The smart doorbell startup Ring has not one but two big pieces of news to share, introducing a new and improved product called the Video Doorbell Pro and announcing a raised value of $61.2 million in Series C funding.
To start things off, the Video Doorbell Pro is more or less the same as the original Video Doorbell in the sense that it connects to the owner's Wi-Fi and provides the choice to answer the door via video call on their smartphone in a two-way audio, one-way video setup. Other similarities they share include the night vision mode and the cloud storage option for $3 per month or $30 per year.
What makes it distinct from the first model is that it sports a 1080p camera instead of a 720p. On top of that, it supports a 5 Ghz Wi-Fi channel plus a 2.4 GHz, swappable faceplates and customizable motion zones to let the device know which areas it should focus more on, but the most noticeable change is the smaller form factor. Everything looks great on all fronts, except that it now relies on circuits for power rather than batteries like the original.
Of course, the price didn't remain the same. While the first Video Doorbell costs $199, the Video Doorbell Pro will hold back customers by $249. For those who are interested in keeping their homes safe with a smart doorbell, it's already up for preorder with an expected shipping date sometime in April.
One of the hugest advantages of having this product is that users won't have to get off the couch to answer the door – that's clearly a personal opinion – but on a serious note, it offers great security. For instance, owners who are on a vacation far away from their homes can answer the doorbell virtually anywhere with a stable connection. That means they can potentially stave off any suspicious-looking person who might break into their houses by acting like their right at home.
Meanwhile, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) led the $61.2 million Series C round along with Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson, an existing investor. This development is hot on the heels of the $28 million round for Ring led by Branson approximately six months ago.
"At Ring, it's our mission to reduce crime by creating a 'ring' of security around our customers' front doors, homes and neighborhoods. I am pleased KPCB has joined Ring's group of leading investors alongside Sir Richard Branson as we continue to make neighborhoods around the world safer. With these new funds, we will expand that 'ring' of security by adding to our high-quality, diverse line of smart security products," Jamie Siminoff, CEO and chief inventor at Ring, says.
It's also worth mentioning that the company didn't start out as Ring, as the startup initially bore the moniker Doorbot back in 2013.
To boil things down, Ring is considered as one of the companies that has great potential in the Internet of Things game. With the $61.2 million raised Series C funding and the new Video Doorbell Pro at hand, the startup's future is looking brighter even more so.
