Using A Ring Doorbell In An Apartment Building: Can It Be Done? My Take

There are very few places in the world where we aren’t on camera anymore. Not in terms of space per se; there are vast expanses all over the world without a camera or even a person in sight. I’m talking about in major cities, suburbs and even small towns. If there are people around, there’s a good chance you’re being recorded somehow. The latest gadget to enter the world of cameras is the camera doorbell. They’ve exploded in the past few years, largely in thanks to the internet-of-things boom. The difference between these camera doorbells and someone’s smartphone, though, is that the camera doorbell is supposed to be surveilling people – assuming they get within the vicinity of your house. Controlled and used via smartphone, these devices are the watchful eye you’ve (possibly) always wanted at home. At this point, the heavyweight in the game is the brand Ring. While they’re known for being a popular camera system for homeowners, what about for apartments? Let’s talk about using a Ring doorbell in an apartment and what you should know before buying.

---

Table Of Contents:

• Why Install A Ring Doorbell?
• Am I Allowed To Install A Ring Doorbell In An Apartment?
• Installing Your Ring & Understanding Theft Policy
• Considering Your Neighbor’s Privacy
• Connecting To Your Apartment’s Wi-Fi
• Deciding On Camera Settings

---

Why Install A Ring Doorbell In An Apartment?

In case you’re interested, I figured it’d be a good idea to outline some of the Ring’s basic features to outline why they’ve become so popular.

We have a Ring Doorbell 2, so I’ll outline the benefits of owning this particular model. This model, along with the Ring Doorbell 3 (it’s successor) are the most popular. We’ll link to some other models below too if you’re interested.

Here are some notable features of the Ring:

• Syncs With Smartphones: Ring’s mobile app is where all the magic happens. If someone rings your Ring (heh), you’ll get a notification and alert on your phone. The same can be said for whenever the Ring detects motion – more on that below.
• Video Surveillance: Any time you want to see what’s going on outside your door, just log in to the Ring app. You can “go live” and see what’s happening now, or you can review your archive of a video clips that get recorded automatically when your device senses motion.
• “Answer” Your Door From Anywhere: Whether it’s for someone ringing your doorbell or when someone’s near your house that shouldn’t be, the Ring app allows you to speak with whoever’s there through the device itself.

These are a few of the key benefits that Ring owners get, and these benefits remain true whether you use a Ring doorbell in an apartment or at a single family home.

Using A Ring Doorbell In An Apartment: Here’s What To Know

Since you’ve landed on this article, you probably know what a Ring Doorbell is and the benefits that come with one already.

As said earlier, we have a Ring 2 doorbell outside our apartment now. Here are a few quick topics we’ll cover that are based on my experience so far:

• How To Install & Theft “Insurance”
• Being Mindful Of Neighbors
• Connecting To A Wi-Fi Network
• Camera Settings

I’ll go into further detail about each of these points below. In the meantime…

Am I Allowed To Install A Ring Doorbell In An Apartment?

My honest answer? I don’t know. I say this because every landlord’s rules and lease agreement is going to vary a bit.

In turn, I highly recommend that you read your lease first. If there’s a clause that requires you to ask for permission, then do so.

In my case, I didn’t ask for permission. Our particular lease doesn’t specify anything about security cameras or similar devices. We decided to install a Ring after a few strange instances, including an odd neighbor and a time someone tried opening our door while I was home. I’m sure it was an accident, but we decided to just install it.

That said, we are fully prepared to repair the wall (or get charged a fee) at our expense where the Ring is mounted upon moving out. You should be prepared to do the same unless your landlord specifically says otherwise.

It’s also worth noting that our wall is gypsum and metal studs, meaning we can patch it ourselves. I have zero experience mounting a Ring on a concrete, CMU or any other type of wall other than a typical interior stud wall.

Installing Your Ring & Understanding Their Theft Policy

Ring devices come with mounting hardware that’s meant to be screwed into the wall. In most typical cases, a Ring will be installed on the exterior of a wood-framed house or condo.

Inside an apartment building is different. The majority of us in apartments are installing Ring devices in the hallway. The walls will likely be gypsum sheathing and metal studs. This most likely means you can use the mounting fasteners that comes with your Ring.

After using a stud finder and deciding on your location, simply follow the instructions that Ring sends to install it.

Yes, you can install a Ring using tape such as a 3M double-sided foam tape, rather than using fasteners. There are two things to be aware of, though:

1. Double-sided tape is strong: so strong that it’ll probably damage the wall when it’s removed just like fasteners would.
2. You’ll void Ring’s warranty: Ring has a theft replacement policy, meaning they’ll replace your Ring if it’s stolen….IF it was installed properly using their supplied fasteners. We can’t provide any guarantee that Ring will replace your device under this policy in general, let alone if it’s not installed as directed. Mounting your Ring in any other manner than how they dictate will void their theft/replacement policy.

Using the fasteners provided by Ring, I was able to install ours in about 15 minutes.

---

PROMOTION

_{LINK OPENS IN NEW TAB}

---

Being Mindful Of Neighbors

After installing a Ring doorbell in an apartment building, neighbors will likely point it out. Some will be supportive while others may be skeptical. Some neighbors may even take issue with it.

We’ve luckily had only positive feedback, but we also live at the end of the hall – only one other neighbor comes within 20 feet of our door on a daily basis.

Should your neighbor take issue with your Ring, you can explain to them the benefits they’ll also get – they’re essentially getting video surveillance of their apartment for free, so long as their door is close enough to activate the Ring.

You can also create a ‘privacy zone’ within your Ring’s settings – this will program your Ring not to record motion in a given range of visibility, such as a neighbor’s door. If you show this to your neighbor, they may feel more at ease.

If they bring it up to management, however, you may end up having to remove it. Whether you’re willing to take that risk is up to you.

Here are a few additional tips for using a Ring while being considerate of your neighbor’s privacy:

• Fairness: Use your Ring in the same manner you’d expect your neighbor to use theirs.
• Placement: I recommend placing your Ring in a location that doesn’t point directly at a neighbors’ front door. You shouldn’t be able to see inside their apartment if their door is open. If you can’t avoid this, I recommend speaking with them first.
• Ethics: Generally behave in an ethical manner! This device is meant foe security only.

Proximity To A Wi-Fi Network

In order to function properly, a Ring device must be connected to a wi-fi network. In an apartment building, this can be easy or difficult to do.

Since apartments are small, the physical distance between your wi-fi router and your Ring is not very far (unless you’re living large). In this way, proximity to a router shouldn’t be an issue.

Using a Ring doorbell in an apartment building becomes problematic if there are obstacles between your Ring and your router. This can include concrete wall, a metal door, a hallway corner and so on.

Depending on your specific apartment, this may not be remedied simply by moving your router closer to the Ring. If you’re having trouble hooking it up, you can always try a wireless network extender.

Ring also has their own name-brand wi-fi extended, too – the “Ring Chime Pro“.

Deciding On Camera Settings

The Ring can be configured in a variety of settings. This includes the following:

• Distance: You can set your Ring to provide alerts when motion is detected at certain distances away. For instance, our Ring Doorbell 2 allows us to adjust this distance range via slider bar in the app. If you don’t want alerts when your neighbor comes and goes 20-ft away, you can set it that way.
• Recording Duration: You can also decide how long you want your Ring to record for whenever motion is detected. Our Ring Doorbell 2 allows us to record up to 120 seconds at a time.
• Privacy Zones: As said above, the Ring can be configured to not record motion in a given range of visibility from your device. This way a neighbor’s door(s) won’t be recorded.

That’s what’s great about the Ring – it allows the user to tailor recording settings to their specific environment and preferences.

Read Next:

• Home Gym For A Studio Apartment? Equipment That Can Fit In A Closet
• Do Roomba’s Work In Apartments? Top-Model Comparison
• Home Theater In An Apartment? Best Projector For Apartments In 2020

In Summary

Since you most likely came to this article with questions on using a Ring doorbell in an apartment building, I truly hope this article has been helpful and has covered all of the questions you may have. Thanks a lot for reading.