How To Prevent Ring Doorbell From Being Stolen (8 Tricks)

Crime rates are at an all-time high around the world so security devices and technology innovations are also at an all-time high. One of these devices is the ring doorbell but as these became more popular so did their theft.

Don’t worry, since when thieves evolve so do we, and we here at SafeNow have put together a list of ways and methods to prevent your ring doorbell from being stolen. Well, go through these below. 

Below we are going to cover the 8 tricks that we find the most effective for preventing Ring robbery.

Trick 1: Build an Enclosure/Box

Installing a grid box or metal cover to the frame or wall can add protection to the Ring doorbell. Just make sure it won’t obstruct the camera’s field of view and the button, so it is still easier for your visitors to press it.

These covers can be custom made as can be seen in our article on creating a security camera which includes cover creation or they can be store-bought.

Their not completely effective since even the cover can be stolen but it adds an extra layer of prevention that may make a lot of thieves just move on.

Trick 2: Reinforce it to the Wall

Door frames are the common areas where you attach or mount doorbells and a lot of people are prone to just using a sticky substance and not nailing the doorbell directly to the wall. But for better protection, you can reinforce it with a stronger substance or reinforce it directly to a wall this way for thieves to remove the doorbell they’re going to need to spend more valuable time removing it which may prevent theft.

If you are not sure how to reinforce it properly, you can follow these six steps:

Step 1: Remove the old doorbell from the wall if you have one. Make sure to disconnect the power first for electrical hazards. If you cannot do it yourself, hire a skilled electrician to do the job for you. (1)

Step 2: Mount the bracket using a level tool that is usually included with higher-level rings. Then drive all the screws into the holes. Once all the screws are secure, pull out the level tool from the mounting bracket.

Step 3: Start connecting the wires to the screws. Make sure all the wires are not touching one another.

Step 4: Install the diode for digital doorbells. You can find out if yours is mechanical or digital by listening to the ringing sound. All digital doorbells don’t produce the traditional ding-dong sound.

Step 5: Place the video doorbell by lining its back to the slots found on the mounting bracket.

Step 6: Tighten two security screws on the bottom of the video doorbell.

Trick 3: Attach the doorbell to the stucco

For better security and to avoid the doorbell from getting robbed easily, you can attach it directly to the stucco. Through this, it will be harder for the thief to remove and steal the doorbell from the walls easily. Even if they try, it will take them a lot of time and scare them away. Thieves must do their job fast and smoothly, so firmly attached doorbells can be a big deterrent.

Trick 4: Secure the power cable of your smart video doorbell

Most thieves know how camera security works. Even if there are protective devices on the doorbell, thieves can find the cables to cut it off. You can hide the power cable by putting them along the edges of the wall. You can also look for hidden areas on the doorbell and secure them with some cable clips.

After securing the cables, blend them in by painting them with the same color as the wall, so it will be hard to notice. 

Trick 5: Have an extra camera

Don’t just rely on your doorbell’s camera as your only tool for home security. Install extra cameras as well on the front door, windows, and nearby areas. This way, even if the doorbell gets stolen, you still have clear proof of the crime. This may not be viable for everyone’s budget but it’s a great second line of defense.

Trick 6: Display a sign

Even simply displaying a verbal sign can keep thieves from targetting your home. Signage displaying that they are being watched or there are motion sensors, which is true on Ring devices, will make thieves more cautious or stop them from choosing your home for a break-in.

You can choose any sign you want. But regardless of whether the message displayed is true or not it helps, in your case, you can give it a shot since the main purpose of this trick is to scare thieves away.

Trick 7: Keep an eye on your notifications

Whenever someone is ringing the doorbell, you will receive a notification on your phone. And since Ring doorbells also have motion sensors, even those who stand near them can be detected as well and you will be informed.

As much as you can, make sure you always have your phone with you and do not ignore notifications you receive from your Ring doorbell. If you can check it right away, you can use your voice to scare off thieves.

Trick 8: Remember to back up the videos to your computer or cloud

As the doorbell is being taken, it can still record the event and create a backup in real-time. So there’s a chance that the thief can be identified as long as you have the backup files of the videos to your computer or cloud. (2)

For those without subscriptions, the best thing you can do is to back up the videos to your computer or cloud since the files are saved from the memory card. It is manual work but it’s a useful trick to provide enough evidence to the police if ever the doorbell got stolen because some thieves prefer to case a house a little while before robbing it you may find someone suspiciously looking or standing in front of your house the day before, this isn’t great evidence but it may help.

Also, make sure to report the incident right away to the police as soon as you can then contact your provider so they can offer you a replacement.

What to do if your Ring doorbell gets stolen?

Even after efforts to secure your Ring doorbell from theft, there will be a chance someone will be successful in stealing it. In case it happens, Ring can offer you a free replacement of a similar model.

But you need to comply first with the following requirements:

• You should report the theft as soon as possible to the police.
• Avoid touching anything near the location of the stolen Ring doorbell. But make sure to take clear photos of it for further evidence.
• Make sure to secure yourself a copy of the police report on your stolen doorbell. Ring will ask for it to honor the replacement.
• Within 15 days, you must report the incident to Ring so they can provide you with a new doorbell similar to your previous one.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should you do after a doorbell theft?

Check the last recorded video of the doorbell when it got stolen. Make sure to check the area and capture some photos for evidence. But be careful not to touch anything around the incident. Once you have all the evidence, report to your local police so they can investigate the incident. You also need to check with your provider their theft policy. For example, Ring offers replacement as long as you have provided a police report to verify the incident.

Can a burglar reuse your Ring doorbell?

In theory, burglars can reset the doorbell and create a new account under it. However, Ring has a legitimate process of disabling the device on an account and transferring it to another. This process works especially for those moving to a new location.

Burglars can take advantage of this procedure, thus it’s important to also inform Ring right after contacting the police so they can deactivate your old registration. It will prevent the burglars from registering their new account on it to use the device for themselves.

How to prevent ring thefts in the future?

We shared with you useful tricks on how to prevent your Ring doorbell from getting stolen. As long as you try following the preventive measures and being mindful of your surroundings, you can monitor your house easily and prevent theft.

References
(1) electrical hazards – https://www.osha.gov/electrical
(2) cloud – https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/cloud-storage