Your Ring doorbell is getting much smarter with this free upgrade
The new Smart Video Search feature lets you search through recorded footage with just a description – and it's coming free to Ring doorbells
There’s plenty of smart home gear to pick from now, but one of the simplest places to start is at your front door. Ring makes some of the best video doorbells out there. And thanks to this free upgrade, they’re getting even smarter.
Scrolling through your Ring footage to find the incident you’re looking for works, but isn’t exactly efficient. But Ring’s latest upgrade is like giving your video history a brain. Ring is rolling out Smart Video Search, which lets you use natural language to search for moments in your video history.
This new feature lets you type in phrases like “black dog playing” or “red truck in driveway.” The Ring app will serve up the moment without you having to fast-forward through hours of squirrels and posties. It’s powered by something called Ring IQ, which is the brand’s own Visual Language Modelling AI tech mashed together with in-house know-how.
I’m happy to see Ring add the kind of feature that feels genuinely useful – not just clever for the sake of it. Whether it’s catching the kids doing something sweet or, more likely, something they’ll deny later, this makes it easier to dig up video evidence without becoming a part-time surveillance analyst.
The best bit? This isn’t just for new devices. Smart Video Search works with all existing Ring video doorbells and cameras. It’s rolling out today in public beta for UK customers, but only if you’re on the Ring Home Premium plan. It’ll set you back $19.99/£15.99 per month or $199.99/£159.99 per year. While I’m not the biggest fan of doorbell subscriptions, this feature does take the sting off for sure.
Connor Jewiss
