My new place has a ring doorbell camera and, for now, I can’t get rid of it. What are my options for keeping it operable but not streaming to big brother 24/7? The easier the better.
I’ve heard you can flash and self host some models but I’d be happy with something as crude as a remote privacy flap that I can cover/uncover independently.
Edit: Removing/modifying it isn’t an issue, but my household wants to use it since it’s there.
I’m not personally opposed to a camera but would need to be in full control of the feed. My main goal is keeping it simple and cheap for now, so not replacing a functional camera is very tempting. Later on I can look into real alternatives but an afternoon project will do for now.


Being obvious doesn’t mean it’s true, especially on the internet with so little detail given.
If you look at the edit to the post, that is not the reason, so I’m glad that I asked and didn’t just assume.