichita star...

https://www.kansascity.com/news/loca...234082092.html

[SHOCKvalue]

I’m sure they’re useful if a crime occurs at a level that catches the interest of WPD, but I can tell you with 100% fact that petty thieves pretty much ignore these things because local law enforcement doesn’t lift a finger. You can go on NextDoor and see people posting Ring vids over and over again. Perps could give two craps that they’re being recorded because law enforcement around here is never going to bother with them. Like some sort of de facto immunity.

So I guess they’re neat if you’d like to actually see who’s tooling around your neighborhood at night, but beyond that they’re fairly useless. Maybe other metro areas have law enforcement who will track down and arrest these types, but around here a detective won’t so much as give you a courtesy call in return.

[atlwsu]

Not the same, but I had 2 credit cards stolen from my gym locker. I locked it when I work out, but not when I shower. AMX called me before i was out of the shower to ask if I was trying to buy a Rolex. VISA called me two days later. I told them they needed to contact AMX on how to properly protect their customes. I already had VISA suspend my card, right after AMX had called.

The police guarenteed me they would catch the thefts, what a joke, inspite of their pictures on the security camera, they never did find them. Fortunately they only got away with some gas and Target gift cards. Neither AMX or Visa would authorize the #10K for the watch.

[Kung Wu]

What city did that occur in?

[Kel Varnsen]

But I really wanted that watch!

[atlwsu]

Suburb of Atlanta, Woodstock Ga

[Kung Wu]

Very timely: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/...0-14383981.php

How does that make ya feel?

[abdullah_sharif]

gotta say i'm not a fan. as much as i want my stuff protected, its more important to me that the police department not have access to my video without me turning it over. There was an article in the kc newspaper last week about ring (amazon) donating doorbells to higher crime neighborhoods.. one of the features is to allow law enforcement to have access to the camera at their discretion.

since most crimes of this nature aren't investigated anyway, what's the point?

[Wuzee]

Just don't murder your wife on the front porch and you should be fine.

[Kung Wu]

The thing is, they can subpoena that information from Amazon and take it without you even knowing it, or having a chance to review what they took.

[abdullah_sharif]

yes and thankfully most cases have gone nowhere without warrants

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/11/29/567305812/arkansas-prosecutors-drop-murder-case-that-hinged-on-evidence-from-amazon-echo

the only way i’d want the damn thing and give permission is to support my defense

[Kung Wu]

"yes and thankfully most cases have gone nowhere without warrants"

What makes you say that? Without warrants or without subpoenas?

[RoyalShock]

The Ring is a major spy organization . . . The Ring's goals are not known, but it is clearly in conflict with the legitimate American intelligence community, and attempts to manipulate politics in several countries to accomplish its ends.

Don't join The Ring!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ring_(Chuck)

[jdshock]

Wuzee

Just don't murder your wife on the front porch and you should be fine.

I am confident that is primarily tongue in cheek, but it's an argument that people use for all sorts of additional police authority. You can use the same logic to justify warrantless searches of your home ("just don't have illegal objects and you should be fine"), your phone, your data, your car, etc.

Kung Wu is definitely right about their authority to subpoena a third party, which is a whole new can of worms we haven't really had to deal with before.

But it's a concern that more people should have than just wrongdoers. If police only ever caught wrongdoers, then we should get rid of warrants, the Fourth Amendment, and any number of other civil liberties. It's an incredibly important topic, and it could affect you even if you are not, and do not plan to be, a criminal.

[SHOCKvalue]

Wuzee

I am confident that is primarily tongue in cheek, but it's an argument that people use for all sorts of additional police authority. You can use the same logic to justify warrantless searches of your home ("just don't have illegal objects and you should be fine"), your phone, your data, your car, etc.

Kung Wu is definitely right about their authority to subpoena a third party, which is a whole new can of worms we haven't really had to deal with before.

But it's a concern that more people should have than just wrongdoers. If police only ever caught wrongdoers, then we should get rid of warrants, the Fourth Amendment, and any number of other civil liberties. It's an incredibly important topic, and it could affect you even if you are not, and do not plan to be, a criminal.

Law Enforcement should only have as much power and authority as is minimally required to perform their role in a competent manner. Absolutely not an ounce more.

In every government and regime that has gone awry - be it left or right - the front line of control and enforcement activities has almost always been common domestic law enforcement. And like a grasshopper seemingly magically transforms into a locust, so too law enforcement (at times in the history of humanity) into something much different. The US has been around just 250 years; structured human society for thousands of years, and in many of those cases under oppressive control. In a bet, I'll take the field.

/soapbox

[Wuzee]

It was not primarily but purely tongue in cheek. FWIW: My own view is that we entered a de facto police state when the towers went down and will never be out of one again in our lifetimes. As such, civil liberties are just some words on paper that are allowed to hold sway until the Feds decide it's in their best interest to violate them. If keeping WPD out of your doorbell videos makes you feel like you're denying The Man some power, God bless you.

[abdullah_sharif]

the united states knew that bin laden’s group was going to crash planes into buildings. it was in clinton’s morning memo in 1999. my thought is the United States government has used it in a successful attempt to have more control over its citizens. the patriot act isn't patriotic and isn't about freedom.

if the CIA gave me training and guns to fight the Russians in Afghanistan as they did to bin laden and his boys then reneged on all the promises to help rebuild and stabilize afghanistan after fighting the russians on america’s behalf, I would be pretty pissed off too. I don’t think I would fly planes in the buildings but as united states taxpayers we are all “guilty“ by association.

my boy kong worked for garban intercapital in the wtc. he was in a lower part of the building at the time of the attack (his office was on 27 i believe). he fled the area after someone on the intercom told him the building was safe and he could go back to work. while my opinion in the previous paragraph is not a popular one, someone who was there and went through it feels the same way I do.

[1979Shocker]

Growing partnership gives Wichita police easier access to your front door

[wufan]

From a product standpoint, I love my ring doorbell! I’m glad I hadn’t read this thread before purchasing, or I probably would not have done so. Without further ado, here’s why I like my Ring doorbell:

My children walk home from school (two blocks) while my wife and I are still at work. The motion censor alerts me when they arrive home and I can watch both of my children enter the house safely and alone.

If someone comes to the house when the kids are home alone, I can see who it is and speak to them so the kids don’t have to answer the door.

When a salesperson or other stranger comes to the house, I can speak to them through the intercom, whether I’m home or not.

It gives me a great sense of security without having ADT or another security system.

[SB Shock]

I had the RING and it was fine. In the end I upgraded from it to the NEST doorbell cam. I did this for several reasons at the time.

1. Higher resolution camera
2. Additional mounting options. Nest provided an angle block that improved my doorbell camera view (w/ring half my view was of the house wall).
3. Software interoperability. I prefer all of my camera to be working on the same platform. I had made a choice for my other camera to use NEST.
4. Nest works on apple TV, which give another platform to monitor all cameras.

Just a few things to think about.