The humble door bell has been around in the UK for many, many years. It’s been a staple of British door ways for two hundred years. Yet, as the entrance door has evolved and improved over time, the door bell has been left behind in the evolution race.

Currently, most UK are doors are adorned by old fashioned wired door bells with god awful chimes and tunes, or wireless door bell systems that use radio waves and can easily be interfered with by other radio signals. They look awful, they sound awful, and it’s about time something new came along to spruce the door bell game up.

Thankfully, something has. And it’s called Ring.

A door bell for 2016

The product is simply called Ring. And it’s a video door bell. Here’s their British-focused promo video to explain more:

Ring door bell

Credit: Ring

I think this is a great idea. Modern day technology being combined with a 200 year old entrance door tradition to give the humble door bell a much needed kick up the backside to bring it to 2016 standards.

The ability to view who is outside your door, from anywhere in the world, is fantastic for those who are more security conscious. Although I would caution this this might be one of those products which might drive a few people to staring at their phones all the time, just to see who might be coming close to their door.

Still, this is the internet of things at work, operating inside the UK fenestration market. We have seen smart door locks so far, mostly in the US market, with a couple making their way over here. But they’ve received a luke-warm reception, and I have seen numerous issues on the operational front online. The UK public are always cautious when it comes to unlocking their doors with anything other than a key. And I think this is going to be a big hurdle to overcome.

However, Ring is a device that people can quickly get used to, as it combines a function that everyone knows and understands, the pressing of a door bell, with home security via phone and WiFi.

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More home security than door bell

As far as tech goes, I like this. And I get why the makers have called it Ring, as it still allows you to press a door bell. But this is more of a home security system with the added functionality of a door bell. You can buy add-ons for Ring, with a bell chime which you can plug in to any socket in your home and you’ll hear a sound if someone presses Ring and you’re at home.

However the selling point of this product is the simple way you can see and communicate with who is at your door. Proximity sensors alert you via your phone if someone is close to your door. You can see a live picture on your screen, and speak to someone who is there who might be delivering something. Or you can tell a would-be burglar to piss off if it looks like they’re going to try and gain entry.

Find out more about Ring here

At £160 or so, this is a product that most home owners with a smart phone can afford. It’s a simple way to add extra home security without the need of numerous face-fixed cameras around the property. It’s also a product that glazing installers could add to their portfolio. I believe there is a market for it. Only a fortnight ago a home owner asked me if we did anything like this product. They were bored of the standard door bell and wanted something a lot more high end and better looking. I pointed them to Ring and they seemed interested. But this is something installers could look to add to their door ranges which will give them that added 21st century tech edge.

This won’t wipe out the humble door bell. But it will give home owners and installers a much more advanced and high-end alternative if they don’t want to keep their old fashioned bell push when they’re updating their front door.

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