After being acquired by Amazon in February, Ring has released the Neighbors app, its first new product offering under the e-commerce giant. Similar to Vivint’s Streety app, Ring’s Neighbors is a way to crowdsource information from residents to create a safer neighborhood, essentially acting as a virtual neighborhood watch.
Ring says the app is a way to “easily share and communicate with your neighbors about crime and safety, so you have up-to-date local crime data at your fingertips.” The app works by requiring users to join their respective neighborhoods. The user then customizes the geographic area that they wish to receive notifications. The app combines real-time crime and safety alerts from neighbors in a social media-like setting. For instance, a neighbor can post a video or image of a suspicious person at the door and others can comment on it instantaneously.
“At Ring, we come to work every day with the mission of reducing crime in neighborhoods. Over the past few years we have learned that, when neighbors, the Ring team and law enforcement all work together, we can create safer communities,” says Jamie Siminoff, CEO, Ring. “Neighbors is meant to facilitate real-time communication between these groups, while maintaining neighbor privacy first and foremost. By bringing security to every neighbor with the free Neighbors app, communities can stay on top of crime and safety alerts as they happen.”
