As smart technology continues to evolve, so do people’s needs to make it more convenient. Products are continuously improving, so some people are wondering how to record ring doorbell video locally. By default, Ring Doorbell requires a Cloud subscription that can cost anywhere from $3 to $10 a month, depending on how many Ring products they own and wish to use. Reasonably, some people are not too fond of the idea of spending additional money each month and have to rely on Cloud technology to see what’s on their doorbell camera. If they don’t pay for it, they can only see what’s going on presently, with no option to store old video footage. Fortunately, there is a technical way to capture Ring Doorbell Video locally!
Further reading: Best Smart Doorbells Without a Subscription
Understanding How Ring Doorbells Work
In order to take advantage of Ring local storage, one has to understand how these doorbells save videos. Existing doorbell options like Nest Hello often utilize two-way audio and video. This fact means that one can find a way to take a doorbell camera’s recording and put it in local storage. However, it’s also crucial to understand how Ring Doorbell currently works and the potential for some of the upcoming solutions to be patched out. It’s usually by a person’s door in the front of their home for security reasons.
How It Works
Usually, a person needs to pay for a Cloud subscription of $3 to $10 per month for video doorbell opportunities. Ring Doorbell is known for recording motion detection and sending a notification to a person’s mobile device, alerting them of the incident. If a person does not have a Cloud subscription, they can only see what’s going on presently, with no option to look at the video. Doorbells already cost a decent amount of money, so paying a few dollars per month doesn’t seem too crazy of an idea. However, why pay a set amount per month when they can get everything for free via unofficial ways?
Live View
Ring’s live view feature can help people not willing to spend money throughout the months for a Cloud subscription service. Nothing is required to view the live video footage, as this service comes with the cameras a person buys. Its motion detection still works with its motion sensor, but if a person is sleeping or is away from their camera, they won’t be able to see what gave them the notification through the live footage. Live video is nice, but it isn’t ideal for most people.
Ring Free Plan
Before relying on local storage, any owner of these Ring products can opt to use the free plan for 30 days. The free trial itself is 30 days and comes with the purchase of Ring Doorbells. Otherwise, a person can save all of their videos for up to 60 days if they have a paid subscription. Ring Doorbell free recording isn’t a bad option for those adverse to subscription plans, but there are better alternatives to save money.
A person can view the camera live without paying for the monthly subscription, but they cannot save videos or watch saved ones. Due to this fact, they cannot share events from several months ago after the 30-day free trial occurs. In some ways, this plan is better than the Nest Hello option, as Nest Hello isn’t useful without the monthly subscription. By comparison, a person can still use Ring devices, albeit in a limited fashion.
The Ring app should still work with the local solutions, although a person may want to avoid updating it if something is patched out. Without updates, a person should be able to use their doorbell camera; however, they please. That said, the app is still a good choice if a person isn’t bothered by changing their methods from time to time. The app still offers everything a person can expect, such as Ring video notifications and extra compatibility with Home Assistant. The Ring app is usually required to take advantage of any feature a person may want to use.
Compatibility
Ring Doorbell works with Google Assistant, Home Assistant, and other similar systems. This fact includes any hack a person might perform to access local storage. Any security issue related to these smart devices can also be taken advantage of, so a person may need to increase their security protocol. Cameras may deter people from trying to enter a residence, but they cannot prevent them from trying.
Aside from that, all of the following local options should still work with a smart home. It should work throughout the year unless it’s patched out, which brings this guide to its next section. Of course, as companies try to fix their product, there’s always a new loophole discovered to make local storage a viable option again.
Problems With Trying Local Options
One of the biggest problems with trying to download footage onto a hard drive or SD card is that it can always be patched out. Scripting and hacking are often required to get local options to work, but a new feature can always be updated on a person’s Ring Doorbell to make that impossible. Likewise, some people may be uncomfortable with the idea of trying to make their Ring Doorbell store video locally, as there isn’t an official way sponsored by the Ring company.
Store Ring Video Locally
Technically, there is no official way for storing videos locally, but there are some unofficial ways that work spectacularly! Some of these methods may require more technical expertise that a person may be used to, but it’s highly recommended to try to record locally. Some methods take advantage of Wi-Fi, while others take advantage of security loopholes. The latter can be particularly dangerous, as it means unwanted guests can also break into your Ring device and obtain sensitive information. Alas, that’s a problem with smart devices in general, so it’s best to protect a person’s data whenever possible. Well, once a person is able to share their high-quality recorded doorbell footage locally,
Choice #1 Man-in-the-Middle-Attack
Even if a person isn’t interested in performing a Man-in-the-Middle-Attack, it’s still vital to understand how it works to prevent it from being used against the person. This type of attack is a cyberattack where a 3rd party intercepts the data of two others. It’s easy to see this example as a middle man waiting between the Ring Doorbell and the Cloud storage. A person has to intercept a Ring Doorbell recording while it’s active and then send the extra data to an external source like a hard drive, an SD card, or another form of storage. Once everything is recorded, a person can see it at their own leisure.
However, some people may want more specific information on how this cyber attack works. First, a person needs to understand how Wi-Fi works and how to intercept local traffic. They have to identify the packets of local data relevant to Ring Doorbells and keep it recorded in their designated location. An example is using a fake Wi-Fi network that would deliver the information to both the internet router (so it can be sent to the Cloud storage) and personal local storage. An alternative is to set up the internet router to send information to the local Ring video server.
Choice #2 Scripts
For those interested in programming languages, there are additional ways to record locally. Ring-Client-API is an unofficial Ring API people can manipulate to video footage to be stored monthly (or even daily). This API is available on GitHub and can be rescripted to place everything in local storage instead of Cloud storage. As long as the person knows where they wish to hold their footage, then they can script the API to place it there. One may want to download it onto an SD card, USB flash drive, or any other device for maximum efficiency.
Generally, Python and C are good languages to use with smart tools like Ring devices. They are easy to learn and have a wide array of applications outside of video doorbell solutions. Java is also a viable option, especially since it’s one of the most popular languages around. On GitHub is Project Python Ring Doorbell, so experienced programmers can see the open-source project and change some code to fit their home better. Some of the code can also be modified to address potential battery life problems and other minor events.
All of the scripting options work with smart devices. Hence, a person doesn’t need to adjust the script too much. A person can create specific actions through some functions, which tells the smart device what it should do and when it should do it. Its owner would have to look up the specific lines of code, as no home is truly identical to another.
Choice #3 More GitHub Solutions
Ring-Hassio is the final GitHub choice a person can try to use, as they can choose to download the source code for free. One can expose any video output as an HTTP URL and choose to save it. As all of the GitHub options are open-source, a person doesn’t have to worry about security issues as much as closed-source projects. The reason for not fearing security problems is that a person can find all of the code on GitHub. If a person doesn’t understand programming, they would not know, but generally, it’s pretty easy to notice.
More on These Interceptions
Trying to record motion without paying for the monthly subscription has its downsides. There have been past events that allowed a person in need of trying to download their videos to work successfully, but those events are no longer possible. Well, technically, some of these events have been modified to what people know today, like the Github options. Predictably, companies like Ring would prefer it if everybody paid for their wireless subscription throughout the months. To offer a product and a service is something, but to find out some features that can be exploited, well, that’s another thing. Yes, people are always going to be able to take advantage of a wireless device and even submit the footage to their own personal Cloud account.
How to Record Locally Without Technical Expertise
Unfortunately, a person who may want to download the doorbells’ two-way video without knowing how to code or hack is in for a rude awakening. Nontechnical support is practically nonexistent, although a person can always look up a video to better understand how to record events and send them to their mobile device. Otherwise, all a person can do is look at live footage of their video doorbell and record it through a 3rd party app. Using unlicensed apps can bring an additional security risk, so a person may want not to share sensitive information.
Naturally, a person can accept that they have to pay for several months’ worth of Ring Doorbell footage to be sent to their Cloud. It would be an unsatisfying way, but it won’t break their camera or app if they fail to manipulate the products at a technical level.
Smart home point has made a great video explaining more about setting up local video recording for your Ring doorbell. Watch below:
Advantages and Disadvantages of Setting Recording Up Locally
Naturally, there are many advantages and disadvantages to setting up the Ring video doorbell system locally. The Ring video doorbell is an awesome system when somebody pays for it, but it can still act as a superb piece of technology if a person modifies certain aspects. The following are some advantages and disadvantages to a person who may need to modify their Ring video doorbell.
Pros:
- Can work for free
- Allows a person to modify how events are recorded and what notifications can be sent to an app
- Still allows a person to look at the live view
- Can save videos onto Cloud
- Can work with any camera
- May support battery life better
- Makes the Ring video doorbell more convenient
- Helps improve security
- Can work for several months to a year and more
- Allows a person to make modifications to the product, if they have the technical expertise
Cons:
- Requires technical knowledge
- Not easy to set up for some people
Conclusion
The best way to get many cameras set up locally is to know how to hack or manipulate technical software. Trying to save what is recorded on the Ring Doorbell video isn’t a Herculean task, but it can be confusing for some folks. If done right, the camera quality should still be excellent, while all wireless functions continue per the usual. If a person needs to save a recording for their local storage as soon as possible, it’s best to use the GitHub code, as it can be implemented fairly swiftly.
Remember, the Ring Doorbell usually chooses to save its videos via Cloud, so it might not be the most intuitive to change. This doorbell camera is similar to other doorbell options, as it can be found in the front next to a person’s door. It can share footage between products, while it allows a person to download it if they want to. Anything recorded might affect the battery, but the methods might differ from time to time. At the end of the day, it’s a doorbell that can chime and have something recorded. A person can choose to download it, share it, or whatever else they might want with the recording. As long as it’s recorded correctly and a person can view and download it locally, then that’s the best possible outcome. No longer does a person have to save their Ring doorbell recording via Cloud, now they can save it via local means.
