Amazon’s Ring brand might have started out as more of a mainstream name than typical custom integration channel companies, but the security provider has been catching on with the professionals over the past several years.
Between its pioneering video doorbell, security cameras, smart lighting, security systems and more, Ring has made nice inroads with custom integrators and security providers. The company rolled out its Ring X Line of pro-channel exclusive doorbells, cameras and bundled solutions, showing its integration channel commitment, in addition to its Ring Alarm Pro offerings that have extended Ring’s reach.
In this week’s episode of the CE Pro Podcast, Todd Towey, national sales manager for Ring Installed Solutions, delved into details about the company’s latest solutions, its recent ONVIF camera compatibility news, cybersecurity measures and more.
The company received support from integrators by being honored in the Lead Generation category of CE Pro’s Quest for Quality Awards this year. Among other examples of how Ring is resonating with professional security and custom integrators, Towey says the company enjoyed a busy booth presence at this spring’s ISC West show in Las Vegas.
“Three things stand out from the ISC West show that I take away,” Towey says. “One is there was palpable energy inside the building of people who wanted to be out and about and see friends and coworkers at a live, in-person event …
“For Ring, inside the booth two things stand out. One, our ‘Works with Ring’ wall – we got to showcase our integration with Lutron, so with their RadioRA 3 platform if our doorbell captures motion or is rung, a dealer can now turn on lights both interior and exterior.”
Other integrations with Leviton, Holovision and Brilliant, for example, were also showcased, Towey says, with aspects like Holovision’s elegant premium solutions complementing Ring on the design side too. Dealers are still learning about the breadth of Ring’s portfolio, which spurred exciting conversations at ISC West, Towey says.
Much More to Ring Than Video Doorbells as Lineup Expands
“So showcasing to an integrator Ring isn’t just about a doorbell, there’s so much more to us. There’s integration with all these great companies, and how can you as a dealer take this doorbell that’s been so successful and turn it into security cameras, an alarm, access control, opening a gate,” he says. “And then the last part is the ONVIF cameras [to show they can add dome, bullet, turret style cameras], and to be able to showcase to the dealer the experience inside the Ring app, because the experience is incredibly compelling.”
Towey points to company founder and ‘chief inventor’ Jamie Siminoff as leading the charge when it comes to Ring’s ability to innovate in the security space. That’s been evident with Ring Alarm Pro, and the momentum Towey says has been gaining with the pro X Line.
“The Ring Alarm Pro is really exciting. The history of our alarm effort has been in physical security – door and window sensors, motion detectors, flood and freeze sensors, carbon monoxide and smoke detector listeners, newly released glass-break,” Towey explains.
“The Alarm Pro, we tend to believe we’re turning the security industry inside out and by doing that we’re incorporating the digital security. Because the central tenet of the connected home and smart home security is the Internet and connectivity.”
With the Alarm Pro, Ring has incorporated an Eero Wi-Fi 6 router built into it, with embedded digital security features to go along with other steps like end-to-end encryption that was added last year as an extra cybersecurity layer. There’s also 24/7 Internet backup, battery backup inside the unit plus cellular LTE backup to ensure customers’ systems are always working – even for integrators looking at potential business solutions in addition to Ring for residential, Towey notes.
Hear much more from Towey about Ring’s ONVIF compatibility, Home Depot Jobsite Security solution, X Line solutions, certified dealer program, homebuilder relationship opportunities and more by downloading or watching the podcast above. Find past episodes of the CE Pro Podcast by subscribing to the CE Pro YouTube channel or our Apple and Spotify podcast feeds.