5 ms·

> A spokesperson from Ring sent a statement saying, "Like any wifi-enabled device, WiFi signal interference may affect Ring device performance. If customers are

> A spokesperson from Ring sent a statement saying, "Like any wifi-enabled device, WiFi signal interference may affect Ring device performance. If customers are experiencing issues with connectivity, we encourage them to reach out to Ring Customer Support." If you're a connoisseur of corp-speak, this is the 100% pure undiluted stuff. You must need a degree in Communications and 10 years experience to talk like that.

hyperhopper 4y ago
"A spokesperson, when asked to talk about an issue, found the most irrelevant issue that technically is related, and gave a useless answer for dealing with the unrelated issue instead of actually talking about the problem at hand"
- T3OU-736 4y ago
  It would require the PR person to commit career suicide - Ring's usage of words like "security" and " protect" in their descriptions of the camera systems, coupled with the fact that neither Ring nor Nest has a hardwired network option (or, better yet, PoE), there is hardly a surprise there.
  - hyperhopper 4y ago
    As an individual customer buying a product: I don't care about the career of a corporate mouthpiece: I want the corporation that sold me something and claimed to be looking out for me to not be a piece of trash.
    - gambiting 4y ago
      >>I want the corporation that sold me something and claimed to be looking out for me to not be a piece of trash. That's the problem though - they already sold you something. They have your money. That's where the interest and care usually ends for most companies, because any potential future money to be extracted from you is just that - potential. If their issues prevented you from giving you money in the first place, then that's a completely different question, but that's kinda hard to prove.
    - parkingrift 4y ago
      You already bought the spyware piece of trash. It’s too late for this product to not be exactly what you bought.
  - filoleg 4y ago
    > Neither Ring nor Nest has a hardwired network option Nest has one now[0]. EDIT: my bad, it doesn't have a hardwired network, it just has more local memory for recordings. 0. https://www.engadget.com/googles-2nd-gen-wired-nest-doorbell-130036210.html https://www.engadget.com/googles-2nd-gen-wired-nest-doorbell...
    - p1esk 4y ago
      Where does it say that it has a wired network connection?
      - tyingq 4y ago
        "for those who don't want to monitor their device's battery levels or to worry about spotty WiFi" Though that's the only mention. Edit: ah, it's still Wifi, just has more memory. From: https://blog.google/products/google-nest/nest-doorbell-wired-2nd-gen/ https://blog.google/products/google-nest/nest-doorbell-wired... "And if your Wi-Fi is spotty one day, you still won’t miss any important moments. The new Nest Doorbell will automatically record an hour’s worth of important events to its local memory."
        alias_neo 4y ago
        Local memory on video doorbells is an equally hilarious problem as the one in OP. As my dad pointed out when I was trying to show off my shiny new video doorbell. "What's to stop them just ripping it off the wall and taking it with them?" I hope to be half skilled at tempering my children's enthusiasm as he is.
        giantg2 4y ago
        To be fair, I feel like these things aren't real security devices. They're better rhan nothing, but highly vulnerable to any number of attacks, privacy issues, etc. These are convience devices sold to make people feel safer.
        4y ago
  - mlyle 4y ago
    > neither Ring nor Nest has a hardwired network option (or, better yet, PoE) https://ring.com/products/video-doorbell-elite https://ring.com/products/video-doorbell-elite https://ring.com/products/stick-up-security-camera-elite-poe https://ring.com/products/stick-up-security-camera-elite-poe
    - 1MachineElf 4y ago
      They should also get ONVIF.
      - yftsui 4y ago
        Ring do support ONVIF cameras with local storage on Alarm Pro
    - DoctorOetker 4y ago
      More accurately, the hardwired connector isn't broken out: https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/628267/Where+is+the+WiFi+antenna+located#answer699891 https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/628267/Where+is+the+WiFi... I don't see what prevents a determined user from removing the built-in antenna, and run a coaxial cable with suitable characteristic impedance from the WiFi doorbell's u.FL connector to a cheap WiFi dongle somewhere inside (perhaps add an attenuator if the lowest transmit powers are too high).
      - mlyle 4y ago
        > More accurately, the hardwired connector isn't broken out: ? "More accurately"? The poster pointed said Ring didn't have an ethernet/PoE option. I linked their ethernet/PoE cameras and doorbell. Your desire to frankenstein a 2.4GHz wired connection for the lower end products isn't related.
        DoctorOetker 4y ago
        I simply constructively suggest to bypass jamming concerns for the 2.4GHz link, by having the devices communicate more privately over coaxial cable. From the perspective of the radios in the doorbell or a wifi dongle it doesn't matter if you are transceiving via antenna over the ether or transceiving over coax, as long as you use a suitable characteristic impedance. For a person who doesn't understand cars perhaps changing a tire feels like "Frankensteining" too... I suggest you reconsider the downvote but predict the suggestion to be in vain. The quote of your parent was: > neither Ring nor Nest has a hardwired network option (or, better yet, PoE) so it's not entirely honest when you say: > The poster pointed said Ring didn't have an ethernet/PoE option. (eliding that this person made a more general statement: not having a hardwired connection) So I think my point stands that it does have a hardwired connector (transmission line to u.FL) and that it isn't broken out. Those who wish their security camera to function in a mission critical setting (like working when it's supposed to work, even in the face of wireless jamming) I make a practical suggestion (as opposed to lamenting the idiocy of the average uninformed consumer when selecting a WiFi doorbell, like I read in other comments on this HN submission). All it requires is to disassemble the doorbell a little, to remove the WiFi antenna, to drill a small hole in the plastic casing, and to attach a coaxial cable. Do you remember old ethernet? it ran over coax too. If most posters on this HN submission lament the idiocy of the consumer when selecting a WiFi security doorbell, those consumers can only conclude to buy another model, with the older one ending up in a landfill or at least unused. It is more ecological to fix the design, and thankfully WiFi antenna is a separate PCB so theres a u.FL connector for a coax to connect to, internally. This way these doorbells can continue to be used. In trying to understand why a person would consider running a WiFi network over a coaxial cable a Frankenstein-like idea, I can only conclude it stems from a form of xenophobia: it is easy to believe that everything is the way it is because its the best way to handle things. In fact as a transmission line coaxial cables are superior to "ethernet" cables, its just that the latter are much cheaper to manufacture. This resulted in the (economical) dominance of "ethernet" cables. It is then only one misconception away to erroneously believe non-coaxial cables were chosen for their superior performance, when in fact its just a cost trade-off. So I conclude you are not too familiar with physics or electronics, else you would not call this Frankensteining.
  - spoonjim 4y ago
    Hogwash, I have a hardwired PoE Ring doorbell camera.
  - 6sp 4y ago
    My Ring Elite is powered by PoE
- m463 4y ago
  come on, all that is covered in the privacy policy.
  - Belphemur 4y ago
    Most likely in the terms and condition. "We're not responsible for the service in the event of a disruption of the radio field technologies used by our products"
bee_rider 4y ago
It is a correct answer, though. You don't need a degree in Electrical Engineering to know that Ring hasn't invented an unjammable wifi device.
- capableweb 4y ago
  They say "wifi-enabled" device when the true adjective would be "wifi-required". A security camera using wifi should still record even if it looses wifi connection for a few minutes.
  - matthewmacleod 4y ago
    This is like saying "a security camera that's wired to a central recorder should still work for a few minutes even if someone cuts through the wire." It's indeed a feature that you could add to a device, but it's clear that it would increase the cost and _not_ clear that it would be worth that cost.
    - rippercushions 4y ago
      The feature being an in-memory buffer that can store a few minutes of not-particularly-highres, mostly stationary video? I'm surprised Ring doesn't seem to have that already -- although the article does talk about missing hours, which implies the jammer was activated long before the actual heist.
    - phpisthebest 4y ago
      No it is not the same WiFi even in perfect conditions is much less reliable than a wired connection, so a security device that is dependent on wifi should have a buffer, even if a wired device would not. I can take measures to secure wired connection (metal / armored conduit as an example) there are very very limit to no measures you can take to prevent signal jamming
    - rozab 4y ago
      Edge recording is most certainly not an exotic feature in the space.
incompatible 4y ago
Does Ring Customer Support offer a fix?
- alias_neo 4y ago
  "Might we suggest upgrading to the Ring Camera Elite, sir? Our new extra shiny, twice the price ELITE doorbell is exquisitely suited to one with such exceptionally high requirements. I'll just add that to your basket, would you like me to complete the order for you with card ending 2008, sir?"
- GoodbyeMrChips 4y ago
webinvest 4y ago
He dismisses the fact that most cameras have flash storage inside and don’t need a network connection. Others can use Ethernet. He mentions wifi-enabled when it is wifi-required.

hyperhopper 4y ago

"A spokesperson, when asked to talk about an issue, found the most irrelevant issue that technically is related, and gave a useless answer for dealing with the unrelated issue instead of actually talking about the problem at hand"

T3OU-736 4y ago
It would require the PR person to commit career suicide - Ring's usage of words like "security" and " protect" in their descriptions of the camera systems, coupled with the fact that neither Ring nor Nest has a hardwired network option (or, better yet, PoE), there is hardly a surprise there.
- hyperhopper 4y ago
  As an individual customer buying a product: I don't care about the career of a corporate mouthpiece: I want the corporation that sold me something and claimed to be looking out for me to not be a piece of trash.
  - gambiting 4y ago
    >>I want the corporation that sold me something and claimed to be looking out for me to not be a piece of trash. That's the problem though - they already sold you something. They have your money. That's where the interest and care usually ends for most companies, because any potential future money to be extracted from you is just that - potential. If their issues prevented you from giving you money in the first place, then that's a completely different question, but that's kinda hard to prove.
  - parkingrift 4y ago
    You already bought the spyware piece of trash. It’s too late for this product to not be exactly what you bought.
- filoleg 4y ago
  > Neither Ring nor Nest has a hardwired network option Nest has one now[0]. EDIT: my bad, it doesn't have a hardwired network, it just has more local memory for recordings. 0. https://www.engadget.com/googles-2nd-gen-wired-nest-doorbell-130036210.html https://www.engadget.com/googles-2nd-gen-wired-nest-doorbell...
  - p1esk 4y ago
    Where does it say that it has a wired network connection?
    - tyingq 4y ago
      "for those who don't want to monitor their device's battery levels or to worry about spotty WiFi" Though that's the only mention. Edit: ah, it's still Wifi, just has more memory. From: https://blog.google/products/google-nest/nest-doorbell-wired-2nd-gen/ https://blog.google/products/google-nest/nest-doorbell-wired... "And if your Wi-Fi is spotty one day, you still won’t miss any important moments. The new Nest Doorbell will automatically record an hour’s worth of important events to its local memory."
      - alias_neo 4y ago
        Local memory on video doorbells is an equally hilarious problem as the one in OP. As my dad pointed out when I was trying to show off my shiny new video doorbell. "What's to stop them just ripping it off the wall and taking it with them?" I hope to be half skilled at tempering my children's enthusiasm as he is.
        giantg2 4y ago
        To be fair, I feel like these things aren't real security devices. They're better rhan nothing, but highly vulnerable to any number of attacks, privacy issues, etc. These are convience devices sold to make people feel safer.
        4y ago
- mlyle 4y ago
  > neither Ring nor Nest has a hardwired network option (or, better yet, PoE) https://ring.com/products/video-doorbell-elite https://ring.com/products/video-doorbell-elite https://ring.com/products/stick-up-security-camera-elite-poe https://ring.com/products/stick-up-security-camera-elite-poe
  - 1MachineElf 4y ago
    They should also get ONVIF.
    - yftsui 4y ago
      Ring do support ONVIF cameras with local storage on Alarm Pro
  - DoctorOetker 4y ago
    More accurately, the hardwired connector isn't broken out: https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/628267/Where+is+the+WiFi+antenna+located#answer699891 https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/628267/Where+is+the+WiFi... I don't see what prevents a determined user from removing the built-in antenna, and run a coaxial cable with suitable characteristic impedance from the WiFi doorbell's u.FL connector to a cheap WiFi dongle somewhere inside (perhaps add an attenuator if the lowest transmit powers are too high).
    - mlyle 4y ago
      > More accurately, the hardwired connector isn't broken out: ? "More accurately"? The poster pointed said Ring didn't have an ethernet/PoE option. I linked their ethernet/PoE cameras and doorbell. Your desire to frankenstein a 2.4GHz wired connection for the lower end products isn't related.
      - DoctorOetker 4y ago
        I simply constructively suggest to bypass jamming concerns for the 2.4GHz link, by having the devices communicate more privately over coaxial cable. From the perspective of the radios in the doorbell or a wifi dongle it doesn't matter if you are transceiving via antenna over the ether or transceiving over coax, as long as you use a suitable characteristic impedance. For a person who doesn't understand cars perhaps changing a tire feels like "Frankensteining" too... I suggest you reconsider the downvote but predict the suggestion to be in vain. The quote of your parent was: > neither Ring nor Nest has a hardwired network option (or, better yet, PoE) so it's not entirely honest when you say: > The poster pointed said Ring didn't have an ethernet/PoE option. (eliding that this person made a more general statement: not having a hardwired connection) So I think my point stands that it does have a hardwired connector (transmission line to u.FL) and that it isn't broken out. Those who wish their security camera to function in a mission critical setting (like working when it's supposed to work, even in the face of wireless jamming) I make a practical suggestion (as opposed to lamenting the idiocy of the average uninformed consumer when selecting a WiFi doorbell, like I read in other comments on this HN submission). All it requires is to disassemble the doorbell a little, to remove the WiFi antenna, to drill a small hole in the plastic casing, and to attach a coaxial cable. Do you remember old ethernet? it ran over coax too. If most posters on this HN submission lament the idiocy of the consumer when selecting a WiFi security doorbell, those consumers can only conclude to buy another model, with the older one ending up in a landfill or at least unused. It is more ecological to fix the design, and thankfully WiFi antenna is a separate PCB so theres a u.FL connector for a coax to connect to, internally. This way these doorbells can continue to be used. In trying to understand why a person would consider running a WiFi network over a coaxial cable a Frankenstein-like idea, I can only conclude it stems from a form of xenophobia: it is easy to believe that everything is the way it is because its the best way to handle things. In fact as a transmission line coaxial cables are superior to "ethernet" cables, its just that the latter are much cheaper to manufacture. This resulted in the (economical) dominance of "ethernet" cables. It is then only one misconception away to erroneously believe non-coaxial cables were chosen for their superior performance, when in fact its just a cost trade-off. So I conclude you are not too familiar with physics or electronics, else you would not call this Frankensteining.
- spoonjim 4y ago
  Hogwash, I have a hardwired PoE Ring doorbell camera.
- 6sp 4y ago
  My Ring Elite is powered by PoE
m463 4y ago
come on, all that is covered in the privacy policy.
- Belphemur 4y ago
  Most likely in the terms and condition. "We're not responsible for the service in the event of a disruption of the radio field technologies used by our products"

bee_rider 4y ago

It is a correct answer, though. You don't need a degree in Electrical Engineering to know that Ring hasn't invented an unjammable wifi device.

capableweb 4y ago
They say "wifi-enabled" device when the true adjective would be "wifi-required". A security camera using wifi should still record even if it looses wifi connection for a few minutes.
- matthewmacleod 4y ago
  This is like saying "a security camera that's wired to a central recorder should still work for a few minutes even if someone cuts through the wire." It's indeed a feature that you could add to a device, but it's clear that it would increase the cost and _not_ clear that it would be worth that cost.
  - rippercushions 4y ago
    The feature being an in-memory buffer that can store a few minutes of not-particularly-highres, mostly stationary video? I'm surprised Ring doesn't seem to have that already -- although the article does talk about missing hours, which implies the jammer was activated long before the actual heist.
  - phpisthebest 4y ago
    No it is not the same WiFi even in perfect conditions is much less reliable than a wired connection, so a security device that is dependent on wifi should have a buffer, even if a wired device would not. I can take measures to secure wired connection (metal / armored conduit as an example) there are very very limit to no measures you can take to prevent signal jamming
  - rozab 4y ago
    Edge recording is most certainly not an exotic feature in the space.

incompatible 4y ago

Does Ring Customer Support offer a fix?

alias_neo 4y ago
"Might we suggest upgrading to the Ring Camera Elite, sir? Our new extra shiny, twice the price ELITE doorbell is exquisitely suited to one with such exceptionally high requirements. I'll just add that to your basket, would you like me to complete the order for you with card ending 2008, sir?"
GoodbyeMrChips 4y ago

webinvest 4y ago

He dismisses the fact that most cameras have flash storage inside and don’t need a network connection. Others can use Ethernet. He mentions wifi-enabled when it is wifi-required.