Ring Introduces Updated Video Doorbell With Improved Night Vision and Solar Charger Accessory, but No HomeKit

[MacRumors]

Ring today announced a new Ring Video Doorbell with improved night vision, updated motion zones, support for 1080p HD video, and a new solar charger accessory. The new Ring Video Doorbell still does not support Apple HomeKit.

Similar to previous models, the new doorbell can be hardwired into an existing doorbell spot, or powered by batteries. It connects to the Ring smartphone app, allowing you to keep track of who is at your door. The new device also supports two-way talk with noise cancellation, three preset modes (Home, Away, and Disarmed), and Privacy Zones to exclude areas of the camera's field-of-view.

A classic is a classic for a reason--it's tried and true, reliable, and delivers on its promise. Yet every now and then, a classic deserves an upgrade. That's why we're thrilled to introduce you to the new and improved Ring Video Doorbell. With 1080p HD video, better image quality in day and night modes, and updated motion zones, this second generation Ring Video Doorbell takes your home security to the next level. And all for the same affordable price.

Additionally, a new Solar Charger device can be purchased separately. This accessory is installed first on the frame of the door, and built-in solar panels can provide charge to the Ring Video Doorbell, as long as your front door is in a sunny spot.

The new Ring Video Doorbell can be pre-ordered today for $99.99, and it will begin shipping on June 3. It's available in Satin Nickel and Venetian Bronze on Ring's website and on Amazon. The Solar Charger isn't up for pre-order yet, but it will cost $49.99 and launch sometime in July.

Article Link: Ring Introduces Updated Video Doorbell With Improved Night Vision and Solar Charger Accessory, but No HomeKit

 

[icanhazmac]

Apple... PRETTY PLEASE, buy SimpliSafe or come up with your own DIY alarm!

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

I’m a huge Apple fan and a huge smart home fan. I can’t understand why not having HomeKit support is such a deal breaker for people. Is it because you want all your items in 1 app? I mean I see appeal over the the convince, but to be a deal breaker on what otherwise are some great products...Mind blowing. ?

 

[Surfer13134]

Apple... PRETTY PLEASE, buy Simply Safe or come up with your own DIY alarm!

Definitely not Simpliesafe. Their systems are extremely insecure and CS and response time is terrible.

 

[gaximus]

I have a ring door bell, with homebridge setup, and the hombridge-ring plugin. And can see my video feed, and get notifications from HomeKit with a image of what’s at my front door whenever there is a ring or motion.

 

[xpxp2002]

I’m a huge Apple fan and a huge smart home fan. I can’t understand why not having HomeKit support is such a deal breaker for people. Is it because you want all your items in 1 app? I mean I see appeal over the the convince, but to be a deal breaker on what otherwise are some great products...Mind blowing. ?

Well, that's a part of it. Security and privacy are also priorities. I'd never install any smartphone device owned by Amazon or Google, let alone the numerous fly-by-night companies that build this stuff with "cool" features but ignore basic secure practices like 2FA on accounts, use off-device processing for person/object detection, or stream unencrypted audio/video across the net.

I mean, since this article is about Ring, let's look at how they've been training their person/object detection "AI". It certainly doesn't involve keeping private video on-device.

For Owners of Amazon's Ring Security Cameras, Strangers May Have Been Watching Too

Sources disclosed troubling privacy practices at a Ring office in Ukraine.

theintercept.com

 

[icanhazmac]

Definitely not Simpliesafe. Their systems are extremely insecure and CS and response time is terrible.

Agreed, was hoping AAPL would buy it for the head start on hardware and fix the rest of the issues.

 

[bigjnyc]

I’m so confused. So then what in the heck is this ring video doorbell 3rd gen that was released a few weeks ago:

All-new Ring Video Doorbell 3 – 1080p HD video, improved motion detection, easy installation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0849J7W5X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_E5TSEbJVT1WNJ


And I thought the one I have is the second gen

 

[PBG4 Dude]

I’m a huge Apple fan and a huge smart home fan. I can’t understand why not having HomeKit support is such a deal breaker for people. Is it because you want all your items in 1 app? I mean I see appeal over the the convince, but to be a deal breaker on what otherwise are some great products...Mind blowing. ?

It’s the privacy and data control that makes HomeKit devices better. Ring cameras will never be HomeKit compatible because then Amazon couldn’t share your camera’s video with others.
You may want to ask why those other devices aren’t willing to get on board the HomeKit train.

 

[gaximus]

I’m a huge Apple fan and a huge smart home fan. I can’t understand why not having HomeKit support is such a deal breaker for people. Is it because you want all your items in 1 app? I mean I see appeal over the the convince, but to be a deal breaker on what otherwise are some great products...Mind blowing. ?

i have a homekit door lock, when I get a HomeKit notification from my door bell, it contains the unlock button for the door in the same notification. I don’t have to open the Ring app to see who’s at my door and let the. In if needed.
It’s all about the integration, and automation, I could have it, during certain times of the day, turn on my sprinkler system any time it detects motion. Why would I do that? Because I can.
I also have it so that it turns on my porch light when someone rings the doorbell.
The point being, that HomeKit allows automation for anything you can think of, without the manufacture having to integrate with all the other 3rd party smart home devices.

 

[ryanw183]

Agreed. I just bought the Doorbell 3 last week for my dad.

 

[ChrisA]

Who wants "home kit". What is needed is an industry STANDARD. I'll buy this kind of stuff when they all interoperate.

 

[Bearygoodfries1]

Definitely not Simpliesafe. Their systems are extremely insecure and CS and response time is terrible.

What’s a good security doorbell cam that you would recommend?

 

[Stromos]

Who wants "home kit". What is needed is an industry STANDARD. I'll buy this kind of stuff when they all interoperate.

Considering Apple is the only one that doesn't make you the product any standard would be worthless from a privacy standpoint. This is also why a standard won't happen no company wants to share in the wealth of the data you provide.

 

[darkslide29]

I’m a huge Apple fan and a huge smart home fan. I can’t understand why not having HomeKit support is such a deal breaker for people. Is it because you want all your items in 1 app? I mean I see appeal over the the convince, but to be a deal breaker on what otherwise are some great products...Mind blowing. ?

I consider myself an early adopter of tech, and it was pretty much necessary to have an individual app for each thing in past years. I've never minded that, as I just put all of my smart home items in one folder on my iPhone. But tech is maturing now, standards are being created, and while I still have a few things on different apps, I am still trying to move everything to homekit. It's just preference.

For one, yes having one app makes things more simple, and more 'wife approved'. Secondly, there are some benefits to things like cameras with homekit, since they will store footage securely if I have an iCloud data plan, and not count against my storage. Lastly, I have a Nest thermostat and Blink cameras, but I would love to move away from the Google and Amazon model (I understand the privacy aspect is important to some, and nonsense to others).

I haven't seen a homekit compatible thermometer that looks as nice as the Nest for my personal tastes, and I still like staying informed of products like this new Ring doorbell, but I am still going to save my dollars for homekit compatibility.

 

[1144557]

I’m a huge Apple fan and a huge smart home fan. I can’t understand why not having HomeKit support is such a deal breaker for people. Is it because you want all your items in 1 app? I mean I see appeal over the the convince, but to be a deal breaker on what otherwise are some great products...Mind blowing. ?

As others have said, its all of it. For one opening an app for each accessory is a pain

But the bigger issue is have you not seen the numerous Ring data breaches in the past year or 2? How long, if not already, before Amazon owned Ring is sending your data to humans to verify AI" like Alexa devices, etc? Do you want your house video feed send to strangers?

Additionally, subscriptions. The Homekit compatible lets you store the video on iCloud with no monthly/yearly fee. There are also cameras/doorbells like Eufy that do it locally that you can access via Homekit. I believe Abode system also doesnt require a paid plan (you can for pro monitoring).

The cameras are so cheap because they are getting you monthly for as long as you own them. You get ZERO features in a free Ring plan https://shop.ring.com/pages/protect-plans You can view live video and talk with the person over the camera. Zero recording which defeats the whole purpose until you pay $30/year. Sounds small but after 3 years that $100 doorbell price doubled to $200. And that is just 1 doorbell no other devices. Mine as well buy a better camera up front with no plans.

Mine as well just get a Facebook Portal if you are going to let Amazon in your house. Not a ton of difference giving away your data or who knows seeing it.

Im not a conspiracy theorist or privacy nut, but considering what they did with Echo, I would not want video of my home (or when Im home or not) going to some random contractor for "verification" who can sell that to criminals or use it for blackmail purposes. There is no accountability for those contractors. It was bad enough with your voice but your video tells a ton more about you.

[automerge]1588781744[/automerge]

I haven't seen a homekit compatible thermometer that looks as nice as the Nest for my personal tastes, and I still like staying informed of products like this new Ring doorbell, but I am still going to save my dollars for homekit compatibility.

Ecobee is pretty nice and Homekit. The Honeywell Lyric Round is Homekit too and very similar to a Nest.

 

[nutmac]

I wish someone were to make a HomeKit door bell that doesn't scream "smart door bell". These all look like a tech product with little regards for architectural aesthetics.

 

[saabstory]

I’m so confused. So then what in the heck is this ring video doorbell 3rd gen that was released a few weeks ago:

All-new Ring Video Doorbell 3 – 1080p HD video, improved motion detection, easy installation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0849J7W5X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_E5TSEbJVT1WNJ


And I thought the one I have is the second gen

Looks like this is a rework of the original, that didn’t have the removable battery. The Doorbell 3 from last month or so is the rev of the fatter one with the swappable battery.

Confusing. Next up they’ll start using Xbox naming formats.

 

[imola.zhp]

I'm close to switching away from Ring to Eufy.

 

[mac.cali]

I'm close to switching away from Ring to Eufy.

Eufy cameras are very good. The motion sensor is hit or miss, but then so is ring. They’re doorbell hasn’t officially supported HomeKit, but the rumors suggest sometime in June which is probably closer than Ring, even though they announced it several years ago. Lol

 

[Laird Knox]

I’m so confused. So then what in the heck is this ring video doorbell 3rd gen that was released a few weeks ago:

All-new Ring Video Doorbell 3 – 1080p HD video, improved motion detection, easy installation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0849J7W5X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_E5TSEbJVT1WNJ


And I thought the one I have is the second gen

It looks like Ring has confused the lineup a bit. The Ring Doorbell 3 and 3 Plus are already available for $199 and $229. This is for a redesigned Doorbell 2 that is now on pre order for $99.

The 2 has an extra, new motion zone. Otherwise it looks to be pretty much the same as the old 2 except cheaper. The 3 adds 5GHz Wifi and the 3 Plus adds 4 seconds of video from before the motion event (like the wired Ring Pro).

 

[Makosuke]

I bought a Ring Pro a while back (just before the Amazon buyout I think) because I really needed something when going out of town, but I sure as heck wouldn't touch any of their products now. They outright lied about future HomeKit support for the Pro, they had egregious security flaws discovered, I don't trust Amazon even slightly, and frankly the thing doesn't work all that well anyway. The app-based video viewer is bandwidth-intensive and unusable on a slow internet connection (like, you know, a cell connection when you'll want it), they go out of their way to encourage slightly-creepy crowdsourced data sharing, and the integration with my physical doorbell is terrible.

That last one is the deal-breaker. I have it hardwired with power, but if you press the doorbell the dang phone will ring before the physical bell does. There's like a 3-5 second delay before the bell rings, minimum. As far as I can tell, it doesn't ring the bell until it can check in with the servers, which if you're at home is just stupid. It might be nice for the 10% of the time someone comes to the door when I'm away, but the other 90% of the time when I'm at home the experience is embarrassingly bad.

Apple... PRETTY PLEASE, buy SimpliSafe or come up with your own DIY alarm!

If they're going to buy anyone I sure would hope it's not them. I put one of their systems in the rental unit I own and it was crude, basic, and a bit hard to set up. Could be they've improved, but it was a bad first impression. If they're going to buy anyone I'd vote for Abode--I've had extremely good experiences with the company, and their hardware is very "Apple-like" in both design and simplicity. For the most part it also "just works" which means a lot.

Ironically the one problem I had with Abode's hardware was a somewhat Apple-like one--they upgraded the hardware in both the base station and the motion-detector with still camera that comes with it along the line, and the newer camera is only compatible with the newer base station. Which is fine, except for the fact they look identical, the product name didn't change, and the only indication is a slightly different model number, so I was really confused when I ended up with an extra camera from a newer system and couldn't get it to pair to my older base station.

 

[CalMin]

I’m so confused. So then what in the heck is this ring video doorbell 3rd gen that was released a few weeks ago:

All-new Ring Video Doorbell 3 – 1080p HD video, improved motion detection, easy installation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0849J7W5X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_E5TSEbJVT1WNJ


And I thought the one I have is the second gen

I think they've borked the line-up. Ring Doorbell 3 is not '2nd Generation'. It's an iteration of the original Ring Doorbell. My guess is that the product road map includes a '2nd generation' Ring Doorbell 3 etc. coming soon as they migrate their whole product line to take advantage of the new features such as Solar Charger and improved night vision. Some models such as Ring Doorbell 3 are being bundled with a free battery to clear out stocks.

 

[imola.zhp]

Eufy cameras are very good. The motion sensor is hit or miss, but then so is ring. They’re doorbell hasn’t officially supported HomeKit, but the rumors suggest sometime in June which is probably closer than Ring, even though they announced it several years ago. Lol

Thats why I'm out with Ring and thats why I'm waiting for Eufy. I bought into Ring on the promise of HomeKit which never happened. Never again will I buy a product with the promise of HomeKit. I hope someday someone goes after Ring/Amazon for this, I would gladly take part in that class action suit. Purchased for 3 homes (ours and two parents), 3 Ring Pro's, one floodlight cam and one chime. Luckily Ring has a big enough following that I should be able to get most of my money back out of the devices when I move on. We would have so many more products from them if they made good on their HomeKit promise. I've focused my attention on other HomeKit accessories while waiting for a good brand to surface. I hope Eufy is finally that product. I realize the HomeKit integration is likely eminent considering their other products work with HomeKit but I'm still waiting to be sure first.

 

[DeepIn2U]

I have a ring door bell, with homebridge setup, and the hombridge-ring plugin. And can see my video feed, and get notifications from HomeKit with a image of what’s at my front door whenever there is a ring or motion.

The problem I have with the design of Ring ... the doorbell video camera seems senseless in location where a traditional door bell would be (house) ... belly-dancer belly button views up close lol.

Sure I've not used one though.

The Ring Door View camera placement seems to fit a large market yet with the apparatus it just is easy to damage from vandilizers or from people that just dislike being seen when they're aware they can be recorded.

I have a better solution.