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.
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.
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 devices.
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 key 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.
