As reported by Geekwire, Amazon has acquired Ring, the Santa Monica, California, company behind the Ring Video Doorbell.
The surprise move follows Amazon's acquisition of security cam and doorbell maker Blink in December, and will bring Ring under Amazon's purview, while supposedly still allowing the company to operate independently.
The Ring Video Doorbell allows you to see who's at your door with an app and chat with them if you'd like. The product will likely be integrated into the Amazon Key service that allows package delivery companies, dog walkers and other services to access your home via a smart lock.
The Ring Spotlight Cam also allows you to monitor the exterior of your home and sheds a light on your yard when you need it. The Spotlight Cam is quite similar to Amazon's Cloud Cam , and Ring's Video Doorbell works much like the Blink Video Doorbell , so the acquisition isn't bringing any new functionality under Amazon's purview.
Rather, this looks like a move to shore up the breadth of Amazon's smart home offerings. In an emailed statement, an Amazon spokesperson said, "Ring's home security products and services have delighted customers since Day 1. We're excited to work with this talented team and help them in their mission to keep homes safe and secure."
Since Amazon's digital assistant Alexa already works with Ring products, I'll be curious to see what other integrations arise from this move. The move comes a couple of weeks after smart home giant Nest joined forces with Google. The first result of that union was the Nest Cam IQ adding functionality as a Google Assistant speaker.
Ring didn't offer many specifics either. In an emailed statement, a Ring spokesperson said, "Ring is committed to our mission to reduce crime in neighborhoods by providing effective yet affordable home security tools to our neighbors that make a positive impact on our homes, our communities and the world. We'll be able to achieve even more by partnering with an inventive, customer-centric company like Amazon. We look forward to being a part of the Amazon team as we work toward our vision for safer neighborhoods."