Ring doorbells are hard to recommend, but new security changes have altered our buying advice

I am a product critic. And whether I test a thermostat, a Spin bike or a Security CameraI am full of questions – and these questions always start with the hardware. CNET has published numerous articles that describe exactly how we test products, but here are some general thoughts that immediately come to mind as a smart home gadget tester:

• How is the installation Was it easy or difficult? Why specifically?
• Is the app optimized or clunky? Doesn’t it improve (or hinder) the use of this product? How?
• Is the device well designed? Will it likely hold up over time? Are any parts fiddly?
• Does the product do what it claims to do? Were there any surprises? What exactly?
• How is this model compared to others from competitors? Is that the “best”?
• Does it work with other smart home products, including voice assistants? Are the integrations helpful?

Of course, the questions shift depending on the product, but you have the idea. I get a product, try the product – and then tell you all about it.

With Privacy and security issues Now the norm in consumer technology, there are new considerations. For example, what happens when a product performs well but is difficult to recommend because of it? real concern about a company’s policies?

The manufacturer of smart home devices Ring has been one of my biggest challenges as a product tester. It is certainly not alone: Facebook, I’m looking at you. Testing ringtones and security cameras has raised so many additional questions for me about the role of an auditor in recommending or not recommending a product.

Continue reading: Ring cameras are associated with privacy concerns. What about the intelligent lights?

The line between suitability for consumers and corporate policy is becoming incredibly blurred, especially for products with cameras and microphones that are connected to the Internet. For this reason, we need to look at the big picture, although this consideration doesn’t always exactly match the product rating format on which CNET has relied for more than a quarter of a century.

Conclusion: It can no longer only be about the hardware.

Some ring history

Ring makes intelligent doorbells, Security cameras, intelligent lights and a Home security system. His products work with Amazon Alexa smart speakers — and a variety of third-party devices. The security brand that Amazon bought two years agowas a lot in the news as data protection and security are becoming increasingly important for smart home devices and the associated software.

In 2018, Ring filed two patents for facial recognition technology. At the time of this writing, Ring had not added facial recognition features to its doorbells and surveillance cameras, but one of the patents describes sending facial scans through law enforcement databases. However, it does offer person warnings to distinguish between standard movements and the case when a ring camera believes it sees a person.

Ring is currently working with local police authoritiesThis gives customers the opportunity to sign up for a “neighbor” program that allows them to share saved video clips with the police. The company before gave the police authorities access to heat cards Indication of where ring devices were installed.

In December 2019 the personal information of over 3,600 ring users has been suspended. Again, Ring isn’t the only company that raises privacy and security concernsDue to a combination of Ring’s privacy and security issues, we removed all products from our recommendations at the end of last year.

It wasn’t the hardware: Ring’s products still worked as usual. It was the guidelines behind the hardware that gave us a break.

“Protecting our customers’ privacy, security, and control over their devices and personal information is fundamental to Ring, and we are constantly working to meet this obligation,” a Ring spokesman told CNET. “This was most recently demonstrated when we were the first smart home security company to mandate a second level of verification for all of our customers. We will continue to add features to protect user privacy and improve data security as we work towards making neighborhoods safer do.

“Ring’s products are intended for private use, and we urge all of our customers to comply with applicable laws when setting up their Ring devices,” added the spokesman. “We have taken steps to help customers respect the privacy of people when using their devices, including [the Privacy Zones feature and free Ring stickers]. “

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The complete picture

Ring made many political updates in early 2020 Things to improve, including introduction a data protection control center and mandatory two-factor authentication for new products. The Control Center acts as a dashboard for customers, making it easier to view and change privacy and security settings. Two-factor authentication activates a second level of security to “authenticate” the person trying to access the account. In the case of Ring, a unique code will be sent to your phone, which you will need to enter in addition to your regular login details.

Because of this effort and after internal discussions and a lot of careful consideration, we decided to reopen Ring products for recommendation, starting with the $ 230 ring video doorbell 3 Plus that I just tested.

If customers ask more questions about data protection and device security, we will do the same. We will continue to deal with the non-hardware side as part of our regular reviews and, if necessary, treat these topics in separate stories like this. As always, our goal is to make sure you have all the information you need to make an informed purchase. It means more and more to give you a complete picture of a company, not just why a particular product worked so well or not as expected. All of this informs about a recommendation or the lack of a recommendation – and in rare cases we may remove a product or an entire brand from our recommendations.

If you have any further questions about Ring’s policies, start here: Amazon is helping the police build a surveillance network with ring doorbells.