Ring‘s battery-powered video doorbells and cameras now work with end-to-end encryption

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Ring added the option to its hardwired and plug-in devices over a year ago and now offers end-to-end encryption on its video doorbells and security cameras. Users of the company's video cameras can keep their footage locked down and only be able to see it on their phone or computer. Ring is making it easier to save recordings when an owner sells or disposes of a Ring device.

No one but the camera's owner can see the recorded footage. Even if law enforcement asked Ring for the video, they couldn't give it to them. The video can only be unlocked by the Enrolled Mobile device.

Video and audio recordings are uploaded to the cloud and stored on Ring's server. End-to-end encryption gives the device owner access to and control of their footage on one device and with a passphrase only they have.

The Ring Pro 2 and Ring Elite were the only video doorbells that Ring worked on at the time. It was an option on the Ring Floodlight cam, but not on the Ring Stick Up cam.

All Ring cameras and doorbells are now available with end-to-end encryption. Instructions for Enrolling can be found on Ring's website.

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Privacy protections come with limitations. With end-to-end encryption turned on, users lose the ability to preview videos on the Ring app's event timeline view and to see a snapshot of action in notification before opening the app.

Users of Ring devices can't see videos on their devices, and they can't share videos from the Ring app. When a Ring video doorbell can respond to a visitor, end-to-end encryption can be disabled. Bird's Eye View won't work on some Ring cameras that show the path a visitor has taken to the doorbell. All functions are restored when end-to-end encryption is disabled.

Most of the features are useful conveniences. Privacy protection will be worth it for many users.

Related

How to install a Ring video doorbell

Ring introduced a new feature this week that makes it easier to save videos when a user sells or disposes of a Ring device.

If a user chooses to save any videos to their account, they won't have to download them.

When they remove the camera or doorbell from the account in the Ring app, a new remove device option appears, allowing them to keep or remove events from the device before removing it from their account.

If the user has a Ring subscription, the videos will be kept on the account. They will need to manually download any videos they want to keep if they cancel the subscription.