{"id":251807,"date":"2026-07-25T11:41:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T11:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/251807\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T11:41:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T11:41:13","slug":"my-neighbor-installed-a-camera-doorbell-that-can-see-my-entire-porch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/251807\/","title":{"rendered":"My neighbor installed a camera doorbell that can see my entire porch"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week\u2019s question (Have your own? Submit it here<\/a>.):<\/p>\n

My neighbor installed a camera doorbell that can see my entire porch. We do have packages taken occasionally, so I get the desire to have one, but I don\u2019t want to be constantly filmed when I\u2019m on my steps. Our houses are so narrow that I don\u2019t know if it would be possible for him to have one of those doorbells without filming my steps. How do I approach this with him?<\/p>\n

Mike Newall<\/p>\n

Okay, BackThatCameraUp, given the presence of one of Philly\u2019s premiere music writers in this chat, we should begin with a musical exercise.<\/p>\n

Play \u201cWhat\u2019s He Building\u201d by Tom Waits, a song about a possibly creepy neighbor and suburban paranoia. If that song sounds even remotely like your neighbor, then we have a different conversation.<\/p>\n

If not, I think we got some questions, like let\u2019s talk porch dimensions here.<\/p>\n

Earl Hopkins<\/p>\n

Haha you hit it right on the head, Mike! Ask if the camera can be adjusted so you\u2019re not being surveilled.<\/p>\n

Plus, that will stop triggering so many false alarms to his phone or devices.<\/p>\n

Mike Newall<\/p>\n

Yeah, I think there are a few questions and realities here.<\/p>\n

The porch: Are we talking South Philly top step or the great vastness of a northwest porch. Are you resting in the sun on this porch? Or throwing groovy bacchanals?<\/p>\n

Also, if you live in the city, you\u2019re on tape my friend.<\/p>\n

Earl Hopkins<\/p>\n

That\u2019s true. If you\u2019re in South Philly, there\u2019s not much that can be done. I understand the discomfort of being surveilled by your neighbor, but it\u2019s not like the camera is pointed in your living room. That\u2019s a part of rowhouse living you have to accept. It doesn\u2019t hurt to ask though.<\/p>\n

Mike Newall<\/p>\n

You got a right not to be surveilled like a common criminal (or an adult person who very likely enjoys picking your nose in privacy on your top step because who doesn\u2019t?) and your neighbor has a right to feel protected.<\/p>\n

The answer to so many of the questions are: have a conversation. <\/p>\n

But, Earl, you\u2019re a younger and cooler dude than me. What happens if the conversation fails?<\/p>\n

Earl Hopkins<\/p>\n

If conversations fail, it\u2019s simple: A war of doorbell cameras will break out, forcing each of them to point one at one other \u2014 like cowboys\u2019 revolvers in the Old West.<\/p>\n

Mike Newall<\/p>\n

Yeah and the upside is you\u2019ll have access to all those cute front porch videos, like when a raccoon sniffs your mail slot (does that only happen in East Passyunk<\/a>?).<\/p>\n

Earl Hopkins<\/p>\n

But seriously: I can\u2019t imagine the conversation will veer too far left. More likely than not, the neighbor will adjust his camera, or try to make some kind of concession. At worst, there will be clarity from both sides.<\/p>\n

Have you had a similar dispute Mike? You\u2019re a South Philly resident, through and through. How did you handle it?<\/p>\n

Mike Newall<\/p>\n

No, I haven\u2019t. My neighbors are all pretty tight knit. We do right by each other and look out. And I have definitely never ever picked my nose on the top step. Doesn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n

Earl Hopkins<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s pull the tape and see for ourselves. For journalism purposes, of course.<\/p>\n

Mike Newall<\/p>\n

I plead the fifth.<\/p>\n

\"Mike<\/a><\/p>\n

I am a Culture and Identity reporter who writes about Philadelphia history, changing Philadelphia, South Philly life, the places where old Philadelphia meets new \u2014 and about the colorful characters that define our city. I write often about Philadelphia\u2019s preparations for the 250th anniversary of America in 2026, known as the Semiquincentennial.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This week\u2019s question (Have your own? Submit it here.): My neighbor installed a camera doorbell that can see…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":251808,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[107623,69,71,70],"class_list":["post-251807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-neighbor-doorbell-camera-stoop","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}