Ring is a smart home security specialist as you probably already know.
At CES 2019, Ring made an announcement that escaped notice among all the driver-less cars, rollable TVs and promises about 5G.
Shipping March 6 and available now for pre-order, Ring has a new range of smart lighting we’ll walk you through today.
With every successful piece of your connected home, these lights combine security and convenience. After all, who doesn’t want their life to be safer and easier?
You’ll get both these things with Ring’s smart lighting but how did it come about?
Ring Smart Lighting: How It Came About
Changes have been afoot since Amazon acquired Ring last year in a deal reputed to top $1 billion.
It was also just last year that Ring bought Mr Beams, a manufacturer of LEDs that were not IoT-enabled or in any way smart. Despite the dumbness of these lights, they were highly energy-efficient and battery-operated so Ring saw great potential for smartening things up.
Mr Beams did introduce a line of NetBright lights in 2017 under the strapline Intelligent Networked Wireless Lighting. These lights did not connect to a home network but instead connected to each other using a 433-MHz network. While no hub, app, or controller was required, dip switches were needed.
Fast-forward to the Ring smart lighting lineup and connectivity happens as expected with a hub and app. The WiFi-enabled bridges all your outdoor lights up your home network and the cloud. This allows for full integration with your connected home and also permits app-based control and the use of Alexa. But do not think Ring smart lighting is not apart of your typical dimmer switch.
If you were wondering why Ring would buy out a company with ” little smarts” it’s all about the expertise Mr Beams with off-grid power. Thanks to that proprietary 433 MHz RF enabling communication at long range with little congestion and minimal battery strain, you can clearly see the wisdom of this acquisition in the many strengths of this new batch of smart lighting.
A co-founder of Mr Beams now heads up the new Ring Smart Lighting division meaning all that expertise stays in house and the benefits are extended to you, the consumer.
Ring of Security
As we outlined in our look at Ring video doorbells, the company’s stated intention is to reduce crime in neighborhoods.
Back in 2015, Ring initiated a scheme along with the LAPD where installing video doorbells into just 10% of homes in Wilshire Park cut the rate of burglary by over 50%.
The Neighbors by Ring app is another show of Ring’s commitment to making every neighborhood a better and safer place to live.
Now, to complement the video entry systems and security lights they’re already famous for, this new smart lighting line will help you to extend that Ring of Security to encircle your garden as well as your home making it the core security for your smart home. You can now enjoy a full network of motion-activated lighting all around your property without spending a fortune or needing to rely on professional monitoring.
Previews: All-New Ring Smart Lighting Range 2019
Before we highlight the best of the new Ring smart lighting range, we’ll give you a glimpse at the proprietary bridge that can help you tie them all together.
Ring Smart Lighting Bridge
One of the most exciting of the range of Ring products, the bridge might not be an intrinsically thrilling purchase but, let’s face it, you’re buying a result not a product. With this gateway, you can take advantage of Ring’s proprietary communication protocol to build out a connected security system with everything singing together in harmony.
Ring has baked in a proprietary protocol so you can network your new products. Where Ring’s other security devices use WiFi, signal range is lacking and it’s also rather power hungry. This pioneering bridge changes all that. These new devices can communicate with each other via the bridge at distances of 1000 feet, more than enough for even larger homes with sprawling gardens.
The bridge connects to your home WiFi network and is powered by micro USB and helps you interface your video doorbell or cameras with your all-singing smart lighting to keep any burglars well away.
A single bridge is supported for any given smart home but this will enable you to build out a system with up to 50 smart lighting devices and sensors.
The app is a pleasure to navigate with grouping and adjustment made easy.
If you’re tempted to add an extra layer of security to your connected home in 2019, the Ring bridge is the obvious starting point. Surprisingly, it’s extremely cheap into the bargain.
Benefits
- Easily install this compact hub indoors by micro USB to support up to 50 Ring smart lighting devices
- Links your video doorbell and cameras to give you a robust Ring of security around your home
- Fully Alexa-enabled so use voice commands to turn your lights on or off and to tweak settings
Ring Floodlight Starter Kit (Hard Wired)
The floodlight comes in two versions, and this hard-wired model obviously takes a little more by the way of installation. This starter kit comes with the Ring Bridge outlined above but you can also roll with the floodlight alone if you don’t want a connected system.
This dual-light system comes equipped with a motion sensor and is easily mountable into your junction box on the wall. While you get marginally less convenience than the battery-powered floodlight offers, in return you get far more firepower with a piercingly bright light of 3500 Kelvins and 2000 lumens.
Motion detection range extends to an impressive 70 feet so you can deter any unwanted intruders at a distance while lighting your own path as soon as you enter your garden.
If you want the steady power stream a hardwired unit offers along with the capability of incorporating this floodlight into a robust Ring security system, you’ll be in luck March 6 when this new range ships.
Benefits
- Exceptional 2000 lumens of brightness to bathe your garden in light any time motion is detected
- Combines convenience and security in one powerful, cost-effective unit
- If you have the bridge and an Alexa device, you’ll be able to use voice control
Ring Floodlight (Battery-Powered)
As with all these new Ring smart lighting products, you can pick up the battery-powered Floodlight with or without the bridge. As with all aspects of your connected home, this decision should be entirely personal and based on your intended usage. If all you want is a motion-activated floodlight, skip the bridge. If you want full interconnectivity, it’s money well spent and the starter kit represents a fantastic bargain.
The benefit of the wireless model comes with a distinct dip in brightness. While you’ll still get the same 3500 Kelvins of white light, the lumen rating drops to 600. This should still be more than enough for most reasonable purposes and it’s not that this model is weak, just that the hardwired floodlight is remarkably bright.
You can expect a full year of use from the 4 D-cell batteries required. These do not come included.
Motion detection goes through a 180-degree field of view with a detection angle dependent on the way you rake the light. Range is 45 feet so, again, this is a reduction compared to the wired model.
Screws come included and you’ll be able to mount this twin-floodlight to pretty much any surface with nothing but a drill required.
Benefits
- Wireless and tool-free installation brings about a fully secured garden in minutes flat
- Adjustable mounts and settings so you can make the lighting work for the configuration of your garden
- Completely weather-resistant so perfect even for more hostile climates
Ring Pathlight (Battery-Powered)
Once you’ve got the security against burglars locked down, it’s time to think about your own safety…
If you’re tired of coming down the pathway late at night using the torch app on your phone or, even worse, tripping over on unexpected obstacles or uneven paving, it’s time to add a pathlight to your smart garden.
As with all this upcoming lighting range, you can take full advantage of the bridge to knit together that fabled Ring of Security around your smart home. When one of these smart lights picks up motion, the others can also be triggered so that, if necessary, your whole garden lights up to deter any intruders with evil intent.
This type of lighting also works well to lend a nice ambience to your garden at night. Rated at just 80 lumens, you’ll get enough light to guide your way but not so much as to spoil the atmosphere at your evening BBQ with harsh brightness.
You can buy these pathlights singly, or as a pack of 2 or 4. If you want a starter kit with the bridge thrown in, you can take that route for even greater savings.
Benefits
- Multiple configurations available with or without the Ring bridge
- Sleek aesthetic ideal for mood lighting along your pathways and driveway
- 80 lumens of brightness prevents any stumbling in the dark while delivering muted, atmospheric illumination
Ring Spotlight (Battery-Powered)
Nestling between the floodlight and pathlight, this battery-powered spotlight kicks out 400 lumens of brightness and you can expect a year of use from the 4 D-cell batteries you’ll need to power it. Ring has understood that many consumers demand wireless connectivity extending right outside into their smart gardens, and the spotlight meets this need head on.
Coming in black or white, choose from the spotlight or buy a pair with the bridge included if you plan more extensive automation. Our own preferred bundle is the kit with 2 spotlights, 2 pathlights and the bridge all included. Don’t be tempted into this, though, unless you plan to build out a broader Ring system or it would be money wasted not saved. We’re never here to nudge you toward anything you don’t need so think carefully before opting for what works best for you.
Assuming you do have the bridge along with the requisite enabled device, you’ll be able to press Alexa into commission and bark out orders for your spotlights to come on or off at will. In the absence of this, motion will be detected at a range of up to 30 feet. When triggered, the light will come on automatically.
As with all this batch of Ring smart lighting, you can pre-order now to avoid disappointment when the products ship March 6. We’d strongly recommend you do so.
Benefits
- Mid-range spotlights offering a winning combination of brightness and versatility at a pocket-friendly price
- Fully flexible, wire-free installation anywhere from the shed to the porch to the furthest reaches of your garden
- Outstanding battery life under normal conditions
Ring Steplight (Battery-Powered)
Have you got decking or a patio where you love eating outside on balmy evenings? If so, the baby of the Ring smart lighting range, this battery-powered steplight, adds a touch of class to any outside area.
These steplights also work particularly well if you have a larger garden with steps or you have outside stairs leading to an upper floor on your property. Wherever you choose to place them, a little extra brightness in the yard never hurts.
With an onboard motion sensor, this is a very powerful unit at an extremely competitive price-point. Invest in the bridge and you can really build out functionality further. As with every smart device, this steplight works well on its own but even better in tandem with other kit. Not only can you link this steplight to your security camera and video doorbell, you can also use voice commands via an Alexa-enabled device.
Benefits
- 35 lumens of bright white light picks out any area for the sake of safety without spoiling the ambiance with excessive brightness
- 15 feet of motion detection range gives you the smarts you expect from Ring in this compact package available in trademark black or white
- Get a year of normal usage from 3 C-cell batteries meaning you won’t be constantly running out for replacements
Ring Transformer
If you have a bunch of older landscape lighting in your garden that you’d like to automate and control in-app, all you need is this low-voltage transformer along with the bridge we preview above. You can pick up a bundle with the bridge included at a proportional reduction.
This transformer is a great way to take what you need from Ring’s new smart lighting without needing to go all-in when you have wired lighting already in place. Although it’s the priciest product in the new range, you’ll get an immediate return on investment if you can keep hold of your existing lighting and avoid the need to pick up smart replacements.
Benefits
- Gives you smart control of any existing and compatible low-voltage outdoor lighting so you can salvage older kit
- Mounting hardware included and installation takes minutes and very little effort
- Works with all light fixtures from 12V through 15V
Final Word
We imagine you’re probably tempted by some of this new range from Ring, the security specialists helping you to secure your smart home and all its valuable contents at a very affordable price-point.
Come back soon as we update our home automation blog every weekday with a handy Saturday round-up to make your life easier.
We’ll be taking a deeper look at home security next week so pop back and see whether it’s time to invest in some new tech to keep burglars at bay.
The post Ring Smart Lighting: How It’s The Core Security for Your House appeared first on Smarthome Blog.
