Amazon’s Ring Car Alarm Nears Launch

After two years of radio silence, I was convinced Amazon had ceased development of Ring’s line of automotive accessories. Yet, in the closing days of October, new info has emerged which confirms the Ring Car Alarm is still in play and release may be imminent. Specifically, about a week ago, the large header image above was added to the Ring Android app… followed yesterday by its corresponding FCC filing (and that ID corroborated within a July Bluetooth filing).

Although the product isn’t available yet, Ring has hosted a FAQ for quite some time that breaks much down. And, like many other car accessories, the Ring Car Alarm relies on the OBD-II port for both power and at least some of the automotive diagnostics it’ll monitor. Beyond traditional wireless protocols, Ring Alarm harnesses the low-power neighborhood mesh Amazon Sidewalk to efficiently extend its reach.

As to capabilities:

Alerts will be sent for detected impacts, break-ins, and car thefts — for example, the device’s sensors are designed to detect events such as door handle pulls, rim theft, towing, movement inside the vehicle, and location changes. You can also manually trigger Ring Car Alarm’s siren for 30 seconds when you get an alert. […] You’ll be able to see the Ring Car Alarm’s last known location from the Ring app. While the device has GPS built-in, location information will only be sent to the user’s phone when Ring Car Alarm is within range of either wifi or Sidewalk. […] Ring Car Alarm works with other Ring devices to add another layer of security to your home and activate linked Video Doorbells, cameras, and Ring Smart Lighting. For example, if Ring Car Alarm detects an event, your Floodlight Cam can be set to begin recording.

There’s still no telling exactly when the Ring Car Alarm will be released nor at what price. Although that early documentation suggests there will be no subscription fee required… as opposed to the Ring Car Cam, which remains missing in action.