"Hey Alexa, open the front door."
Amazon is already in your home thanks to its voice assistant, but the e-commerce giant is expanding into connected-home appliances with one of its largest-ever acquisitions.
Amazon has acquired connected home company Ring, which specializes in making a variety of home security products, including video cameras and doorbells.
The deal comes less than five months after Amazon announced a home delivery system that made it possible for people to let couriers into their homes to drop off packages. That system used internet-connected cameras and door locks to provide security and prevent theft.
“Ring’s home security products and services have delighted customers since Day 1,” Ty Rogers, a spokesman for Amazon, said in an email. “We’re excited to work with this talented team and help them in their mission to keep homes safe and secure.”
Amazon paid more than $1 billion for Ring, according to Reuters. Rogers declined to disclose the terms of the deal.
Amazon is one of many companies that are developing systems that connect homes to the internet to provide enhanced services. Google bought connected thermostat company Nest for $3.2 billion in 2014, though that union has had its ups and downs. Google reportedly tried to sell Nest, but was unable to find a buyer.
Ring started in 2012 with a focus on creating a video doorbell. It now offers a variety of video doorbell options as well as home cameras, security systems, smoke alarms and other devices.
Yassi Shahmiri, a Ring spokeswoman, said in a statement that the acquisition would allow Ring to expand its offerings.
“We’ll be able to achieve even more by partnering with an inventive, customer-centric company like Amazon,” Shahmiri wrote. “We look forward to being a part of the Amazon team as we work toward our vision for safer neighborhoods.”
The reported price tag makes Ring one of the biggest acquisitions in Amazon’s history and the biggest since it bought Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in June 2017. The only other acquisition in the same range is Zappos, the shoe-focused e-commerce company that Amazon bought in 2009 for $1.2 billion.