Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home

Does a Ring thermostat even exist?

By

One of the best parts of owning and operating an entire home of smart products is getting to watch all of your devices seamlessly connect and communicate with each other. And with the advent of Matter, it’s going to become even more seamless for one device brand to handshake with another. In a nutshell, Matter’s implementation means you’ll be able to install and operate equipment from multiple companies, with controls and customization housed under one application.

That’s all well and good, but where does that leave the true brand devotees? If you’re a fan of keeping your smart home exclusive to one device maker, you’re not alone. Oftentimes, remaining loyal to a singular brand will net you a slew of benefits when it comes to monthly subscriptions, whether that’s extended warranties for all your hardware or expanded cloud storage for video recordings.

Recommended Videos

The only trouble you’ll find is when you’ve outfitted your home with every piece of tech that one company makes but are missing an essential piece of the smart home puzzle.

Related

Ring’s missing piece

Ring video doorbell Pro 2 against brick surface.

For example, Ring, the Amazon-owned smart security brand, makes everything from video doorbells to floodlights and motion sensors. There’s even an autonomous drone due to hit the market soon.

But what about smart thermostats? Unfortunately, Ring devotees will be sad to learn that the company does not produce their own web-connected thermostats, nor does Ring offer any official support for third-party thermostat companies. Yes, this is a bit of a letdown, especially for a brand that is owned by one of the biggest names in smart home innovation.

That being said, is there a way to get Ring’s suite of security products to work with other smart thermostats, even if the methods themselves aren’t signed off on by the folks at Ring? The answer is yes. Read on to learn how.

The IFTTT backdoor

Pressing on the side of the Google Nest thermostat.

As outlined at the start of this explainer, there’s nothing more satiating than getting all of your networked smart home devices to work together. But what about when one brand won’t agree with another? Let’s look at the Ring thermostat debacle to unpack things further.

While Ring doesn’t offer official support for any smart thermostats, you can still use a handful of tools to “force” a handshake between device families. Take Nest, for instance, the Google-owned lineup of smart products. With a little bit of programming through IFTTT, you can get your Nest thermostat to pair with certain Ring video doorbells. Honeywell is another company that you can pull this trick off with.

Using IFTTT, you’ll set your Ring doorbell up as a kind of triggering device. If your end goal is to power on your thermostat the moment you walk through the door, you can use a ringing of the actual Ring doorbell as the initiating command for your IFTTT routine. With the doorbell set as the trigger, the “that” portion of the formula would be your Nest thermostat kicking on.

Use Alexa Routines for Ring integration

The Ecobee 3 Lite mounted to a wall.

Another way you can bypass Ring’s lack of thermostat support is through Alexa’s Routines functionality, an easy-to-use tool built right into the Alexa app. Alexa Routines allow you to group multiple smart home device executions under a single command or trigger.

For this example to work properly, you’ll need to ensure your smart thermostat is Alexa-compatible. The Ecobee 3 Lite is a great Alexa-ready option.

Once the smart thermostat is installed and connected to your network, grab your phone or tablet, and launch the Alexa app. Tap Settings > Routines. Next, click the Plus symbol to begin building a new routine.

The first part of your routine will be a smart home device trigger. Let’s say you’re operating a Ring outdoor camera. For surveillance gear, you could set things up so that a trigger is initiated whenever the Ring camera detects motion. Then, you’ll choose the resulting action that will occur once the Ring product does its job. For this example, we would choose the Ecobee thermostat, allowing you to power on/off and adjust the temperature based on your Ring device’s notifications.

Is there a Ring thermostat coming soon?

At this time, Ring has made no official announcements regarding smart thermostats. That’s not to say that the company won’t be producing one in the future, but at this point, it’s hard to say when or if the tech will ever be available.

On the one hand, we can remain hopeful, as Ring’s Amazon acquisition positions the security company alongside some of the most intuitive voice assistants on the market. Who knows? Perhaps someday soon, whether we expect one or not, a Ring-branded thermostat will be available for pre-order.

Editors' Recommendations

Michael Bizzaco
Michael Bizzaco
Michael Bizzaco has been writing about and working with consumer tech for well over a decade, writing about everything from…
Best Amazon Echo deals: Save on Pop, Show, Dot, and Studio
Amazon Echo (4th Gen) on a kitchen counter.

Amazon makes a lot of great smart home devices, all within the Echo lineup of products, and they are perfect to work together if you want to build up a whole smart home ecosystem, especially if you use Amazon Alexa regularly. On offer is everything from some of the best smart speakers on the market to some of the best smart displays you can use as a hub for your smart home ecosystem. Unfortunately, there aren't a ton of deals across all Echo devices right now, but we have gone out and found the best we could, including any good refurbished deals as well.
Best Amazon Echo deals

The focus of Amazon Echo smart speakers is to enable voice commands with Alexa, so that you can access the different types of Alexa skills, in addition to a wide variety of functions such as searching for information, setting alarms and reminders, and making to-do lists. The Amazon Echo models range from the cheap Amazon Echo Pop to the premium Amazon Echo Studio, so you can choose what to buy depending on how much you're willing to spend. With these Amazon Echo deals, you're going to enjoy discounts, but only if you hurry.

Read more
Best Instant Pot deals: Pressure cookers, air fryers and grills on sale
A stew cooks in the Instant Pot Precision electric Dutch Oven.

Instant Pot is such a widespread brand that if you've ever owned an air fryer, pressure cooker, or toaster oven, you've probably had an Instant Pot at some point. Given that it's a brand that's known for making some of the best air fryers and the best pressure cookers, it makes sense to stick to the brand when looking to buy new small kitchen appliances. That's why we've gone out to find our favorite Instant Pot appliances, whether it's a pressure cooker or a Dutch oven, and collected them all below to help save you some extra legwork.
Instant Pot RIO 7-in-1 Electric Multi-Cooker -- $88, was $100

Not all Instant Pot devices need to cost a lot of money, and this budget-friendly Instant Pot Rio will give you a lot of functionality for less than $100. While it primarily functions as a pressure cooker, you can also use it for cooking rice, making yogurt, warming food, and even sauté. The controls are also pretty simple, so you don't have to worry about pressing through complex menus, and the fact that the lid and internal pan are dishwasher safe means it's really easy to wash as well, which is a huge plus.

Read more
Best air fryer deals: As cheap as $25
The Costway 16-in-1 15-quart air fryer oven on a table with plates of food spread out around it.

Air fryers are probably some of the best smart kitchen appliances because they not only make frying a lot easier but can also keep you much healthier in the long run compared to a deep fryer. Some of the best air fryers on the market have a ton of great features, giving you the variety of doing things like rotisserie or even having dual baskets to fry two things at a time. So, if you're looking to grab yourself an air fryer, you may want to check out these air fryer deals; they're some of our favorites that we've collected from around the internet.
Bella Pro Series 4-quart digital air fryer — $40, was $70

The Bella Pro Series 4-quart digital air fryer is equipped with a 1,500-watt heating system with an adjustable cooking temperature of up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, which you can adjust through its digital touchscreen that also offers several preset cook modes. The air fryer offers enough capacity to cook meals for about four to six people, so it’s perfect for small families and intimate gatherings. The Bella Pro Series 4-quart digital air fryer also features a 60-minute automatic shut-off timer and a dishwasher-safe basket.

Read more