5 smart doorbell brands with poor privacy credentials

Smart doorbells provide a sense of security, allowing you to see who is at your door wherever you are. But this convenience can come at the expense of your privacy. It is important to know that some brands have a less good track record when it comes to protecting your data.

Installing a 24/7 camera at your front door comes with some inherent risks, but you don’t have to give up your privacy to have one. Unfortunately, many of the most popular brands of smart doorbells come with some major privacy concerns. Here’s an overview of the things you need to know.

Ring

Start with Ring, which pioneered smart doorbells. Ring built one close relationship with law enforcement agencies in the United States. While this may sound like a good thing, it means the police can request footage from your Ring doorbell without the need for a warrant. This raises some serious warning signs about potential surveillance and overreach, especially for those involved in protests or other activities where privacy is crucial.

In addition to police partnerships, Ring has also been busted sharing user data with third-party trackers. Remember those targeted ads that seem to follow you around the internet? Sharing data could contribute to this. And let’s not forget the reports Ring employees watching user videos And strangers accessing camera feeds (and talk to children).

Eufy

Eufy has marketed itself as the privacy-conscious alternative in the smart home world. They emphasize local storage, which tricks you into thinking your videos stay within your home network. However, that illusion was shattered in late 2022, when Eufy was caught uploading footage to the cloud. This vulnerability exposed user videos to unauthorized viewing, which completely contradicted their privacy claims.

To make matters worse, Eufy handled the situation very poorly. The company initially denied the existence of any vulnerabilities, but then remained silent for three weeks and removed lines from its privacy commitment. Finally, it has admitted to a security flaw in the Live View function on the web portal. The whole thing left a bad taste in the mouths of many users and makes it difficult to trust the company again.

Wyze

Wyze, known for its budget-friendly smart home devices, has had more than a few privacy and security issues in the past. By 2023, a significant security hole was discovered in their security cameras. This allowed unauthorized access to users’ video feeds, with some reporting that they could see live feeds from users’ cameras when they opened the Wyze app.

That all sounds pretty bad, and it is, but what’s even worse is that it happened again just five months later. All of this has caused many publications (including How-To Geek) to withdraw their recommendations for Wyze products. While they typically address these issues quickly with firmware updates, this raises questions about their initial security practices and the potential for future vulnerabilities.

Eken and Tuck (and related brands)

Now, for a few brands that don’t have the same name recognition. Eken Group Ltd. is a company that produces video doorbells under various brands, including Eken, Tuck, Fishbot, Rakeblue, Andoe and others. These budget-friendly options can often be found at places like Amazon and Walmart. Early 2024, Consumer Reports has discovered some alarming security flaws in these devices.

The problem lies with the wireless communication protocols used by these doorbells. Many rely on older, less secure protocols that make them easier targets for cyber attacks. In some cases, the doorbells themselves transmitted sensitive information, such as Wi-Fi network names and plaintext passwords, making them ripe for the taking.

Essentially, someone can easily hijack your doorbell by simply pressing the button and linking it to their own account on the Aiwit app (the app used by all these brands). And if that wasn’t enough, anyone with the doorbell’s serial number had access to the images. This makes it incredibly vulnerable to widespread spying.

Eken Group eventually released firmware updates to address these issues, but the initial lack of security makes them very difficult to trust.

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If you are considering a smart doorbell, it is very important to do your research. Look beyond the flashy features and consider the company’s privacy policies, data collection practices, and security track record. Choose a brand that prioritizes your privacy and offers strong encryption and regular security updates.