Ring, the company behind the popular video doorbell, now has a new parent and a new price. On Thursday, April 12, Amazon announced that it completed the acquisition of the smart home company, and to celebrate, is offering the video doorbell for the lowered price of $100.
“Our mission to reduce crime in neighborhoods has been at the core of everything we do at Ring,” said Jamie Siminoff, CEO and Chief Inventor of Ring. “Together with Amazon, we will accelerate our mission dramatically by connecting more neighbors globally and making our security devices and systems more affordable and accessible. The entire Ring team is excited to continue working hard to create products and services that bring real benefits to people’s lives and build safer communities for all our neighbors.”
In a Los Angeles Police Department pilot program, the Ring Video Doorbell has proven successful in clamping down on burglaries in neighborhoods. In fact, in areas where doorbells were installed, theft fell by as much as 55 percent. Now that Amazon is making the smart home device more accessible than ever, the hope is that an even greater swath of Americans will be able to protect themselves and their loved ones.
“Ring’s talented team has invented home security products and services that customers love. We’re excited about their work, their products and their mission, and look forward to teaming together to keep delighting customers,” Dave Limp, senior vice president of Amazon Devices and Services, said in a statement. “And this is just the beginning — we will continue to move quickly and work hard to empower customers with a suite of security solutions that provide an affordable, effective way to secure homes and neighborhoods.”
Ring has actually been working alongside Amazon since 2016 by way of the retail giant’s Alexa Fund. Heralded as an “investment arm” tasked with supporting companies that are developing innovative voice-based technologies, the Alexa Fund helped provide the resources Ring needed to work closely with Alexa APIs and capabilities, as well as develop an Alexa skill that lets customers view camera feeds from the Echo Show and Fire TV.
With this acquisition, the whole ecosystem of Ring devices is now under the broader Amazon umbrella. This includes Ring Video Doorbells, Ring Spotlight Cams, Ring Floodlight Cams, and all Ring Accessories. Don’t worry, though — Amazon has made clear that Ring will continue to operate under its own brand, and that customers should not experience any service interruptions.
