Ring Door Bells are not being re-called
The Ring Door Bell company has issued new installation instructions for 350,000 doorbells in the United States, after some of the 2nd generation units have caught fire.
Smart device maker Ring is urging hundreds of thousands of doorbell customers to download new instruction manuals, after receiving reports that some of them have caught fire. This is a re-install guide not a returns process.
The problem is with the 2nd generation Ring doorbells sold in the United States. The fire hazard problem is said to affect around 350,000 and roughly 8,700 more sold in Canada, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Ring is one of the leading makers of smart doorbells in the world, and in 2018 it was acquired by Amazon for 1 billion dollars.
Fire risk
The doorbells that are at risk of catching fire were sold on Ring’s website and on Amazon between June 2020 and October 2020.
“This recall involves Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Generation), model number 5UM5E5 smart doorbell cameras,” said the CPSC. “The video doorbells have a blue ring at the front and come in two colors: “satin nickel” (black and silver) and “venetian bronze” (black and bronze).” “Customers can determine if their doorbell is included in this recall by entering the doorbell’s serial number at http://support.ring.com/ring-2nd-gen-recall,” it added. “Only Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Generation) models with certain serial numbers are included.”
The CPSC said that Customers should immediately stop installing the recalled video doorbells and contact Ring for revised installation instructions. “Customers can check if their video doorbell is part of this recall through Ring’s website or app,” it added.
The CPSC said that Ring had received 85 incident reports of incorrect doorbell screws installed with 23 of those doorbells igniting, resulting in minor property damage. The firm has received eight reports of minor burns.
No returns needed
Ring got in touch with Silicon UK and pointed out that while the CPSC notice said there was a recall on the affected doorbells, customers in reality do not actually need to return their devices.
Ring doorbells should function as intended when properly installed, Ring said. It added that it had emailed known customers who own a Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Gen) to ensure they are following the installation instructions properly. “The safety of our customers is our top priority,” a Ring spokesperson told Silicon UK. “We have contacted customers who purchased a Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Gen) to ensure they received the updated user manual and follow the device installation instructions. Customers do not need to return their devices.”
