Ring Video Doorbell
Porch Thief Disabled Video Doorbell
I am reposting this because the original location is not the appropriate place. At 1:37 pm yesterday, I have a motion activated video showing a fedex package being delivered to my porch. At 1:47 pm, 10 minutes later, I have a motion activated video, but it is completly black, with no sound. Twenty minutes later, I have the next motion activated video of me on the porch getting my mail, and there is no box on the porch. It looks like somehow the porch thief was able to hack into the Ring Doorbel and erase the video of them stealing the box. They didnt delete the video, they just blanked it out. They did not cover the camera up, or I would have still been able to hear background noises that are loud in this area, but the video is totally silent, and solid black. Has anybody else had this happen? I called customer service. They looked into it and verified what I described above, then after about 20 minutes on hold, they came back and said that what they were seeing was impossible so they blew me off. My WiFi has a complex password and wpa2 authentication with a full firewall, so there is not much more I can do from this end. I have been looking more on the internet and talking to the police. It looks like what likely happened is that the porch thieves had a transmitter that scrambled the WiFi signal. The Ring devices operate over your WiFi network, and they only work when your WiFi is working. Since the doorbell uploads the video in real time to the internet, if your wifi is compromised during the robbery, the Ring devices cannot communicate with you and they can't properly upload the video. You are basically left with nada during the thieves visit. No motion notification, and no video. When they approach your house, the wifi gets scrambled and Ring goes down, when they leave, your WiFi and Ring devices go back to normal. The whole process probably lasts 2 minutes or less. The transmitter can be anything from a modified baby monitor, to a walkie talkie that has been adjusted to broadcast on the 2.4 and 5 Ghz frequencies. This WiFi scrambling technique will effect all security devices that operate on your WiFi network, not just Ring. At this point, I can't trust Ring for anything dealing with security.
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05-01-2020 09:30:06
Responses (10)
- T
Set up a hidden IP camera, that records your ring doorbell (facing it, using motion sensing) , then you will have a video of anyone tampering with your Ring doorbell and you will be able to see what they have done Good luck ! :-)
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11-06-2020 12:55:14
MI have an alternate camera I been using so it catches most of the time ..what is an ip camera ?
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11-06-2020 01:32:41
TAn IP Camera is an internet or Wifi enabled camera. So you connect it to your home network and it records to your pc. Google IP Camera and it should show you.
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11-06-2020 05:47:10
IUnfortunatly if you have $5 and an Android or Iphone, you can build a WiFi jammer to disconnect all devices from the WiFi network. Also you can't blame Ring for this, it is your router, and the 802.11 protocol
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11-06-2020 10:54:13
- Q
how can my camera be stolen with out them being on my mobile as thet steal it
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12-06-2020 04:41:02
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- M
This happened me yesterday. It registered us leaving and coming home etc., but no video or notification that a stranger came to the door knocking. He left when the door was answered, but the Ring doorbell has no record of him being there or the door being answered at all. Very worrying!
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12-06-2020 10:39:29
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IJust wanted to followup with the $5 hack, this indeed does work, I tried it on my Ring yesterday, not only did it cut out the Ring, my Arlo camera system, my August smart lock went out as well.
•1
17-06-2020 02:26:25
CHey neighbors, if you are having black video or missing event concerns with your device most often this is because of setup concerns, such as wifi or motion settings. This[Community article](https://community.ring.com/t5/Ring-Device-Tips-and-How-To-s/How-To-Test-Device-Wifi-Speed/ba-p/521#M3) has helpful information for testing the wifi at your devices install location and those numbers can be compared to your device requirements on it's product page. Please know that it's important to also consider what other wifi enabled devices (phones, tablets, computers, etc.) are also using your bandwidth in your home. Ring also offers power over ethernet devices that can be directly plugged into your router which removes those wifi concerns. We currently offer the [Video Doorbell Elite](https://shop.ring.com/products/video-doorbell-elite) and [Stick Up Cam Elite](https://shop.ring.com/products/stick-up-security-camera-elite-poe). Please let us know if you have any further questions about these devices. Thank you!
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18-06-2020 04:30:10
RSo, a little concerning that the answer for people is to buy Ring Elite as a response to possible wifi scrambling. I am disappointed that Ring would offer a PoE solution instead of really providing a more secure platform. Yes, I understand that the users home wifi can be the issue, but in reality if this issue was more widely known I am sure the Wifi product line for Ring would go under. It is a false sense of security that you are providing with a product that can be so easily manipulated. Personally, I would suggest to others to invest in a PoE video solution you can buy through Amazon. The Elite is listing JUST a doorbell for $389. You can get 8 bullet style P0E 1080p cameras with a 4TB hub that can connect directly to your internet for remote monitoring for a little over $250. I just got mine and plan to use as my home solution. While the one I got was stable cameras, it allows you to use cameras that are PTZ (meaning they move left right up and down). All you need is a monitor, keyboard and mouse for this if you dont want to hook up to your network.
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08-02-2021 08:04:04
- D
The technique is call deauthing and yes, anyone can buy devices on Amazon that will interrupt your WiFi and effectively take your camera offline long enough for a thief to steal your package or your Ring, for that matter. The small, inexpensive devices only work on 2.4 Ghz Wifi. It takes some time (maybe a minute or two) to go through the process, but it could be done out of a camera's field of view. This affects any device from any manufacturer, not just Ring. 5Ghz networks take more equipment and, because their range is shorter, the thief has to be very close to the access point. Also, since 5 Ghz is fast, devices can reconnect much faster, limiting the downtime. The Ring Pro supports 5 Ghz, but I don't believe the floodlight cameras do. Nothing is foolproof. Some security is better than nothing, and layered security is even better. Most thieves are stupid and lazy and not going to go through all the trouble listed above. But there are plenty of smart evil people too and if someone wants your stuff bad enough, they'll find a way. The best you can do is make it more difficult and maybe they'll pass on your house and go on to the next. If you're in a group running away from a charging bear, you don't need to be the fastest runner, you just need to be faster than the slowest person.
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28-08-2020 05:35:58
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- P
I agree that they can disable. It just happened to me. I noticed ups truck outside and a red car pulled up right behind it. Ups dropped off package at neighbor’s house. Guy sat in car- either he saw me looking out the window or my neighbor came out to get package. As guy made a u turn I would have seen his plate, but video did not capture. It shows a time stamp but nothing loads, not even black. There was a video before it and a video after. Each within one minute.
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27-09-2020 10:02:47
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Mikevelous
I thank you for this I have been trying to explain this to Ring and they have not helped at all. This is a very real thing and my Slumlord is using this to not be caught when she tries to gain access to my apartment and has damaged my truck
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11-06-2020 12:45:15
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