Less than 5 years ago Jamie Siminoff offered to sell a 10% stake in the company he founded, Ring (previously called DoorBot), to Mark Cuban and the rest of the Shark Tank for $700,000.
Mark said he couldn’t see the company succeeding and growing into a multi-million dollar company. All of the sharks passed on the offer.
Jamie is having the last laugh. Today, Amazon announced that they will purchase Ring for more than $1 Billion!
His invention seems so obvious that everyone will wonder “Why didn’t I think of it!” It allows you to easily to see who is at the door, talk to them if you want, and choose whether to be notified when there is motion in front of your door.
Amazon and Google have been in an ongoing feud between their smart home products, Amazon Echo and Google Home. Forget about trying to buy Google Home from Amazon, they won’t even carry it!
The rivalry doesn’t stop there. Google blocked YouTube from working on Amazon’s Echo Show and Fire TV. Amazon blocks Prime Video from Google Chromecast and won’t sell the Chromecast either.
With Google’s Nest brand coming out with their own video doorbell, it makes perfect sense for Amazon to buy Ring so that they don’t fall behind in smart home technology. Amazon wants to own your whole home ecosystem, with Alexa on the inside and Ring on the outside, that’s a treasure trove of data for Amazon to mine.
Amazon already has their Amazon Key Home Kit, which can allow Amazon to deliver packages inside your home. That’s far too creepy for me. And besides, it’s another piece of smart home technology that doesn’t work with Shabbos laws for Orthodox Jews.
Amazon’s Echo Spot is an alarm clock that they bizarrely designed with a camera on it. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but who wants an alarm clock with a camera pointed at your bed?
I have to wonder how long will it be before Amazon’s cameras see that you’re running low on something and auto-orders it to your home?
I don’t own a Nest thermostat as it seemed like it would be too much of a hassle to disable the motion sensors and the screen proximity every Friday. Besides, I’m very happy with my Honeywell WiFi thermostat that I can control from my phone.
I use a Ring Pro on my house and have it hardwired to a kill switch that I push before Shabbos to turn it off. Of course you can also just turn off all motion zones from the Ring app on your phone, but I wanted a solution that didn’t require that.
We got the Ring Pro because of the looks, though it has to be hardwired to a power source (which we learned over time requires a 24 volt AC transformer to work properly and not the 16 volt transformer as claimed in the manual).
The new Ring Pro 2 is on sale today from Amazon for $169 and will likely the product that works best for most people, thanks to its swappable battery feature that doesn’t require a power source or needing to take it down to charge like the original Ring required.
So, will Apple or WalMart buy Skybell and make this a 3 way rivalry?
If last year’s story was the Amazon-Walmart rivalry (which Amazon appears to be winning given their doubling of their stock price over the past year!), then this year’s story is the intensifying Amazon-Google rivalry.
Do you use a Ring doorbell? What smart home technology do you use in your home?
Have you been told you need to kill the power for shabbos? I was told otherwise.
I have. YLORMV?
You can also go into the app and kill the motion zones, no need to make what I did.
Dan, Have you tried disabling ring automatically via IFTTT?
Thanks for this informative news bite!
There is a problem even when you shut the motion off the red lights turn on when there is motion and it also recordes (you can check you will see) so I think you have disable the camera either like @dan or to shot off the fuse or to cover the camera
i have a amazing smart home idea to sell how can i contact google or amazon to buy it from me
Call George Forman.
Dan,
The motion function can be set to a schedule! Check it out.
On Ring or Nest?
yes 100%
Thats just for notifications. If you don’t kill the motion zone the camera will still be activated via motion.
Which one is the best ??
NEST
RING
SKYBELL
I have the Ring Elite. Nothing beats hardwired to the Internet: Never loses a signal. I dont cut it for SHabboss, as there are cameras everywhere, and even shuls have cameras on 24/7 these days.
The ring pro is a
The Elite came out after I got the Pro. And it seems silly expensive.
Ever since I upgraded the transformer to 24 volts I’ve had no issues at all though.
There’s no issue with cameras on Shabbos, however there are issues with setting off a motion sensor on Shabbos that activates a camera and notifications. But speak to your LOR, not me.
Almost all cameras today use motion to start and stop recording. They don’t use a dedicated motion sensor, but the cameras software detects and starts the recording.
If you cannot walk in front of those cameras then you have to stay home on Shabbos.
Nothing like that on Shabbos where I live in the suburbs.
But regardless, there’s a big difference if it’s something you walk past and something that you own and control.
Like I said, talk to your LOR.
I agree its ridiculous for $500, but for me, the hardwired internet is worth the extra $300. Anytime I travel (On Miles, First class of course), I can see whose at my door anytime, w/o worrying if the signal is lost. In my house, everything seems to lose the wifi signal from time to time
I’m in the same scenario, but perhaps the extra $300 would have been better spent on upgrading your WiFi network 😉
Zero issues here.
You don’t have any lag whatsoever through wifi?
Actually, R’ Elyashiv never went to the Kosel on Shabbos because of the cameras.. I think tzoveya and it was pesik reisha d’nicha lei
Dan,
Like you, I had mine hardwired to a cut-off switch for Shabbos. Even though there might be heterim, I didn’t feel comfortable de-activating motion zones, as it is STILL uploading to the cloud even if it doesn’t trigger a notification. And, that happens as soon as you approach the door….
Question: What did you mean by ” which we learned over time requires a 24 volt AC transformer to work properly and not the 16 volt transformer as claimed in the manual” ?
Because, we were having electrical issues recently with ours and they just sent us a new one. But, wanted to make sure that the same won’t happen. So, please advise.
Thank you!
(P.S. Their customer service is insanely good. 24/7 live domestic customer service!! )
I also tried a replacement unit, still had issues with random shutting off.
We then changed the transformer from 16 to 24 volts and that solved everything.
@dan That transformer is internal to the unit or something at the box?
Nice short and informative article, like it!
Thanks!
Always wondered if I should write more posts like this one.
You should! We always want to hear about success stories
You definitely should. I really enjoyed this article.
Yes you should! They’re awesome!
Yes, please do. As I started reading the first thing that came to my mind was Shabbos issues. I was happy to see further down that it’s something you addressed. So yes, such news bits with your insight and personal experiences are of great value, and an interesting read!
Thanks for all, and keep it up, Dan!
Happy Purim to all!!!
Yes! these are the best!
Great short, good, understandable article. Keep ’em coming!
Absolutely!
So how long will it be before Amazon’s cameras see that you’re running low on something and auto-orders it to your home?
As soon as they perfect their system in whole foods. They’ll just start sending camera kits to people for free so they can install it in their pantry.
Been to a Home Depot and came across the Samsung refrigerator with cameras on the inside and front of door covered by huge screen. It has all sorts of cool features including one where you can keep track and label expiration dates on any and all products within. With all these ‘Home’ gadgets I really see this as a no-bigger to just easily integrate the two.
BTW, as the saying goes “competition is always good for the customer”, I think in this case even/especially with Apple in the mix, it’s actually worse for the customer! They’re competing on getting into our kishkes, and the marketing is so amazing that we’re actually consciouslyrics inviting them…!
One word. SCARY!!!
Wal-Mart is partnered with google home. There leaving the smart technology to them.
Apple may look to create the 3 way.
(If they don’t there smart speaker is destined to fail)
I have 2 Ring Pros. The WiFi would cut out here and there and it was getting annoying. Called ring and they sent a free Ring Chime.
The Chime acts as a dedicated repeater that amplified the signal and also rings out loud.
No issues since.
We also use the Nucleus intercom which integrates with Ring so the kids can see and talk directly from screen on the wall.
Not sure about Shabbos issues. Ours remains on. Along with the bevy of other home sensors. We did permanently disable the auto-on if the Ecobee thermostat.
Oddly, if you purchase a Ring on Amazon you are not covered by a warranty. Check it out!
Ring integration with nucleus was my dream (video intercom room to room and to answer front door) until amazon instead of doing to nucleus what they did to ring, strangled nucleus to death with the echo show thereby depriving the company of a viable future.
The real answer is doorbird, integration across the board along with door buzzer option, real German quality but very pricy
I have two Nest thermostats at home and just disabled the motion sensor that shows the weather when you walk past it. Also disabled the setting where it controls heat and a/c based on phone location because I wouldn’t want it to go off when I leave the home but family stays etc.
Other than these two settings, it’s been perfect from day one.
i have mine plugged into my WIFI controlled outlet, so it shuts off for Shabbos automatically
Would Amazon be interested in buying my Ring back for a mere $10k you think?
have the ring 2. Great product. Happy for Jamie, but pretty annoyed Amazon bought Ring. Now they have more data on me. thanks…………….
I have a ring doorbell. I just turn off the motion zones for shabbat it is very simple to do
I just got the ecobee thermostat with the 3 sensors from Costco. Is this just not good for shabbos?
I Am thinking of buying a ring doorbell(the original) bc the hardwires on my current doorbell are fried and it’s a huge job to rewire. When I read up on it it said it doesn’t need to be hardwires is that not accurate?
Correct
Is it just me? The ‘Nest Hello’ looks like the ‘Amazon Dash’ button a bit.