Ring and Kidde are doubling down on their smart home safety partnership with a new battery-powered smoke detector that brings Alexa integration without the hassle of hardwiring. The launch marks the second collaboration between Amazon's Ring division and the century-old fire safety brand, signaling a broader push to make connected home safety devices more accessible to renters and DIY installers who've been locked out of the hardwired smart home market.
Ring just made smart home safety a lot more accessible. The Amazon-owned doorbell company teamed up with fire safety veteran Kidde to launch a battery-powered smoke detector with Alexa integration, eliminating the biggest barrier to entry for millions of renters and DIY enthusiasts, according to Wired.
The device represents the second collaboration between the two companies, but this time there's no electrician required. That's a significant shift in a market where hardwired installation has kept smart smoke detectors out of reach for roughly 44 million U.S. rental households, based on Census data. The battery-powered approach lets users mount the detector in minutes rather than calling in professionals or violating lease agreements.
Amazon has been quietly building out its connected home safety portfolio since acquiring Ring for $1 billion back in 2018. The company's strategy revolves around creating an integrated ecosystem where devices talk to each other seamlessly. A smoke alarm that triggers your Ring cameras to start recording and alerts your phone through Alexa fits perfectly into that vision.
The timing isn't accidental. The global smart smoke detector market is projected to hit $2.1 billion by 2028, growing at nearly 9% annually, according to industry analysts. But adoption has been hampered by installation complexity and the reality that most people rent rather than own their homes. Ring and are betting that removing the hardwiring requirement unlocks a massive untapped market.
