We're all used to hearing about the classic neighbour complaints such as excessive noise or deliveries going mysteriously missing, but one tech phenomenon has inspired a new style of spat: the video doorbell camera.
Amazon 's own-brand devices, known as Ring doorbell cameras, are a brilliant tool for added security outside your home, and offer great convenience when you're not in - as the clever device syncs up to your phone and allows you to keep an eye on your property and speak to visitors virtually.
However, since they rose in popularity, the gadgets are proving divisive as some people are complaining that their neighbours are using the video doorbells to spy on them.
One disgruntled tenant has claimed that their neighbours have deliberately installed Ring cameras that face directly towards their home. Even worse, they appear only to turn on when the person arrives at their front door, which makes it seem as though the surrounding neighbours are targeting them individually.
Taking to Reddit to reveal the saga, the person, who remains anonymous, wrote: "So, I’ve moved back into my parents house and I’ve been here for about 2 years now.
"And since then, my neighbors [sic] have all installed cameras facing our home.
"Recently, I’ve noticed my front door neighbors [sic] have installed a ring camera that they activate only whenever I arrive home as if to signal that they know I’m home."
Explaining their hunch, the person added: "I noticed this because I often go out with my grandmother to take her to her appointments or sometimes to visit my aunt and it never goes off.
"However, when I leave for the gym… it never goes off only when I arrive back home it makes a whistling noise.
"I’ve started to leave things outside or leave my door open to let them know that I know they are watching and I don’t care. Any thoughts?"
Fellow Reddit users flocked to the comments section on the post to offer their opinion on the situation, with one sharing their own similar experience: "I don’t have any advice but know how you feel. I live in apartments & share a carport with my downstairs neighbour. He installed one of these in our shared space & I feel like it’s such an invasion of my privacy.
"I don’t like that he gets notified every time I come & go! I wouldn’t be so annoyed about it if he’d asked me first. I’ve figured out which areas set it off & now walk around it lol. Petty I know. Luckily I’m moving out soon."
Meanwhile, others tried to debunk the Reddit poster's theory, arguing that it could all be down to the camera's settings.
One person said: "I have a bunch of Ring cameras. They’re fully customizable [sic] in terms of both which areas in the camera’s FOV have motion sensing and how sensitive the camera is to motion. They likely have absolutely no idea how the cameras work and have everything set to default.
"I’d constantly set them off in the most innocent ways possible (balloons on a windy day are EXCELLENT for this). It’ll either prompt them to turn the cameras off or learn how to configure the motion zones, sensitivity, person detection, schedules, etc".
A third person stated: "There are 2 types of people who install cameras. Those who genuinely want to be a bit more secure & are security conscious, & a*****s who are afraid of retaliation for being creepy a******s who upset others".
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below
