About Ring

Innovating an Industry – Celebrating 10 Years of Smart Home Security

By Jamie Siminoff, Chief Inventor and Founder on January 11, 2023

It’s been 10 years since I created “Doorbot,” taking a familiar device that we all knew — the doorbell — and turning it on its head to be more useful and practical. With that first invention, Ring was born. Since then, we haven’t stopped building on our commitment to deliver more convenience and peace of mind by pushing the boundaries of innovation and changing the way customers see home security.

This year at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), I found myself looking around our booth in awe of how far we’ve come as a company. What started as a single product has turned into a current offering of eight different video doorbell models, including Ring Peephole Cam, which we reintroduced to customers last week at CES. We’ve expanded our security system offerings with Ring Alarm Pro to include an eero wifi router and optional backup internet connectivity, and created Ring Jobsite Security for customers who need a specialized solution for construction sites. Virtual Security Guard brings camera motion event monitoring by Rapid Response.¹ Our security cams range from indoor only to a wired floodlight with radar and 3D Motion Detection. And with our latest product, Ring Car Cam, which we showed for the first time at CES, we’ve reimagined what a traditional dash cam can be, extending our security offerings to the car.

We’ve expanded to 50 devices across five categories in 30 countries, and we bring millions of customers peace of mind every day. As we continue to innovate into the future, improving and expanding our offerings, there are several core elements of our innovation process that define the Ring experience and help us work toward our mission to make neighborhoods safer.

Motion Detection

More and more we are bombarded with alerts on our smart phones — many of which we automatically ignore. One of our core philosophies is to provide the specific information our customers need — when they need and want it — but also blend into the background when they don’t. This all starts with motion detection. Motion detection is core to a home security system, allowing a homeowner to know that something may be happening the moment a motion sensor is triggered. This allows them to take action and leverage features like Two-Way Talk and Live View. We provide Advanced Motion Detection, leverage radar sensors in our cameras and doorbells with 3D Motion Detection, and are constantly refining our capabilities to be more precise, specific, and customizable.

Computer Vision and AI

As our customers’ needs evolve, we want our devices to evolve with them. We leverage the latest in AI to bring to life helpful, intuitive features such as Package Detection, Bird’s Eye Zones, and Knock Detection in certain doorbells. Devices like Always Home Cam leverage light detection and ranging (LIDAR) to fly autonomously, and Ring Car Cam has smart sensors to detect motion even when the car is powered off. Applying this kind of advanced computer vision and AI to our features creates a more tailored, personalized experience for customers to get the information they want.

Central Control and Accessibility

The Ring app is central to all of our devices. It’s where the real magic of Ring comes to life. When we built the app, it was important to me that customers could easily access all of their devices in one spot, and tailor each one of them to its exact space and use. The seamless interface makes it easy to check in on Live View, quickly access Two-Way Talk, and even change modes to arm a Ring Alarm system so devices will respond based on the corresponding mode — such as disabling Motion Detectors when in Home mode. It also serves as a central place to add Works with Ring devices and integrate smart home capabilities with devices like smart thermostats or water pressure sensors. And even when customers take our security solutions on the go, as with Ring Car Cam, they can come back to the Ring app for total control.

Power and Connectivity

We’ve also learned that our customers want options not just for what their devices do, but also how they are powered. When we created our first video doorbell, I knew focusing on a battery-powered option would bring the greatest value to the largest number of customers, but since then, we’ve added options for hard-wired and even solar-powered devices to provide more choices. But those doorbells and security cams won’t do much good if they don’t stay connected to the customer’s network.

With our first video doorbell we saw that when it was placed outside the home, often far away from the router, there was a latency issue with the wifi connection. We solved for this when we added a wifi extender with the Chime Pro. This keeps a Ring Video Doorbell or camera connected even when the router is on the other side of the house. We took that a step further last year with Ring Alarm Pro, which has an eero wifi 6 router built in and offers optional 24/7 Backup Internet.² The consistent focus on connectivity and power options allows us to give our customers the best solution for their particular home, and trust that Ring will continue to bring them peace of mind.

Privacy is Foundational

Privacy and security are foundational to everything we do. From being the first in our industry to make two-step verification mandatory, to rolling out video end-to-end encryption, our customers’ privacy is one of the first things we think of when building new features and services. This includes the ability to customize camera Motion Zones to only see motion in specific areas, and Privacy Zones to exclude areas that may not be pertinent. We don’t stop with features. Privacy is foundational to our hardware design as well. For example, the new Ring Car Cam was designed to put privacy first. The privacy shutter for the inside-facing camera easily disables the interior video and all audio when closed, and an LED light indicates when the microphone and inside-facing camera are on and recording.

The Next 10 Years

When I think about how Ring has changed people’s lives, I think about other everyday appliances like an oven or refrigerator. People didn’t know how helpful these could be until someone took an existing invention and made it better, and now they are commonplace. We don’t think twice about having them in our homes. A decade ago, the idea of a video doorbell was a foreign concept, and today it’s typically one of the first smart home devices people buy. I love hearing how Ring has helped find lost pets, prevent burglaries, and even serve as a way for family members to stay in touch while thousands of miles away.

While I’m excited about how far we’ve come the last 10 years, I’m even more excited about what’s to come. We’re always thinking big, not only when it comes to the devices we’re shipping, but also about how we can keep the Ring experience consistent for our customers, regardless of the device they are using. I can’t wait to see where we go next.

¹Virtual Security Guard is available only within the U.S. (all 50 states, but not U.S. territories). It is an add-on service that requires enrollment, and the following (all sold separately): a subscription fee per enrolled location in addition to a compatible Ring Protect plan, a Ring Alarm system, enrollment in Ring Alarm Professional monitoring, and at least 1 eligible device. Rapid Response is the seller and provider of the camera motion person detection monitoring service and agents. Ring bills your Ring account for this service. Virtual Security Guard subscription fee includes 175 monitored camera motion detection events per month. Opt in to Extra Events for an additional cost. Ring Alarm sensors are not monitored by Virtual Security Guard. (Alarm sensors only trigger Alarm professional monitoring.) Learn more here. A compatible Ring Protect subscription is required to enroll in the Ring Alarm professional monitoring service. Professional monitoring service is available only within the U.S. (all 50 states, but not U.S. territories) and in Canada (excluding Quebec). Ring does not own its own professional monitoring center. Smoke and carbon monoxide monitoring is not available for a business or commercially-zoned address. See Ring alarm licenses at: ring.com/licenses. Additional permit or false alarm fees may apply depending on your local jurisdiction. Additional charges may apply in areas that require permits or guard response service for alarm verification.

²Compatible Ring Protect subscription required (sold separately). Extra data charges may apply. Cellular data is provided by a third-party carrier. Coverage, uptime, technology, and speeds will vary. Will require backup power if the power goes out. Visit ring.com/alarm-pro for more details.