In this day and age, those of us who haven’t been disturbed by an unexpected knock announcing the presence of a delivery driver or unwanted solicitors are few and far between.
Being disturbed while taking care of your kids or working from home is just one of the drawbacks of the privilege of having a roof over your head. But one woman thinks she has found a way to keep stranger’s fingers off your doorbell—if your doorbell is made by Amazon’s Ring LLC, that is.
TikToker Jess (@jreck23) showed her solution to the problem in a six-second video she posted to her account on Tuesday. The post already has a healthy 1.2 million views and counting.
Captioned “Here’s to all the naps that won’t be cut short because #Amazon rang the doorbell, and a screw you to the relentless pest sales guy on the segway,” the video features footage of a Ring doorbell camera equipped with a small “Do Not Disturb” hinged sign covering the button.
How does it work?
The device, known as a Nap Guardian, can be installed via Velcro next to any doorbell camera—or even an old-fashioned analog doorbell. One side of the device simply reads, “No Soliciting,” but the hinge allows the sign to be flipped so that it covers not only the bell button but also reads, “Do Not Disturb.”
Jess’s video shows the device in action, with someone flipping the sign from the No Soliciting position to the Do Not Disturb position, covering the button in the process.
In an email to the Daily Dot, Ryan Smith, who bills himself as “the design engineer, sole owner and inventor of Nap Guardian,” said he wasn’t initially aware of the viral clip and only recently made a TikTok account because of it.
“I was wondering why my sales tripled yesterday,” he wrote.
He also said that the product launched on Amazon in April.
“It’s been selling very well already, which is no surprise, as its patent pending design is the only DO NOT DISTURB doorbell cover sign that blocks any type of video or standard doorbell button,” Smith continued. “It’s also the only sign that is dual purpose as it can rotate over to unblock the button and show a NO SOLICITING sign on its opposite side. So it’s dual purpose, helping you manage and control your homes doorbell 100% of the time. I really feel like we’ve solved an age old everyday problem with Nap Guardian, and our 5000+ customers seem to agree.”
@jreck23 Here’s to all the naps thar won’t be cut short because #Amazon rang the doorbell, and a screw you to the relentless pest sales guy on the segway. #napgaurdian #amazonfinds #dontringthebell #goaway #momsoftiktok #babiesoftiktok #toddlersoftiktok #naps #napsarelife #donotdisturb #nosoliciting #momsover30club #youneedthis #tiktokmademebuyit ♬ im obsessed – hosna
Jess’s post inspired several supportive comments, with many viewers writing that they would appreciate owning the device.
“Tbh mine would always be switched to do not disturb,” wrote Kristen Van Hulle (@kristenvanhulle).
Another viewer added, “This, except it goes over my entire door. Literally nobody come to my house.”
“I’m an introvert so I would have mine on the do not disturb at all times,” another viewer admitted.
Is there another way I can stop my doorbell from ringing?
Some viewers pointed out that Amazon’s Ring doorbells already have a built-in “Do Not Disturb” feature.
“You can switch it off or have a set time it’s off in the app so even if someone does ring it the doorbell will not sound,” MommyLV (@37483929a) wrote.
According to Digital Trends, you can turn off notifications in the Ring mobile app by first pressing the menu icon at the top left of the screen and then selecting Devices.
The site states, “You’ll then see several detection and alert options on the right side of the screen,” including Ring Alerts, Motion Detection, Motion Alerts, and Motion Warning. “You can enable or disable these Ring notifications by toggling them on or off.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Ring LLC via email for more information.
Jess responded to a comment mentioning Ring’s do not disturb features with, “I still want to see who’s coming, get an alert on my phone, be able to talk to them, etc. I just don’t want them to ring it when my infant is asleep.”
However, many viewers commented that no device, analog or otherwise, is likely to affect determined solicitors.
“And they’d still knock on the door. I literally have a no soliciting sign on my door and a doormat that says go away. They still knock,” vickyinatx (@vickyinatx) commented.
Another viewer wrote, “Tell me why a Vivint employee tells me ‘I saw the no solicitation sign but had to talk to you about our packages’. Sorry but you woke up my 4 month old so I cannot hear anything but my baby crying now.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jess via TikTok direct message for further comment.
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