Do Ring Cameras Work with Google Home?

Both Ring cameras and Google Home automation are popular additions to many smart homes across the globe, but an increasing concern is interoperability. Interoperability is the capacity of different smart devices to interact and operate in sync, a theory also known as the Internet of Things.

Ring cameras are partially compatible with Google Home and can be hooked up into the Google home control scheme, but only in a limited sense. While you can sync the devices for some functionality, the Google Home system will not alert the homeowner when someone rings the doorbell.

Google Home may work with Ring cameras in some ways, but there are a few caveats to consider. Read on to learn more about just how compatible Ring is with Google Home and how you can use the two systems together.

Is Google Compatible With Ring?

While Google Home is currently advertised as compatible with Ring, this is a pretty broad generalization considering the lack of intraoperative functions the two systems currently have.

Google Home can be connected to Ring cameras, and the system can track when the motion sensors and doorbells are set off but don’t have the ability to alert homeowners to someone at the door.

Can You View Ring Camera on the Google Home Hub?

One of the biggest drawbacks to using Ring and Google Home as part of an integrated smart home system is that you can’t view your Ring security cameras through the Google Home console.

That means even if your Google Home system recognizes that the Ring cameras are detecting motion or someone at the door, it won’t let you know and you won’t be able to see them. For many people, this is a serious disadvantage considering the main purpose of Ring door cameras is to remotely view whomever is at the door.

Ring Support has confirmed that it is increasing the interoperability between Google Home and the Ring home security network. But for now, this pairing only offers limited functions. Here are a few things you can use your Google Home to command your Ring cameras to do:

• Record a thirty-second video at one of your Ring camera devices
  
• Receive notifications through your Google Home hub that the Ring cameras have detected movement or someone at the door
  
• Check the camera status to see if it’s functioning

Out of all the functions that the Google Home can command the Ring camera to do, the one function it can’t do is recognize when someone is at the door. This makes it kind of a pointless controller for the Ring camera system, and you’d be better off using the Ring app to control your Ring devices than Google Home as it currently stands.

Do Ring Lights Work with Google Home?

Ring Lights are compatible with Google’s Home Assistant, but as with their camera systems, interoperability is limited to a few basic functions. The Google Home Assistant also benefits from allowing you to access your Ring camera and light systems through voice commands. However, you won’t be able to pull up security footage on your Google Home hub to verify them.

Does Google Nest Hub Work with Ring?

Google Home has limited functions that can operate with Ring cameras, but what about Google Nest Hub? Like Google Home, the answer is both yes and no. While technically you can connect the two services, they only have limited functionality and interoperability.

Here are some of the functions that Google Nest and Ring can perform together:

• Google Nest is capable of receiving notifications from your Ring camera system and alerting you when the motion detectors, doorbell, or cameras are activated. Unfortunately, you will not be able to see your Ring camera videos from your Google Nest Hub.
• You can control your Ring devices through Google’s Home Assistant in the Google Nest Hub via voice commands.

Limited interoperability makes Google Home and Ring an iffy combination so far. Despite this, both companies are hard at work to refine both software and firmware to make the systems more compatible with each other. These compatibility upgrades will allow for a more seamless smart home experience.

Are Google Home and Ring Together Worth It?

Even though there isn’t full compatibility between Google Home and Ring, there are still many features you can use if you’re interested in controlling your Ring through voice-activated commands.

The biggest downside to integrating Google Home and Ring into a smart home system is that so far, none of Google’s control consoles or hubs are capable of receiving and playing back real-time Ring camera footage. This diminishes Ring’s effectiveness as a doorbell and security system if you want to control your smart home primarily through Google Home.

Since Ring services are relatively affordable and the system is very robust in its own right, it may be worth it to add Ring cameras to your Google Home system if you’re willing to go between two applications. Just don’t expect to look at the footage without signing directly into the Ring app itself.

Final Thoughts

Even though Google and Ring have both made significant technical strides to make their devices easier to integrate, the inability of Google devices to read and play back Ring camera footage is a significant disadvantage to this smart home combination. If you’re looking for a smart home system that can fully integrate Ring, you’ll need to look elsewhere.