During the Amazon 2020 Event, a trio of new auto-focused devices were announced under the Ring brand, designed to keep your vehicle safe.
They are the Ring Car Cam, Ring Car Alarm and Ring Car Connect. Prices range from $59.99 to $199.99 and all three will be available sometime in 2021 - but exact release dates are yet to be revealed.
It's also not clear just yet whether these devices will be available outside of the US, but we'll update this article as soon as we know more.
For now, we've pulled together the important information on the three new devices for your car, below.
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Ring Car Alarm
- Price: $59.99
- Available: 2021
Worried about your car getting towed, dented or broken into when it's parked up? Then you may want to get yourself the new Ring Car Alarm.
The device plugs into your vehicles OBD-II port (which most cars have easily accessible somewhere in the cabin - check the manual to find out where yours is) and - Amazon claims - will be able to alert you to bumps, tows and break-ins when you're away from your car via notifications sent to your smartphone (via the Ring app).
If you do get such a notification, you may be given the option to sound your vehicle's siren (if compatible with the system) to ward off any would-be thieves or rogue tow-truck drivers.
However, Amazon says that "some of Ring Car Alarm's features require connectivity with Amazon Sidewalk." This shared network feature which brings connectivity to a range of city infrastructure is due to launch sometime in 2020 - but its initial roll out and reach is currently unknown. On the plus side, there will be no additional charge to you, the customer, for this connectivity layer.
It means that the effectiveness of Ring Car Alarm may be limited to just a few areas when it goes on sale in 2021.
Ring Car Cam
- Price: $199.99
- Available: 2021
As the name suggests, the Ring Car Cam is a smart camera that goes inside your vehicle.
If Car Cam detects a bump or break-in it will start recording, to try and catch the incident as it happens. If you opt for an additional LTE connectivity plan, you can even have the footage live-streamed to your smartphone (in a similar fashion to Ring's doorbells) so you can witness what's happening in real time.
It's not just for when you're away from your car either, with Ring Car Cam also offering Emergency Crash Assist which sees the device automatically request help from first responders if there is a serious accident detected.
There's also the Traffic Stop feature, where you'll be able to say 'Alexa, I'm being pulled over' and the Car Cam will start recording video and audio. It's a pertinent addition, given the scrutiny police stop checks are now under, particularly in the United States.
Ring Car Connect
- Price: $199.99
- Available: 2021
Ring Car Connect is an API for vehicle manufacturers, allowing them to link their car's systems to the Ring network, which will allow customers to gain access to a variety of features including receiving mobile alerts for detected events, watching recorded vehicle video footage, and seeing vehicle information such as if the car is locked or unlocked.
If a manufacturer supports Car Connect, car owners can fit the after-market device to take advantage of the service - although you will need an additional connectivity plan to use it.
There's good news for Tesla owner, as the Model S, 3, X and Y will all support Car Connect when it arrive in 2021.
