Ring has a wide range of smart security devices, led by the popular video doorbell. It’s wireless capability is also a major feature, which opens it up to smart home integrations. While it’s highly compatible with Alexa, its Google compatibility is a bit sketchy. Read on for more.
Does Ring Work with Google Home & Google Assistant?
Limited Compatibility
To give you the short report, it used to be possible to connect to Google Home, but not anymore. One of the probable reasons is because Google has a product that’s directly competing against Ring—the Nest Hello. Nest Hello is Google’s smart video doorbell, offering features similar to other major brands’ and more.
There definitely is a demand for Ring to improve integration. There are many mentions of compatibility between these two spread out across several discussion boards. There are some workarounds suggested, some of which need a bit of extra tech savvy.
You can link the Ring doorbell to Google Assistant but there are limited commands you can use
With this method, you’re already using your phone to control your Ring doorbell. Having said that, you’re better off staying in Amazon’s ecosystem with Alexa features. But that’s what Amazon would want!
How do I Connect my Ring Doorbell to Google Assistant?
We’ll assume that your Ring doorbell is already set up, and linked to your Ring app and account. Similarly, ensure the same for your Google Home device and Google Assistant. If not, please refer to your manual or online resources and you’ll find the process is easy for both.
- Open the link to the Ring action for Google Assistant. Do this from your desktop, laptop, or phone. If you do it from your phone, you’ll likely get directed to the Google Assistant app where you press Link, then go ahead to Step 4.
- On the top right corner, select Send to Device, then select your Google Home device.
- Open the Link to Ring notification you receive on your phone.
- Sign in to your Ring account using your credentials.
- Authorize Google Home. You should’ve now successfully connected your Ring doorbell to Google Assistant. Try some of the voice commands in the next section.
Ring – Google Assistant Commands
To use Google Assistant from your phone or Google Home device, you start by saying, “Hey Google, talk to ring” or “Okay Google, talk to ring”. And then you add the supported commands.
For example, you can say, “Hey Google, talk to Ring about starting a new recording,” and your Ring device will record video for 30 seconds. You’ll likely find the recorded video on your Ring cloud account.
You can also try these commands:
- “Talk to Ring about the last time my Doorbell rang”
If you weren’t sure you heard a ring earlier, try this to review the latest ring on your Ring video doorbell.
- “Talk to Ring about the health of my devices”
Do this to receive an overview of the battery level of your Ring video doorbells.
- “Talk to Ring to turn motion/Ring alerts on/off”
Lifewire advises that you can use “Ask ring” instead of “Talk to ring” when preferred.
What Google Assistant devices can be connected to Ring?
To use the Ring voice commands for Google Assistant, you can likely utilize any device that's Google Assistant-enabled. Google Home, Android watches, or Android TVs (Android version 6+)—just link the Ring action to your Google Assistant and try these out.
The Ring voice commands can also work on most smartphones which you can install Google Assistant. For an Apple iPhone or iPad, at least iOS 10.0 is required. For Android smart devices (smartphones or tablets), Android 6.0 is required.
Other devices you can use are Android watches, headphones (mic-equipped), and smart displays. Keep in mind that the features are limited to the voice commands, which are limited in themselves also. For example, video streaming/casting features are not supported so you can’t fully utilize your smart display. You’ll have to use the Ring app on your phone/tablet.
To maximize the smart home capabilities of the Ring doorbell using voice, you’ll do much better with the Alexa ecosystem.
Other Questions about Ring and Google Home
Can you stream your Ring doorbell feed to your Google smart display or TV with Chromecast?
This sounds like a million-dollar idea. And it seems so convenient that you’d probably think, “There’s probably an app for that.” But lest we get on Google’s bad side, we’ll just simply say you can’t. At least not for now.
This is probably one of the more desired features Ring customers want. Other customers think that since the technology is already there, it should be a no-brainer to integrate it. And it’s not unfair to think that way, since investing in smart home devices can be costly. Unfortunately, it seems it’s not that simple.
Integration with Alexa introduces the home to enhanced hands-free features and clever convenience. Use your Amazon smart speaker, smart display, even your voice-enabled Fire TV (yes, take advantage of 4K resolution to interact through your Ring video doorbell).
The basic Ring Video Doorbell model includes customizable motion detection zones for free, and a low starting subscription price for the Basic Plan
The free Ring app checks a lot of boxes, along with some bells and whistles. While the Neighbors app brings some actual good along with good intent, despite the negative reactions. Warranted though they may be.
Ring Video Doorbell is a great option especially for one's first entry into smart video doorbells. The latest update retains the low price point and features found in more expensive doorbells, while improving capabilities and compatibilities.
Customers and reviewers have enjoyed its great video quality (Full HD and a nice 155-degree field of view), two-way communication, and motion sensing. An extra convenience is the option to use batteries instead of electrical wiring to power the doorbell.
The free Ring app is far from lacking, and the Alexa smart home integration makes you feel like Tony Stark.
Overall, top-notch quality and premium performance with video, audio, and the Google tech that holds it all together makes for a great product.
Nest Hello provides hard-to-beat features with its optional cloud subscription offering. You get customized activity zones, clever facial recognition tech to profile your family and friends, and extra streaming/recording services.
Wi-Fi connectivity bridges the Nest Hello to more smart features, especially with other smart home devices. Its compatibility with not just the Google ecosystem, but also with Alexa brings more possibilities and hands-free convenience with voice commands.
It’s no secret that Google keeps releasing great product after great product. The same is true with the Nest Hello. It has grabbed the favor of users with its features, competitive specs, and smart functionality.
You get superb HD video in a 4:3 viewing ratio that is useful to see vertically better. Packaged along with this are night vision and motion detection. The two-way communication audio is no slack either, with high-quality sound and noise cancellation. These features along with fast response make for a great experience.
It’s also a huge benefit that the Nest Hello is well placed within Google’s smart home ecosystem. The optional cloud subscription, which starts at $5, is made so that you get your money’s worth compared to competitors.
The Verdict
We can keep hoping that Ring and Google Home get more friendly with each other. Within these two devices is more than enough technology to be able to stream your doorbell video over the air. Yes, business is business, but in this high-tech age it’s unfortunate to say no to the question, “Does Ring work with Google Home?”