You’re using your Ring doorbell wrong! Amazon warns millions of users are putting their device in the wrong place – here’s where it SHOULD go
- Ring doorbells allow you to see who’s at your front door when motion is detected
- Amazon says millions are unknowingly putting their doorbell in the wrong place
- The retail giant says the correct position is much lower than you might think
It’s the go-to device for many people wanting to keep a close eye on their homes while they’re away.
But if you own a Ring doorbell, it turns out you might be using it wrong.
Amazon has warned that millions of users are unknowingly putting their smart doorbell in the wrong place.
Thankfully, the retail giant has advised the best way to position your Ring doorbell – and it’s much lower than you might think.
It’s the go-to device for many people wanting to keep a close eye on their homes while they’re away. But if you own a Ring doorbell, it turns out you might be using it wrong
Mount the doorbell too high and you’re more likely to catch the heat of passing cars than the heat of incoming visitors
The motion sensors in Ring doorbells are designed to detect motion up to 180 degrees horizontally and from 1.5 to five metres outward from the fixture.
They’re also more sensitive to horizontal movement across the detection area than vertical.
Mount the doorbell too high and you’re more likely to catch the heat of passing cars than the heat of incoming visitors.
Amazon’s Ring doorbells allow you to see who’s at your front door whenever motion is detected.
The smart doorbell connects to a smartphone app, where users can see, hear, and speak to visitors in real time from anywhere in the world.
However, Amazon says that many users are making the mistake of hanging their Ring doorbell too high outside their house.
‘One of the biggest mistakes people make is mounting their Ring Video Doorbell too high in the mistaken belief that they need to do this in order to catch people’s faces,’ Amazon explained.
The doorbells have an impressively wide field of view which allow them to catch faces both upwards and downwards.
‘Viewing faces is not a problem if the Ring Video Doorbell is mounted at the correct height,’ Amazon added.
Beyond the main camera, Ring doorbells feature a network of Passive Infrared (PIR) motion sensors – heat sensors that detect motion by monitoring for infrared heat.
‘The motion sensors in your Ring Video Doorbell are designed to detect motion up to 180 degrees horizontally and from 1.5 to 5 metres outward from the fixture,’ Amazon explained.
Amazon recommends that owners should mount their Ring doorbells 48 inches (1.2 metres) from the ground
‘They’re also more sensitive to horizontal movement across the detection area than vertical.
‘Mount the Ring Video Doorbell too high and you’re more likely to catch the heat of passing cars than the heat of incoming visitors.’
Finally, if your doorbell is mounted too high, it’s more likely to catch passing vehicles and alert you that a motion has been detected.
Based on these factors, Amazon recommends that owners should mount their Ring doorbells 48 inches (1.2 metres) from the ground.
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WHAT IS RING AND WHY DID AMAZON BUY IT?
Amazon acquired home security startup Ring for a reported £700 million ($1 billion).
The home security startup sells doorbells that capture video and audio.
Clips can be streamed on smartphones and other devices, while the doorbell even allows homeowners to remotely chat to those standing at their door.
Ring sells doorbells (left) that capture video and audio. Clips can be streamed on smartphones and other devices, while the doorbell even allows homeowners to remotely chat to those standing at their door
Ring promotes its gadgets as a way to catch package thieves, a nuisance that Amazon has been looking to remedy.
Amazon late last year unveiled its own smart lock and camera combination called Amazon Key in a move into home security.
Key is designed to provide a secure and trackable way for packages to be delivered inside homes when people aren’t there.
Amazon has bought home security startup Ring for a reported £700 million ($1 billion)
Ring’s doorbell could work well with Amazon Key, which lets delivery personnel put packages inside a home to avoid theft or, in the case of fresh food, spoiling.
California-based Ring first caught the spotlight with a failed quest for funding about five years ago on reality television show Shark Tank.
Ring went on to win backing from the likes of billionaire Richard Branson and Amazon’s Alexa Fund.
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