Doorbell doorbells could be designed to detect physical intruders.
But that hasn’t stopped high-tech devices from capturing some of Britain’s strangest supernatural intruders in terrifying detail.
With Halloween just one day away, Ring has released images of paranormal activity captured by members of the public.
In one disturbing video, the camera sees a “ghost” orb as it moves around a Preston kitchen.
Rebecca Reeves, who sent in the images of her kitchen, says she believes the spectral apparition could be a deceased relative who came to say hello.
“I think it’s an orb the way it slides around the room,” Ms. Reeves said.
“I didn’t feel uncomfortable because I’m not really sure what it is.”
“I looked online about orbs and their nature, and I didn’t read anything negative about them, so that made me think that maybe it’s a relative keeping an eye on our dog Albus while we go out.”
Ring cameras have captured disturbing images from inside Britain’s spookiest homes. This image shows the moment a ‘ghost’ orb appears inside a kitchen in Preston.
Dawn Gallagher, who shared the video from her home in Glasgow, says she noticed the activity after the mysterious orb triggered the camera’s motion notification.
Former ‘Most Haunted’ star Yvette Fielding teamed up with Ring to reveal the country’s most haunted houses.
In the clip chosen by Ms Fielding as the creepiest of all, footage from a Ring camera shows the inside of a kitchen.
The camera then captures the moment when a silver sphere appears to emerge from nowhere and floats towards the camera before fading away.
While Reeves says he’s not worried about the presence of a floating orb in the kitchen, he also notes that the potential apparition could be having other effects.
“Sometimes I get sleep paralysis, so I never know if that’s what’s making me experience things, like the feeling that someone is in the room with me or the feeling that someone is sitting at the foot of the bed.” she said.
In another video, which was selected as a finalist, Ring camera footage shows what appears to be another drifting orb.
Dawn Gallagher, who shared the video from her home in Glasgow, says she noticed the activity after the mysterious orb triggered the camera’s motion notification.
“This was the first time we detected anything paranormal on our Ring devices,” says Ms. Gallagher.
Veteran ghost hunter Yvette Fielding says orbs like these could be the first signs of a ghostly manifestation.
‘To us and everyone I’ve shown the video to, it looks like a white orb with a trail. At that moment, my partner Alex and I were very surprised because it didn’t look like an insect.’
Although these clips may not seem all that shocking, Fielding says they could be a sign of more activity to come.
“The light anomalies captured by the Ring device are interesting,” he explained.
“The fact that there is only one in each video makes this footage fascinating, as it could be the first stage of a ghost manifestation and deserves further investigation.”
However, many skeptics would naturally question these conclusions.
In a blog post, Paranormal Investigators of Milwaukee (PIM) write: “The truth is that 99.9% of all orb images can be explained as dust, insects, mold spores, or pollen.”
They explain that small particles in the air, which would be invisible to the naked eye, can refract light into bright flashes.
This effect makes a small piece of dust look like a floating sphere floating aimlessly in front of the camera.
The PIM adds: “Calling orbs anything else is either ignorant, misleading, or both.”
As for Ms. Reeves’ sleep paralysis, it is a completely natural phenomenon that could affect anyone.
During sleep paralysis, a person becomes trapped between stages of sleep, so their brain is awake and active while their body is still fast asleep.
Rose and Paul Lynch from Hampshire sent in a clip captured by a Ring camera that cannot be explained by dust motes or sleep paralysis.
In the footage, Paul Lynch from Hampshire (pictured) turns to respond to the ghostly voice and discovers there is no one there.
This can cause complete paralysis accompanied by an intense feeling of fear that can last for several minutes.
What makes this so scary is that hallucinations, a feeling of pressure in the chest, and the feeling of a “presence” in the room are common and natural side effects of this condition.
This would go a long way toward explaining why Ms. Reeves says she feels like someone is in the room with her during her sleep paralysis incidents.
However, Rose and Paul Lynch from Hampshire sent a clip captured on a Ring camera that cannot be explained by dust motes or sleep paralysis.
This footage appears to show a disembodied voice saying “Good morning, mate” while no one is around.
Lynch says: “You can see Paul automatically responds and then looks around bewildered because he can’t see anyone and the voice sounds close as if it’s right behind him.
“As soon as he got into his work truck parked just to the right of the video, he called me and asked me to check the Ring doorbell because he was a little scared.”
While skeptics may have their own interpretation, for Ms Fielding this is strong proof that there is paranormal activity afoot.
Mrs Fielding says: “It can be quite discouraging to hear an unexpected voice at the door, even more so when there is no one there.”
“Hearing disembodied voices is a sign of a possible apparition in or around the house, so something paranormal could very well be happening here.”
Fortunately, if you come across something that seems paranormal this Halloween, Ms. Fielding says there are some simple steps you can take.
‘The first thing to do is speak out loud to the spirit of the house. You have to be firm, direct but respectful,” he said.
“Ask them politely to stop and don’t mean to hurt them or disrespect them.”
He adds that it is important to videotape the incident and make a careful diary of everything that happens at the time.
This will ensure that you can prove that what happened was real or find a natural explanation for the strange events.
And, if the polite approach fails, Ms. Fielding says you should call in the professionals to deal directly with your ghost problem.
And he concludes: ‘If this doesn’t help, call a professional paranormal investigation group. Make sure you do your research before hiring a company.