Connected security cameras are one of the first smart home devices people think about buying, yet it's understandable that not everyone feels comfortable with a camera inside their house recording their personal life. That's why video doorbells make a lot more sense — they provide the benefit of a security cam aimed at your home's entrance, while also offering several other perks like checking deliveries or answering the door when you're not home. But not everyone has the luxury to install one of them: if you can't mess with the wiring of your existing doorbell, you've probably skipped the product category entirely. Well, that is until you realize that there's a workaround — the peephole — and that's exactly what Ring's new $199 Door View Cam uses.The Door View Cam is a two-piece device that installs on either side of your door, using the peephole as a connection point. It's battery-powered and the battery is removable and rechargeable, so you shouldn't worry about running wires to give it some power or uninstalling it each time you want to charge it up.

The black and satin nickel outdoor part houses the camera, motion sensor, doorbell button, and the white plastic indoor part has the battery and an optical viewer with a privacy cover. The latter lets you still use the setup as a peephole if you need to. The camera is a 1080p sensor with night vision, and Ring offers adjustable motion detection, privacy zones to avoid being notified about movements in unwanted areas, two-way audio to talk to visitors at the door, and knock detection to get notified even if the person doesn't ring the doorbell. There's also Amazon Alexa integration, so you can livestream the cam to an Echo Show or Fire TV, but unfortunately no Google Assistant compatibility. Given that Ring is now an Amazon company, I doubt that will change anytime soon.

With the free plan, Ring will notify you of motion and ring events, let you livestream on demand, interact with visitors, but you don't get access to video recordings. For that, you need a Ring Protect plan, which starts at $3/month ($30/year) for one camera and goes up to $10/month ($100/year) for several cams with professional monitoring. That price is realistic compared to the competition. As for the Door View Cam, it's now available in the US for $199 (Ring, Amazon, Best Buy) with one month of free Ring Protect. It's also available in many European countries and will be coming to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand later in the year.

Source: Ring Door View Cam

PRESS RELEASE