(Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
LAS VEGAS—Ring’s new lineup of sensors aims to do away with the most tedious aspect of smart home security: setup. On display at CES, the sensors supposedly work out of the box without requiring you to establish a connection to a hub or even your own Wi-Fi router.
This lineup of sensors will be grouped into three categories. The Protect category includes sensors like motion detectors and door sensors. The Safety category groups flood and freeze sensors with sensors that listen for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Finally, the Control layer aims to help with automation through smart plugs, smart fan controls, and more. Ring is also debuting a Car Alarm using the same tech to help you track your vehicle.
Connection Without Effort
The sensors do away with the need for setting up a connection by using Amazon’s Sidewalk signal. Thanks to Sidewalk, the sensors come ready to connect out of the box, so you simply need to turn them on and add the device to your account. Sidewalk is a low-bandwidth, long-range protocol that makes use of ordinary Wi-Fi in homes, and carves out a small chunk of bandwidth to transmit this signal. Sidewalk debuted a few years ago, and if you have an Amazon Echo smart speaker or smart display, your Wi-Fi might be participating in its mesh network.
We actually recommend disabling Sidewalk for the time being, but that could change, as products like these sensors are finally making use of it. According to Ring, Sidewalk is just now ready for practical applications in the US, as it can reach roughly a quarter of a mile from the bandwidth of a single router. In the US, its coverage is equivalent in quality and consistency to cellular service. Not needing to connect sensors to Wi-Fi could be particularly useful for those with a large home, or those looking to place sensors at the edge of their property.
(Credit: Andrew Gebhart)Ring hasn’t announced a price for the sensors, but they’ll be available for purchase in March, with the Ring Car Alarm already set for preorder. The Security sensors come with optional 24/7 monitoring available through a Ring subscription, but the basic functionality of all sensors won’t require a premium plan.
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New AI Features in Cameras
Aside from the new sensors, Ring is launching a few additional features at CES. The company’s cameras will use AI to detect and alert you if they sense an unusual event, reducing the number of unnecessary notifications as you and your family go about your ordinary business, and watching for anything out of the ordinary. Ring noted that this unusual activity doesn’t have to be something dangerous, but a delivery person or a visit from a deer could qualify.
The AI will also be able to deliver Active Warnings if it does detect a threat. Instead of just blaring an alarm, the AI will be able to talk to an intruder with details such as location and perceived actions for specific deterrence. It can tell the intruder that it’s recording a package theft from the front porch, for instance.
Watch Duty Partnership
Ring is also partnering with nonprofit Watch Duty, which crowdsources relevant emergency information and up-to-date status info in case of a wildfire emergency. Rolling out this year, a feature called Fire Watch will allow you to contribute footage from your outdoor cameras to the network, to help those in need see warning signs of an approaching fire. The AI in Ring cameras will be trained to detect smoke and fire, automatically sending an alert.
The Ring App Store
Finally, Ring is launching a separate app housed within the main Ring app. Developers will be able to use Ring’s software to develop specific features that customers might find useful. Examples at launch include pool safety software to notify you if the cam sees pets or toddlers near a pool without supervision, and dog behavior detection to determine if your pet is acting in an unusual manner while you’re away. The app store itself will be live with a handful of initial offerings within a couple of weeks.
We’ll aim to test as many of these features as we can in the coming weeks, and we’ll be excited to try the sensors in particular to see if setup really is as easy as the company makes it sound. In the meantime, check out everything else we're seeing at CES.