Intercom

The Aamoth household is comprised of five human beings and five Amazon Alexa-enabled devices.While these Alexa devices are most commonly used to play music and set timers, they’ve also drastically cut down on the yelling between the various floors of our house.That’s thanks to two powerful, kinda-sorta overlapping features common to Alexa speakers: Drop In and Announcements—both of which can be used as an ad-hoc home intercom system.Here’s how to set it up yourself.First, the devicesYou’ll need Alexa-enabled speakers, of…

The Ring Intercom makes it super easy to upgrade your ancient apartment intercomRing came to IFA with a product that none of us really saw coming. The Ring Intercom is a plug-and-play product that works with existing apartment intercoms, allowing apartment dwellers to enjoy the same smart home benefits as those that own and live in houses.The Ring Intercom is a WiFi-connected, DIY addition that works with some audio intercoms. Making it super easy for apartment dwellers and landlords to add it to their apartment…

Amazon today announced the addition of Ring Intercom to its list of smartphone offerings. The product is designed to be an add-on to existing apartment intercom systems. The company has created a quick online questionnaire to determine whether your existing system will work with the new product. It’s a rare addition targeted specifically at apartment dwellers for a line that’s traditionally gone after homeowners. The company describes its functionality thusly: Ring Intercom utilizes the existing compatible intercom…

For most of Ring’s products, you couldn’t really take advantage of them without owning or at least living in a home. There was a Peephole Cam that Ring announced a few years ago and is now discontinued. But now, Ring is announcing a Intercom. This is aimed at replacing the intercom that most apartments have (and likely barely works).It’s a WiFi-connected, DIY addition to compatible audio intercom systems. It’s able to upgrade audio intercom functionality to give apartment dwellers the freedom to speak to anyone that hits…

Ring is today announcing Intercom, its twist on the video and audio entry systems found in many apartment blocks. It’s designed to replace the hardware that’s already wired in to these buildings, and will work with a number of existing audio intercom handsets already in place. But unlike those systems, users will be able to communicate with visitors via their phone, and can offer specific access rights to frequent visitors. Similarly, you can give a pass to your local Amazon driver who will be able to drop a parcel off at…

Smart door locks and video doorbells are great conveniences for those who live in single-family homes, but what about the millions of people who live in flats, apartments, and condos? They might also like to answer their front door from their phone — whether they’re home or not — and perhaps buzz their visitor in without getting off the couch or rushing home from the office. Ring, maker of the original video doorbell, thinks it has a solution. Ring Intercom is a DIY, retrofit device that attaches to the intercom…

Ring is best known for its video doorbells and security cameras, but they’re far from the only product the company makes. Another new one has just been announced in the form of Ring Intercom, an add-on for your intercom system that adds significant extra functionality.  At the announcement, the firm highlighted four key advantages compared to a regular audio-based intercom. Arguably the most useful is Remote Unlock, which allows you to grant access to your flat from anywhere using the Ring app. This is particularly…

Source: Christopher Close / iMore If you want to get someone's attention without having to grab your iPhone, then you need to know how to use Intercom. With Intercom, you can send messages directly to all iPhones, Apple Watches, HomePods, and Siri-enabled devices in your home using your voice. Unlike a standard audio message, Intercom messages play automatically on your family's devices— perfect for letting everyone know when dinner is ready. Here's how to use Intercom and manage your home's settings in the Home app.…