On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across ring dings the article title. Ring LLC is a home security and smart home company owned by Amazon. In 2013, Ring was founded as Doorbot by Jamie Siminoff. Kevin O’Leary made an offer as a potential investor but Siminoff declined it.
In 2016, Shaquille O’Neal acquired an equity stake in Ring, and subsequently became a spokesperson in the company’s marketing. In January 2019, it was uncovered that employees at Ring’s two offices had access to the video recordings from all Ring devices. In addition, The Intercept reported that the video data was stored unencrypted. In June 2019, Ring faced criticism over a “Community Alert” program, under which the company has made geographically-targeted sponsored posts on social media services such as Facebook, asking readers to provide tips on suspects in verified cases, based on imagery posted on the Neighbors service by a Ring customer. The department was granted access to a “Law Enforcement Neighborhood Portal” for making posts on Neighbors and the ability to “request videos directly from Ring users,” and received a donation of 15 Ring cameras. Cybersecurity firm Bitdefender identified a vulnerability in the Ring Video Doorbell Pro product in July 2019, which was patched before being publicly disclosed in November 2019. The United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform launched an investigation into Ring’s data-sharing partnerships with local governments and police departments on February 19, 2020.
The “Ring Chime” accessory is a unit plugged into a power outlet to play the doorbell’s chime. The “Chime Pro” is an extended version that also doubles as a wireless repeater for Wi-Fi networks. In November 2020, Amazon announced the recall of 350,000 Ring doorbells in the United States and 8,700 in Canada due to a potential fire risk. In 2015, Ring released the “Stick-Up Cam”, a wireless IP camera. It was updated in 2018 with a cylindrical form factor, motion detection, two-way audio, as well as battery, wired, and solar power options. In July 2018, Ring launched an alarm security kit called the Ring Alarm, which includes a keypad, siren, and motion sensors. In September 2020, Ring unveiled the “Always Home Cam”, an aerial indoor camera that flies on a predetermined path when activated by an alarm sensor.
In September 2020, Ring unveiled a new line of automotive products, including the Ring Car Alarm and Car Cam. Car Alarm is an OBD-II car alarm that can send alerts of events such as break-ins via Ring and Amazon Alexa, and leverages Amazon Sidewalk for connectivity. In September 2022, Amazon announced a pilot program to use the domestic robot Astro as a remote-controlled security guard connected to Ring security devices. A promotional video shows a woman in a call center remote-controlling the robot to confront burglars after receiving an alert from the Ring security system. In 2018, Ring launched Neighbors, a hyperlocal social networking app. Amazon disclosed Ring’s criteria for accepting requests from police departments for video footage shared to the Neighbors portal in a response to Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey on November 1, 2019.