6.18.18 – Dealerscope – Patrick McCarthy
One of the best quotes I’ve ever heard regarding any release is from Shigeru Miyamoto – the creator of Mario – who once said that “a delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad.” The idea runs true for most things and it is a lesson that team at Ring must have learned as well.
The DIY sweetheart was supposed to release Ring Alarm last October but got into a lot of hot water after a lawsuit between ADT Holdings vs Mike Harris, et al. The trial has ADT making allegations that Ring gained “security trade secrets using theft and felony” after Zonoff defaulted on debts it owed ADT. One lawsuit, a few delays, and a rebrand later, Ring Alarm is finally ready to ship next month.
For those with DIFM customers, this is another case of trojan horse tech that will hopefully open the doors to more options. The $200 alarm system has a family of products that include an alarm, keypad, and a handful of sensors that can be controlled through an otherwise intuitive app. Their biggest competitor in the space, the Nest Secure, is still double that after a recent price drop.
What Ring is bringing to the table is a serious DIY competitor thanks to its barebone price and ability to retrofit. It even works without a subscription plan to a professional monitoring company with a small $10 plan if one is requested. LTE back up and unlimited video storage are another few gimmicks that really makes the Ring suite shine against its competitors.
It also says a lot about the state of the DIY market. It isn’t exactly a race to the bottom, but there seems to be a sweet spot for companies looking to pack more features without inflating a price tag. That being said, Ring was acquired by Amazon earlier this year, and they are not shy about selling at a loss. That also means it could integrate with Amazon’s other services to allow in-home delivery – but there hasn’t been any mention of that quite yet.