Are Ring Doorbells Allowed In Apartments ? ( Read This Before You Get One ! )

This weekend was full of complete euphoria. I know, you must be thinking that either I had  been on some Home Security shopping coz’ that’s what makes me the happiest, or probably, helped a neighbour unlock her Sliding Door. No, none of that !! Instead, I guided my sister to unlock her Chain door from outside. 

I had been on a Security-Shopping-Spree recently, though. I had been using the Schlage Smart Lock at my door for a long time and the batteries of my Schlage Smart Lock were dead. I was in the middle of changing its Code and it just died.

I travel a lot to Houston these days as my wife, Megan is there currently, designing the new apartment we just got and I get to take care of the Security side of the house, being a Security Expert all my life. 

Schlage Smart Lock was my first choice when I had to pick one for my house and in fact, I have done a detailed article on the same Schlage vs Yale.

While exploring the other latest Smart Home Security dibs, I noticed the Ring Video Camera doorbell. 

Now, this one being top-notch and a very popular Video Camera Doorbell, I wanted to get one for my house but before I proceeded ahead and paid for it, I just thought to myself , ‘do apartments allow Ring doorbell?’

It’s a slightly pricey addition to your Smart Home but you wouldn’t want to realise that it’s not allowed after you have brought it home. So, I considered it wise to educate myself beforehand about, “Are Ring doorbells legal in apartments?”

The Ring Video Camera Doorbell

It is a Smart Doorbell and honestly, I hadn’t used a Video Camera doorbell which could give me a live-view of my porch and made me stay connected to my house while I was a mile away. 

For a while, I was definitely looking for some further advancements in  my Home Security System and wanted to invest in this Smart Doorbell which could keep an eye on my house when I had to be out for weeks to Houston. 

A Ring Doorbell is an excellent Smart Choice for an apartment but I wanted to explore the possibilities about whether can you put a Ring doorbell on an apartment. 

So, here is a detailed article for you to help you learn in depth about ‘are Ring Doorbells allowed in apartments’ and if not, what is an equally competent alternative for the same. 

Do Apartments Allow Ring Doorbell ?

If you ask me about can you have a Ring doorbell in an apartment, this depends on your landlord or on the Building Association where you live. 

See technically, the Ring doorbells can be allowed in an apartment as long as they don’t invade the privacy of your neighbours. If you wonder ,‘can you install a Ring doorbell in an apartment,’ you should be aware that the right to allow installing a Ring doorbell in an apartment remains reserved with the landlord. 

Most of the apartment’s lease agreements do not allow you to install any kind of fixture into their building and fixing or installing a doorbell, of any kind, can be a violation of that. 

Why A Ring Doorbell Isn’t Allowed In Some Apartments?

Mostly in the case when you live in a rented apartment, the landlords don’t prefer any sort of modification in their property. Also, they might not like it if they’re going to hear from the neighbours about their privacy being invaded. 

Actually, the condominiums are located in a close proximity to one another and this Ring doorbell has been accused of picking up audio and video transmissions from their doors, too. 

Plus, it also picks up audios from nearby shared spaces and sometimes, from the borders of other units. That’s the reason, it is considered illegal and at times, considered a violation of secrecy. 

Well, this certainly can be called ‘an act of invasion of privacy.’ It’s unacceptable and is also socially inappropriate, to overrun your neighbour’s privacy and know about their visitors or daily activities. This can actually make you appear as a ‘nosy neighbour’ and you wouldn’t surely want that !!

It has been clearly stated in the terms and conditions of the Ring’s products that it is the users who are responsible for the content that is uploaded, or shared, email-ed or transmitted, or even disseminated, in any connection with the product and the Services.

Most of the posts on the Ring’s App ( Neighbors ) consists of videos of people moving around and it can make your neighbours uncomfortable if they learn about being recorded, even if unintentionally.  

That’s the reason why few of the building associations do not permit the tenants to use a  ring doorbell in apartment. 

However, if you offer to switch the Video recording ‘off’, there can be a compromise but that doesn’t justify the reason why you got the Ring Video camera doorbell, in the first place. 

So, for the question, ‘can you put a Ring doorbell on an apartment’, I suggest that it’s best to check with the landlord and re-read your lease agreement to be sure if it’s allowed. 

Also, if you are the owner of the place where you live, it’s still better to check with the Building association about Ring doorbell in apartment because invasion of neighbour’s privacy is illegal, regardless of whether it is done by a tenant or a permanent resident. 

Now, there is a possibility that your landlord or the builders are vexed by the ‘privacy’ aspect and more bothered about their wall getting a dent, the users prefer to mount the Ring Doorbell with a makeshift solution. 

Learn about can you put a Ring doorbell on an apartment if the landlord is adamant about a no-drilling policy for their house, in this next section.

Mounting The Ring Doorbell, Not Installing It

Despite the strict restrictions, some tenants still choose to use the Ring Video Camera doorbells by just mounting it on the wall with a double-sided adhesive tape or a mounting bracket. 

I personally do not recommend mounting the Ring doorbell on the wall and I can justify myself with the reasons given below : 

a) Can be stolen easily : 

It’s pretty easy to steal a Ring doorbell if it’s not properly installed into the wall as it can be snatched easily off the wall. 

Although, it’s tough for someone to guess if it’s mounted or installed but once they know it, no one’s going to leave it there. 

b) Violation of the warranty : 

There is an existing ‘theft replacement policy’ of the Ring devices but only if it were not mounted and was installed properly. 

So, if you choose to mount it on the wall and not install it using the fasteners and the screws, the warranty stands violated. 

c) Wall exteriors can still be damaged by an adhesive tape :

You were denied installing the Ring doorbell to prevent the wall from any kind of damage and you should know if you were going to mount it, an adhesive tape with a mounting bracket can still damage the pretty wall’s exteriors.

If You Still Wish To Mount The Ring Video Doorbell :

Despite understanding all the reasons above for ‘not mounting the Ring doorbell with a tape’,, if you still want to give it a try, check out these steps : 

a) Fix the mounting bracket :

Use the mounting bracket and the leveling tool to put the Ring doorbell in a desired spot on the wall. 

b) Use an adhesive tape and Secure the back of the mounting bracket using the tape :

Get a good quality Adhesive tape and it should be double-sided.  Cut the adhesive tap into several small pieces. Now, stick them very securely to the wall by pushing them strongly on the wall, with a force. 

c) Push the doorbell inside :

Now, it’s time to push the Ring doorbell into the mounting bracket gently but very firmly. Secure it nicely on the mounting bracket.

d) Connect the Ring to the Wi-fi using the Ring app :

Now, you can use the Ring Home app to set up the Ring doorbell with your home’s Wifi connection and just enjoy the new, Smart feature, all to your home. 

You won’t have to mount the Ring doorbell and are free to install it if your building community allows it and rather prefer to have Smart Secured houses around.

Regardless of the aforesaid restrictions and reservations about getting a Ring doorbell, people actually still prefer sticking to it because the kind of relief you sleep with when the Ring app is recording each footstep at your door,  is precious and rare.  

If you checked up with your landlord or the President of the Building Association and they’re just firmly, against allowing a Ring Video Camera Doorbell, this just cannot prevent you from securing your house and enjoying the pleasure of pretending you’re not home, when you’re and you just don’t want a visitor. 

There’s an amazing alternative that your Home Security Expert has to offer ! So, the incredible and equally useful alternative for a Ring Video Camera doorbell is the Ring Peephole Camera. 

So, if you got a NO for ‘can you use a Ring doorbell in an apartment’, this section will definitely cheer you up.  

The Ring Peephole Cameras  ( An Alternative )

After you’ve received a NO for an answer about,’can you have a Ring doorbell in an apartment, You don’t have to go pessimistic , only imagining how it feels like to have a Video Camera doorbell at your service There’s a great alternative for the Ring Video Camera Doorbell and you can definitely make the most of it. 

Whenever there’s a movement at your door, this Peephole Cam sends a notification to your Ring app and you can track it. 

Like the Ring Video Camera Doorbell, there’s a live-view on this one too which lets you see who has arrived and facilitates you to have a tete’-a-tete’ with them. Additionally, there’s an impact sensor on this Peephole Cam. It will notify you on the Ring app whenever someone knocks at your door rather than pressing the doorbell. Nice one, right !!

James Siminoff, the founder of the Ring, claims,”the Ring Peephole Camera was designed and birthed for the places where people couldn’t install the conventional Ring doorbell. Their requests just got answered by this amazing Peephole Cam.”

He maintains that, “there were people who had one but had to move to a new apartment or a high-density building and no longer had the peace of mind the Ring Doorbell gave them. So, that’s when the Peephole Cam came up.”

And to answer the Privacy Policy regulations by the landlord and the Building Bosses, there’s also a ‘Privacy Zone’ on this Peephole Cam using which, the users can specify certain areas which the Camera should cover. This clearly should put the neighbours at ease and they can just relax about having a Ring Camera device nearby. 

Additionally, this Ring Peephole Cam is compatible with Amazon Alexa so, you can just go around saying, “Alexa, show me my front door” and you get a live-feed from your front door. 

Therefore, you can have real-time movements from Alexa and keep a check on your front-door whenever you want. You can even communicate with the visitor at your door using Echo Show, Echo Spot and the tablets that are Alexa-enabled. 

Just for your information, this Peephole Cam unit doesn’t fit well with Google Home or Google Assistant. The constant stiff battle between Google and Amazon can be blamed for this, with Amazon owning and dominating the Ring empire for Smart Home category. 

With a sensational 150° field view, an infrared vision at night time, an 1080 HD video, two-way audio transmission, encapsulated motion sensors and the doorbell alerts, all of this can be enjoyed at a whopping price of only $199. 

When it comes to the installation, it’s very basic and is done in an non-invasive way. On this peehole camera, you can enjoy a considerable amount of features of its predecessor, the Ring Video Camera Doorbell.

So, I hope, your landlord allows you to install this amazing alternative to the Ring doorbell, i.e. the Ring Peephole Cam and then, please remember, you should install it using the mounting attachment, not only the double-sided tape.

The FAQs 

Q1. Can I use a Ring Doorbell in a rental home ?

Answer – Yes, ofcourse !! Ring has come up with a Video Doorbell which can be ‘attached’ to the peephole at the front door of the house. It’s launched especially for people who live in a rental apartment or even on their own but cannot drill into a wall next to the door. So, this ‘attachable’ edition of the Ring Doorbell can very well be picked up if you have rented an apartment for yourself. 

Q2. Do you need a Wifi connection for a Ring doorbell ?

Answer – The services of the Ring are mainly cloud-based and do require a working and stable internet connection which can either be wired or wireless. If the internet connection is spotty or unstable, or say weak, unfortunately, you won’t be able to make the most out of the Ring devices, at that time. 

Q3. Will a Ring doorbell still work if there is a Power Cut ?

Answer – The Ring doorbell alarm works even when the Power goes out as there is a 24-hour battery back-up on the Ring Alarm’s base’s station. So, you don’t have to worry about the Ring doorbell’s alarm going off when there’s a power cut.

Q4. Can someone disable my Ring Camera installed in my apartment?

Answer – Fortunately, not !! The Ring Camera can only be disabled by the owner. If your Ring Camera is disbaled or deactivated, you cannot change or control any of the settings on the device. The videos are stored only with the subscription of a Ring Protect Plan and the storage time of videos on your Ring Camera can differ based on the Video Storage Time settings you’ve set up.

Q5. Is it possible to tell if someone is watching you on the Ring ?

Answer – There’s no way to know if someone is watching you on a Ring Camera, not by physical observation, at least. However, the infrared light on the Ring Camera will turn ‘on’ if the Camera is active at night, with an assumption that the night vision is ‘on’ and the angle is correct to watch it. 

The Conclusion : 

So, in today’s time when the Crime rate is increasing everywhere, if Home Security rocks your boat, you have all the power, right in your hand. 

Ring has come up with these incredibly powerful and fantastic devices which can help you secure your home very conveniently and you won’t have to worry about asking your neighbours to keep a check on your house when you’re away. 

As you have learnt in this article of mine that even if your Building Bosses do not permit you to drill a hole, the Ring Peephole Cam can fairly be given a chance to control your front door. The pluses are just so enticing. 

So, wait no more and get yourself a Ring Video Device. Discuss with your apartment owner about having a Ring Doorbell first and if it doesn’t go easy down the throat, feel free to get the Ring Peephole Camera. 

Let me know in the comments section if you noticed something exciting at your door during midnight !!