Amazon is the proud owner of the company behind the popular Ring smart doorbells and security cameras, it was confirmed on Thursday.
The company is apparently so pleased with closing the $1 billion acquisition, it’s giving shoppers a chance to acquire the 1st-gen video doorbell for the lowest price ever.
It’s now available for just $99/£89, compared to the current pricing of $139/£159.
Buy now: Get a Ring Video Doorbell for £89 from Amazon UK
Buy now: Get a Ring Video Doorbell for $89 from Amazon US
The first generation model offers 720p video, two way audio and motion detection. The second-gen model promises full HD video and costs £169/$195.
Perfect sense
The acquisition makes perfect sense for Amazon, as it expands its smart home empire.
Ring is already compatible with the Alexa personal assistant on the Echo Show, Echo Dot and Amazon Fire TV devices.
Users of those devices can use the Ring Skill to ask Alexa who’s at the front door, without having to check the live feed on their smartphone apps.
Amazon is also rolling out its own ‘Key’ service, which enables keyless access to the home for delivery drivers and regular visitors like dog sitters/walkers or cleaners.
Users are able to provide permanent access via a unique keycode for each visitor, open the door using their phone, record their activity on an Amazon Cloud Cam and receive alerts via the Key app.
It’s highly likely Ring products will be integrated within this system in the near future.
Find CEO Jamie Siminoff said: “I call this deal a milestone and not an acquisition or an exit, because I see it as a step along the road of our mission to provide effective and affordable protection for neighbourhoods.
“Combining with Amazon allows us to come into a large organisation that has a lot of different support mechanisms, and leverage them, be it technology, a service or something else, to scale much faster than we would have been able to do before.”
Current ring users might be perturbed to hear their data is being transferred to Amazon as we speak.
Will you be taking Amazon up on this offer? Or are you wary of letting the company into your home? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
