Starting next month, Ring will add 24/7 video recording to the Stick Up Cam and Indoor Cam

Smart home security company Ring announced today that it will add 24/7 continuous video recording (CVR) to its smart security cameras. This allows a camera to record continuously, rather than just when it detects motion, as Ring cameras and video doorbells currently do.

The new 24/7 recording feature is part of a revamp of Amazon’s Ring Protect subscription plan, which is being renamed Ring Home. This requires the highest level, Ring Home Premium – previously Ring Protect Pro.

Ring Home Premium costs $19.99 per month and now includes cloud storage for CVR on up to 10 cameras, as well as event-activated recording and other features. Ring is also introducing three additional features included in its subscription plans: doorbell calling, video preview notifications, and expanded live view (more on that below). Ring says the new features are rolling out to some users now and will be available nationwide by November 5th.

At launch, CVR will work with four of the company’s wired cameras: the Stick Up Cam and Stick Up Cam Pro, the Indoor Cam (2nd Generation), and the Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam. It’s not available for any of its wired doorbells, but the company says compatibility with more devices will be coming soon.

At $20 per month, Ring’s 24/7 recording is more expensive than Google Nest or Arlo options. Google Nest charges $15 per month to continuously record an unlimited number of its wired doorbells and cameras. Arlo charges $9.99 per month on top of the basic plan, which starts at $7.99. However, this fee is per camera.

Nest and Arlo also offer more advanced recognition features than Ring, including facial recognition and pet and vehicle recognition. Ring’s plans only offer person and package detection. Still, the ability to rewind through a timeline of footage 24/7 and see everything that happened on your property is a highly requested feature that many Ring users are now happy to have access to.

While the new Ring Home plans cost the same price as the old Ring Protect plans and retain most of the previous features, one thing is removed: professional Ring Alarm system monitoring is no longer included in the top-tier plan. It is now an optional add-on for $10 per month on the Standard or Premium plan. That means if you use Ring Alarm with professional monitoring and want to take advantage of the CVR features, you’ll now pay $30 per month instead of $20.

Ring Home Basic, which includes event-based recording for one camera, costs $4.99 per month, and Ring Home Standard, which includes event-based recording for multiple cameras, costs $9.99 per month. While professional monitoring is lost, the $19.99 Premium tier, which covers CVR, still includes local storage of video footage with a Ring Alarm Pro, cellular backup internet for an Eero Wi-Fi system, and an Eero Secure subscription. But these are really only beneficial if you use Ring Alarm and Eero.

In addition to CVR, Ring is adding three new features for its subscribers:

The doorbell rings: This will convert your doorbell notification into a phone call. When someone presses the button, you’ll receive a full-screen call instead of a pop-up notification. When you respond, you can see and speak to the visitor via live view. Arlo doorbells have had this feature for years, and several other companies also offer it.

Video preview notifications: This sends a rich notification when a camera is triggered, containing a video clip that provides more details about what’s happening before you have to open the app. So far only one snapshot has been sent.

Advanced and continuous live view: This extends the time you can watch a live stream from any current Ring camera – wired or battery-powered – from 10 minutes to 30 minutes. If you pay premium, you can watch the movie for an indefinite period of time.

The new features are available across different tiers of Ring’s new subscription plans. Video preview notifications are available to all subscribers. Extended Live View requires the Ring Home Standard plan, Continuous Live View requires Premium, and Doorbell Calling works with the Standard and Premium plans.