Ring will soon support third-party cameras, but probably none of yours
Amazon’s smart home security brandRingis opening a gate to its walled garden of apps and devices. As long as any non-Ring camera has certain capabilities, you will eventually be able to use it with Ring’s app. While the company hasn’t released a list of supported models, we do know that it’s likely to be a limited group, at least for now — and depending on your currentsubscription plan, it may require paying a little more for the service.
Ring says its app will support any camera using the Open Network Video Interface Forum standard, orONVIF. This is a standard that lets smart devices talk to each other, regardless of the manufacturer. The thing is, that rules out some of Ring’s competitors, like Nest. AsThe Verge notes, ONVIF-compatible cameras are more likely to be used in commercial settings — we’re talking about domed security cameras with pan and rotational abilities seen in places like department stores. These are likely to come from names not exclusively identified with smart home tech like Panasonic, Sony, or Bosch. Considering the types of cameras this move opens up compatibility with, it seems Ring wants to become a viable option for business security in addition to home.
There areother requirementsto use an ONVIF camera with Ring’s app, too. It must be password-protected, and the device should be capable of streaming video at 1080p (or lower) and support H.264 encoding. Integrating a camera not originally designed to work with Ring will also require a Ring Protect Pro subscription, which costs $20 a month and includes round-the-clock monitoring and continuous video recording — and you need to have the $250 Ring Alarm Pro, which is the most up-to-date Ring hub available. You can sign up for notifications about Ring/ONVIF developments atRing’s website.
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