Sneak pre-‘View’: August’s new video doorbell leaks ahead of CES

By AJ Dellinger January 2, 2019

August/Trademarkia

There will be tons of new products announced over the next week as the Consumer Electronics Show opens its doors in Las Vegas, but some are being leaked ahead of time, thanks to some eagle-eyed readers of legal documents. The latest company to have its products outed in advance is home security firm August. The company’s upcoming View smart video doorbell and chime were revealed before an official announcement in trademark filings spotted by technologist Dave Zatz.

While there is still a lot we don’t know about the August View lineup, images provide some insight into what to expect from the products and where they depart from August’s previous line. Instead of the square, kind of odd looking design previously used for the Doorbell Cam, the August View doorbell camera goes with a sleeker and more stylish regulator design that mirrors the build of products made by its competitor Ring. (The Amazon-owned Ring also suffered some leaks at the hands of documents filed with the Federal Communications Commision. The company has two security lights on the way, according to the filings.)

In addition to the new camera-equipped doorbell, August is apparently also planning to introduce a chime. Details on the product are still pretty sparse, but the chime once again lines up with a similar device offered by Ring. It’s not clear if August’s chime will work like Ring’s version of the device, which plugs into a standard outlet and relays any notifications to other rooms in your home.

While it seems clear that August smart devices are coming — something that wasn’t a guarantee after the company was acquired by Swedish lock giant Assa Abloy — there are still plenty of details that have yet to be filled in. The features that the products will sport are still mostly unknown. For one, there’s no clear release date for the doorbell or the chime, so we’re not sure when you’ll be able to get your hands on it. Perhaps more importantly, no price point has been announced for either device. It seems likely that many of those details will be filled in later this week during CES, where the products may make their first official appearance.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Contributor

AJ Dellinger is a freelance reporter from Madison, Wisconsin with an affinity for all things tech. He has been published by…

Smart Home

Is it worth upgrading to the new Google Nest wired doorbell?

Someone presses the Nest Video Doorbell in front of their home.

Video doorbell cameras are often one of the first external pieces of smart home tech consumers buy. Not only do they help keep an eye on our environment, but they double as communication devices for delivery drivers, guests, and others. Google recently released its second-generation Nest Doorbell (wired) and improved the Google Home app, but is it really worth upgrading if you have the base model?
Google's new doorbell

The new Google Nest Doorbell (wired) shares a similar design to the battery variant, although it is shorter since no batteries are required. It has a flat, matte design that comes in four colors to match nearly any home. To initiate a call, there's a big button at the bottom, which is illuminated around the edge. There's also an equally significant and prominent lens at the top of the doorbell.

Smart Home

The new Nest Doorbell has an hour of onboard video storage

Someone presses the Nest Video Doorbell in front of their home.

In the past, the Nest Doorbell has been a popular option thanks to its versatility and clear image quality, but the battery was always a consideration. The latest iteration of the video doorbell does away with the battery in favor of a hardwired connection, ensuring you never have to worry about the battery running out of juice. It also has another nifty feature: an hour of onboard video storage backup. This means that if your Wi-Fi drops, you'll still be able to see anything that happens (for an hour, anyway), and the footage will automatically be uploaded to your cloud storage as soon as the connection resumes.

Like other Nest products, you'll only get three hours of event video history on the free tier. To get 30 days of footage, you'll need to upgrade to Nest Aware at $6 per month or $60 per year.

Smart Home

How to save Ring Doorbell video without a subscription

Ring Doorbell mounted outside a front door.

If you know anything about smart-home technology, you may know that some of the best purchases aren't just a one-time fee -- especially anything with cloud-based features. Ring, one of the big names in smart home surveillance, is no exception. Many of the company's Ring Video Doorbell features, including saving videos, require you to sign up for their monthly Ring Protect subscription. Even if you want to save videos that you've watched on your phone, you'll still need to subscribe.

Currently, the company offers three plans for recording and saving video from a Ring device. The basic plan lets you record video from one Ring product. The plus option will work for multiple products. If you're looking for more than just recording video, sign up for the company's pro plan, which includes video recording, 24/7 professional monitoring service for Ring Alarm, and a few more noteworthy features. For example, you can get a discount on your home insurance.