Skip to main content

Why Ring’s porch-protecting cameras made it a no-brainer acquisition for Amazon

Close-up of Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos on stage
David Ryder/Getty Images
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. Photo: David Ryder/Getty Images

Yesterday, when I heard about Amazon buying Ring security, my first reaction was surprise. The second thing that came to mind was that famous line Tom Cruise’s character utters in the movie Jerry Maquire: “You complete me.”

I don’t mean that the news completes me, personally. I mean that I imagined Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos whispering it to Ring CEO Jamie Siminoff in that board room when both signed off on acquisition of the popular DIY home security company.

It was only a matter of time before CEO Jeff Bezos… put a Ring on it.

Because, if you get over the initial surprise of the news and really think about it, the transaction makes a lot of sense. What does Amazon do? Sends us packages. What does Ring do? Provides us with security devices that show us whether those packages stay on our front porches or are carried away by porch pirates.

It was probably only a matter of time before Bezos, er, put a Ring on it.

The reported $1 billion deal makes sense, too, for Ring, maker of video doorbells and home security cameras. It has always enjoyed a strong relationship with Amazon (some of its initial startup money came from the Alexa Fund), and it continues to elevate its brand.

Ring, founded in 2012, was one of the early successful companies dealing in DIY smart home security. It has a cool backstory, too: Siminoff’s idea for a video doorbell was famously shut down on the show Shark Tank before he found success.

DoorBot Pitch (Shark Tank Season 5 Episode 9)

NBA basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal offered to be Ring’s celebrity spokesperson after randomly buying some of Ring’s products at a big-box store. And Ring branded itself as a company that provides high-quality cameras and doorbells that just about anyone – including the tech-challenged — can install.

A marriage between the two companies just seems logical.

What isn’t so clear
is what Amazon
will do next with all
this home security
fire power.

“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,” a Ring spokesperson told Digital Trends. “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.”

What isn’t so clear is what Amazon will do next with all this home security fire power. The online shopping giant already bought Blink, maker of home security cameras, in December. Last year, Amazon launched Amazon Key, which includes an Amazon-branded camera and a third-party smart lock system that allow delivery people to deliver packages inside the customer’s home.

And let’s not forget Amazon’s line of Alexa products, which are already pulling some duty in the home security market. For example, Alexa already works with many home security cameras and video doorbells — if you have an Echo Show, you can view camera footage from your camera. Alexa also works with several smart locks, which allows you to lock your door with just a voice command.

ring spotlight cam wired wall front
Terry Walsh/Digital Trends
Terry Walsh/Digital Trends

So, back to that question: What is Amazon going to do with all these smart security toys? Maybe nothing, other than more seamless integration between the product lines. Possibly something really cool that nobody has thought of yet. We wouldn’t be surprised, though, if Amazon’s next move is to buy a smart lock company to really feel complete.

If there is one takeaway, right now, it’s that by buying Ring, Amazon shows it’s doubling down on Alexa as a smart home platform, and there’s no indication of it stopping. “Hello? It’s Alexa, and I’m here to take over your home, one acquisition at a time.”

Kim Wetzel
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before joining Digital Trends as Home Editor, Kim was an adjunct journalism professor at Linfield College and high school…
Ecobee takes on Ring, Arlo with its first smart doorbell camera
The Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera install near a door.

Ecobee, known for its lineup of popular smart thermostats, is officially jumping into the world of video doorbells with the aptly named Smart Doorbell Camera. Featuring an impressive 175-degree vertical field of view, premium materials, and the ability to sync with the rest of the Ecobee home security catalog, it's a well-equipped device that's taking aim at big names such as Ring and Arlo.

The big selling point of the Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera is its 175-degree field of view, which allows it to capture packages left at your doorstep without cutting off your view of tall guests ringing your doorbell. It also boasts enhanced ability in lowlight situations and records in 1080p.

Read more
Amazon to pay $30M in FTC settlements over Alexa, Ring privacy violations
Amazon logo on the headquarters building.

Amazon has agreed to pay $25 million to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to settle charges over privacy violations linked to its digital assistant, Alexa.

In a separate case, Amazon-owned Ring will pay $5.8 million for violations of users’ privacy.

Read more
The founder of Ring is leaving Amazon to join Latch
A person opening a Latch lock with their smartphone.

The founder of Ring, Jamie Siminoff, is officially leaving Amazon. The company was sold to the e-commerce giant in 2018, and after a few years serving as chief inventor, Siminoff is ready for a new challenge -- serving as the CEO of Latch, Inc.

Latch is a smart lock company and maker of LatchOS, a platform looking to make “spaces better places to live, work, and visit.” Not only will Siminoff be serving as its new CEO later this year, but the company has also acquired Honest Day’s Work (HDW), a platform founded by Siminoff that gives residential service providers (such as dog walkers, drivers, and housekeepers) an easier way to manage their businesses.

Read more