Lennar teams up with Ring for the smart home 2.0

Lennar, Inc, one of the largest homebuilders in the U.S., is making it easier for homebuyers to purchase a complete smart home. Today the company announced Lennar Communities Connected by Ring, a full smart system with connectivity, a thermostat, leak detection, and home security products. The new offering will be part of the standard Lennar Everything’s Included package built into the price of the home.

Ring is the central partner here as all devices can be managed directly through the Ring app. Some devices will first need to be configured in their own app but after that can be managed in the Ring app. This provides one central interface for consumers to help them fend off app fatigue: a single app for every connected product. Some of the partner devices already integrate with Ring but there are some new ones as well. 

In terms of devices, the Lennar Communities Connected by Ring has just about everything a homebuyer would want in a smart home.

Ring products form the basis of home security for the package.

The Ring Alarm system with a keypad, motion sensors, and door/window contact sensors handle this. Also included is a Ring Video Doorbell Pro and a smoke and carbon monoxide listener. Since Ring itself doesn’t offer a connected lock, the Lennar package includes the “invisible” Level lock, which gains integration in the Ring app.

Of course, connected products need to be connected. Enter the Eero Pro 6 mesh networking system, which I recently tested. 

On a product briefing call I attended last week, Nate Hardison, the co-founder, and CTO of Eero said the company reviewed Lennar’s floor plans for optimal Eero placement. My testing of the Eero Pro 6 was very positive overall and the only thing I could have asked for was the exact best placement of the system in my home. Lennar homebuyers will get that. (Yes, I’m jealous).

Heating and cooling controls are handled by a Honeywell Home smart thermostat by Resideo. The home’s smart garage door is managed with LiftMaster’s myQ Smart Garage Control while The Flo by Moen Smart Water Shutoff monitors for water damage and leaks. 

The Flo by Moen can smartly turn off the main water valve if it detects any leaks. Moen says Flo can decrease water damage incidents by 96%. It’s worth noting that Lennar announced a partnership with Moen back in October; this appears to be one of the early fruits of that arrangement.

When homebuyers move in, most of the devices will already be installed as part of the construction process: the Ring Video Doorbell Pro, Level smart locks, Flo by Moen, MyQ garage door opener, and Honeywell Home smart thermostat will be there.

Setting up the Eero router is drop-dead simple based on my experience, and it shouldn’t be difficult to set up the Ring Alarm system and its accessories. Since those devices require unique passwords and access by family members, it makes sense to leave those until after move-in day.

Customers can of course add their own connected devices later, including smart speakers with digital assistants. So while Ring and Eero are owned by Amazon, and everything works with Alexa, homeowners can add Google. Although I’m not sure how it will handle HomeKit support given Ring still hasn’t provided that. Back in 2018, Lennar said it would use Amazon’s smart home products to sell homes.

Overall, this is an impressive package, both in terms of the scope of devices as well as getting products more integrated into a single system. It takes out all of the guesswork homeowners might have when deciding how to set up a smart home. And it makes it simpler to manage as soon as people move into their brand new home.