Options to protect against sun damage

Products Video Doorbells
1

My problem is that the plastics used on the Ring Video Doorbell Pro are not sufficiently UV resistant. I purchased my doorbell in 2019. I had to modify the wiring as well as replace a transformer to get it to work with my existing chime and power supply. My home faces East and though my front door area is shielded for parts of the day, it does get some sun exposure in the mornings until about 10am. After three years in the (partial) Florida sun, the lens area is cloudy and etched. Same for the doorbell button itself.

Unfortunately, despite having spent a small fortune on this supposedly “pro” doorbell, Ring refuses to stand behind their product. They also don’t offer any kind of service parts, so repair is impossible. When I pointed out the fact that I had to make permanent modifications to my home to support this specific unit, the best they would do is offer a paltry 35% discount off a new unit (which I presume will suffer the same fate due to the poor material choice).

The good news is, I was able to find the Video Doorbell Pro new from a third party seller for much less than either Ring or Amazon would sell a refurb for, even AFTER the discount. So, now I’m looking to see what options I have for either repairing the old doorbell or trying to protect the new one. I am tempted to apply some kind of protective film – if that’s even possible. Any advice?

2

You can try and apply UV protective film. 3M make them for the automotive industry which are used on vehicle lenses to prevent yellowing and hazing from UV exposure. It also comes in spray can form but a film would probably be better.

As for the button itself you can buy many 3D printed alternatives from ebay.

2 Likes
3

I replaced my doorbell yesterday. It seems like the replacement has a slightly different rear case, but otherwise, it looks identical. I had a hard time finding UV resistant clear film, so I’m hopeful that perhaps someone will come up for a process of resurfacing the existing clear plastic. Having given it a very close look now that the old one is removed, it appears that it is actually two panels flanking the doorbell button. If some enterprising individual had the ability to procure and cut optical glass (not plastic), that would make for an ideal way to repair one of these devices and make it better than new.

I’ll experiment a bit with resurfacing it and report back here.

Ring moderators - this issue is NOT resolved and I would appreciate the thread being kept open. The more I search, the more I’m finding that this is a common design flaw and it would be unbecoming of the company to continue to try to sweep it under the rug.