Ring invented the video doorbell – now the company continues to expand their product offerings with more innovative solutions for home security.
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Surprisingly, Ring did not get a deal on Shark Tank. The year was 2013 and apparently, the world (or at least the Sharks) weren’t ready for a WiFi doorbell that captures video of visitors to your home.
Several years later, Ring has now sold over 1 million of their flagship product, the Ring Video Doorbell. It’s so simple, it’s brilliant. A smart doorbell that lets you see and talk to anyone who approaches your front door.
I met with founder and “chief inventor” Jamie Siminoff just after that Shark Tank appearance. His company was growing, but still pretty small at just under a dozen employees. Today, Ring has over 1,000 employees spread across several offices but remains headquartered in Santa Monica, California.
Their top seller remains their Ring Video Doorbell, but the company has expanded its offerings to include more home security options. The video doorbell now has Pro and Elite versions which capture higher quality video and allow a more professional looking installation. There is also a stand alone camera you can put somewhere else around your home and flood lights with a built in security camera. These are smart since you can just replace your existing flood lights and now you have security cameras without any extra wiring.
In my experience, there are two big challenges when you replace your standard doorbell with a Ring. The first is WiFi. If you don’t have a good signal to your front door you will have trouble seeing a live stream from your doorbell and getting good video recordings of visitors. For this reason, I’d recommend a mesh WiFi network like Luma or Eero for the best whole-home coverage before you install. The next challenge is power. You can hook the Ring into your existing doorbell wiring, but many people opt to just charge the doorbell every so often. This involves unscrewing it from its base every 3 or so months to bring it inside to charge it. Now, Ring has a brilliant accessory that takes advantage of the sun to charge it. It’s a little solar plate you install under the Ring and it provides a constant charge to your doorbell. This means you don’t ever have to take your doorbell off to charge ever again.
Ring videos are now a mainstay of the local news. People all over the world are capturing crimes, “porch pirates” and hilarious mishaps – all happening right outside their front door.
Use my promo code RICHONTECH for 10% off an order at ring.com. Expires 5/19/2017.
Check out the entire lineup of Ring products in this interview with chief inventor Jamie Siminoff.
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