Sounds just added end-to-end encryptionn (E2EE) to a select number of smarthome cameras, protecting videos recorded by your Ring devices with an extra layer of security. That still doesn’t make us enchanted by Ring devices, exactly, given everything the problems the platform has experienced, but it is a feature it’s worth knowing if you’re already using a The doorbell rings or camera.
Ring videos are encrypted as they are uploaded to servers in the Ring cloud, but this new feature protects them with an additional 128-bit AES encryption layer that can only be decrypted and viewed on a mobile device enrolled in Ring’s E2EE program. (You can learn more about Ring’s E2EE policy at a recently published white paper on function.)
E2EE can prevent outsiders from intercepting and viewing videos as they are recorded or sent to your devices; not even Ring will be able to decipher them. However, Ring’s E2EE also disables a handful of end-user features, including motion verification and the ability to watch Ring channels live on an Amazon Echo Show or Fire TV device. Your recorded videos will be more secure, but you may lose real-time viewing and cloud-based monitoring features as important as adding the additional E2EE encryption layer.
If you are okay with it offsets, activating the new Ring E2EE is easy, as long as you have the right hardware. E2EE is only available on a handful of devices at launch:
- Video Doorbell Pro
- Video Elite Bell
- Floodlight Cam
- Interior camera
- Wired Spotlight Cam
- Spotlight camera mount
- Stick Up Camera Plug
- Stick Up Cam Elite
More support may be added in the future, but for now, you’ll need one of these devices to use E2EE. You’ll also need the latest version of the Ring app any Android or IOS device you want to sign up. If you meet these requirements, you can enable E2EE in the Ring application:
- Open the Ring app.
- Go to Control Center> Video Encryption> Advanced Settings.
- Select “End-to-end video encryption”.
- Tap the slider to turn on the feature, then tap “To start.”
- Follow the app’s instructions to register your account, mobile devices, and call cameras in extreme encryption.
- You can disable E2EE at any time by disabling the file “End-to-end video encryption” slider.
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You will be prompted to generate a password during setup; don’t miss it. It cannot be recovered and the encrypted videos you have will be lost. You will need to start over with another mobile device to use E2EE again.