Ring Car Cam and Car Alarm: What we know so far

Ring Motorcar Cam and Car Alarm: What we know then far

(Paradigm credit: Amazon)

Amazon is going all in on car security. The company appear 3 Ring-branded devices for cars at its Sept. 24, 2020 event — an alarm, a dash photographic camera and an aftermarket device chosen Ring Car Connect that will integrate some of these monitoring features into vehicles themselves. And there'southward a software API for Ring Car Connect, too.

These products are nevertheless not available, but Amazon says it's received massive demand from car owners who want to integrate the same Ring suite of security feature inside their vehicles that they may already apply in their homes. Here'southward what nosotros know about them and so far.

Ring Auto Alarm

We'll start with the Ring Machine Alarm, an OBD-Ii device that sounds when it detects a break-in, towing or an blow. Should any of those situations occur, you'll be notified via another Alexa-compatible device, and you tin fifty-fifty remotely fire the alarm manually if you lot so choose.

You lot might wonder how the Ring Car Alarm is capable of linking up with other devices. As it turns out, the OBD-II dongle doesn't apply a data connection or even Wi-Fi, just rather relies on Amazon's nonetheless-to-be-launched Sidewalk network of Bluetooth Low Energy devices. Sidewalk figures to be an underlying part of Amazon's Ring and Echo hardware going frontwards. Nosotros were initially told it should exist alive before the terminate of 2020, only information technology's now 2022, and there'south still no sign of the device.

Because of this, the Ring Car Alarm doesn't require any sort of monthly fee. That ways all buyers will have to pay is the $59 cost of the device itself.

Band Machine Cam

Adjacent, we stride up to the Ring Auto Cam, a $199 dash cam that does rely upon Wi-Fi and LTE. (And with this device, you'll have to pay for data separately.) Ring Automobile Cam features two HD cameras: ane facing out the windshield, and another facing back into the motel. Like the Band Car Alarm, it'll notify owners should it find anything awry, only being a full dash cam with a true data connexion and a link to the cloud, it can do a lot more than that.

For instance, if you lot've been pulled over, yous can say "Alexa, I'm existence pulled over," and the Ring Car Cam will begin recording a feed of the interior. Amazon promises all footage will be "securely stored," and that you tin also opt to accept a loved one notified upon proverb that command.

Additionally, the Ring Motorcar Cam's Emergency Crash Help system will notify beginning responders immediately when an accident occurs. It's an appreciated feature, though it must be said that this kind of functionality is also making its way into phones, like Google's Personal Condom app on Android.

Ring Motorcar Connect

Recall of Band Car Connect equally a way to integrate the Ring Automobile Warning and Band Car Cam's software into a vehicle that already has around-view or interior cameras. Auto companies are gratis to integrate Band Auto Connect in their vehicles as they please, merely until that happens, interested car owners tin can purchase a standalone, aftermarket $199 device that essentially enables these features inside cars.

For instance, all four vehicles in Tesla's current model range can add Ring Machine Connect to supplement Tesla's Sentry Mode. When Scout Mode is on, owners will be able to watch the feed through Ring apps. They'll besides be able to watch recorded driving footage on other devices, though it'south worth pointing out that like the Band Car Cam, you'll have to pay a monthly fee to upload your data to the deject via LTE.

Ring Car Cam and Car Alert outlook

Given Ring'south increasing prevalence, likewise as the prevalence of dash cams, it was only a matter of time before Amazon made a play like this, leveraging the strength of the Alexa software and footprint for car security. It's also encouraging to see that the company's chosen to offer to options for customers — one that's more agreeably priced, too equally another with a truly extensive characteristic set.

Sure, $199 for a dash cam is quite expensive, as a brief examination of the best selling candidates on Amazon demonstrates. That said, many of the companies in this field are quite lesser known, and the pricier options from mainstays like Garmin and Vava stop up costing about the same every bit Amazon'southward proposition, if not more.

We look forward to testing out Amazon's slate of automobile products every bit soon every bit they're available.

Adam Ismail is a staff writer at Jalopnik and previously worked on Tom's Guide covering smartphones, motorcar tech and gaming. His love for all things mobile began with the original Motorola Droid; since then he'due south owned a variety of Android and iOS-powered handsets, refusing to stay loyal to one platform. His work has also appeared on Digital Trends and GTPlanet. When he's not niggling with the latest devices, he's at an indie popular show, recording a podcast or playing Sega Dreamcast.