Ring Intercom opens the front door of your flat

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Ring Intercom

With a smart doorbell, door lock and cameras you can go a long way to control and monitor everything remotely. But the fact is: not everyone lives in a single-family home. If you have an apartment in a porch flat or if you share the front door in a city house, you often cannot mount a smart doorbell at the front door and you are tied to a central intercom system to open the front door. The Ring Intercom could then be a solution. Before you enthusiastically pull out your wallet, it's good to know that Ring doesn't work with HomeKit.

Nuki has been offering such a solution for some time with the name Nuki Opener. Ring Intercom works in much the same way. It is a do-it-yourself solution that allows you to make your existing intercom suitable for remote control. It connects to the Ring app on your smartphone via WiFi and it has been specially developed for European apartment complexes where several households share the same front door and only have an intercom with voice installed.

If you have a Ring Intercom and someone rings the doorbell, you can talk to the visitor and let them in via the app. It only works with audio, so you won't see an image. Also nothing is recorded. Its main function is that you can talk to the person standing at the front door, even if you are in the bath or sitting in a restaurant miles away. For example, you can open the door for a parcel deliverer, who can then leave your order in the hall or on the stairs. There is only two-way communication when someone rings the bell, so you can't eavesdrop on the neighbors with this system when they are gossiping at the entrance.

You can pair the Ring Intercom with other Ring devices such as the indoor camera, but you cannot combine functions. Both devices can be consulted separately via the app. For example, you could put up a Ring camera in the entrance hall, if the other residents agree. But it can only be consulted by you.

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Price is around 100 euros
The Ring Intercom can be seen this week at the IFA in Berlin. The first copies will also be available in Germany: the pre-order starts on September 28 and the first copies will be delivered from October 26. Prices are currently only known for the United Kingdom, where the single Ring Intercom is available for an introductory price of £89. The regular price will be £119. A bundle with charger and extra battery and charger costs £149.99.

Europe, but not yet to the Netherlands
At the beginning of 2023, the Ring Intercom will come to more major European Amazon countries, namely France, Italy. and Spain. So if you want one, it's better to go get it abroad and not wait for the introduction in the Netherlands, because that can take a while. The US is planned for later. It works with more than 90 percent of existing intercom systems, according to Ring. You can check a list of compatible intercoms on the Ring website.

You don't have to renovate your apartment and the installation is easy to do yourself. Via the app you can see in the activity log whether someone has rung the doorbell during your presence and at what times you opened the door for someone. As an extra, you can give the Amazon delivery person access at certain times to leave packages. Ring is still working on a feature to automatically grant access to certain guests, such as the cleaner or dog walking service.

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HomeKit doorbells with video: so you know < /h3> Looking for a doorbell with HomeKit? Then take a look at this round-up of (video) doorbells with and without HomeKit. Such a smart doorbell can play a sound on your HomePod and show who is at the door!