Amazon Ring video doorbells start catching fire prompting recall

350,000 doorbells have been affected, purchased between June and October 2020

(Ring)

Ring doorbells, the internet-connected home devices from Amazon, are having to be recalled because they are catching on fire.

Ring’s “video doorbell’s battery can overheat when the incorrect screws are used for installation, posing fire and burn hazards”, according to a recall notice from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

“Consumers should immediately stop installing the recalled video doorbells and contact Ring for revised installation instructions or download them here. Consumers can check if their video doorbell is part of this recall through Ring’s website or app”, the CPSC also says.

There have been 85 incidents of Ring doorbells being incorrectly screwed, and on 23 occasions it has resulted in the doorbells igniting, causing minor property damage according to the CPSC. There are also eight reports of minor burns.

The video doorbells were sold on Ring's website and on Amazon between June and October 2020. Around 350,000 doorbells have been affected.

“The video doorbell’s battery can overheat when the incorrect screws are used for installation, posing fire and burn hazards”, reads a recall message on Ring’s site.

“This recall involves Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Generation), model number 5UM5E5 smart doorbell cameras. Only Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Generation) models with certain serial numbers are included.”

The company also put out revised instructions on its website, and has emphasised that “if the doorbell is installed correctly, with the proper screws provided, there is no risk to consumers or potential hazard present”.

Ring has said that customers do not need to return their devices, and that it has been working “cooperatively with the CPSC on this issue and 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.”

Ring recently announced a drone that flies around the home to check whether the users’ home is secure.

The Always Home Cam flies around a predestinated path, which Amazon says can check for windows left unopen or kitchen appliances still turned on, streaming video to the Ring app.

Privacy critics have called the product Amazon’s "most chilling home surveillance product" to date.

It comes as Ring has been criticised on numerous occasions for a “dangerous partnership” with the police for its “active role in enabling and perpetuating police harassment of Black Americans”, according to the EFF.