Ring's Chime Pro may get a facelift and Alexa support

A crucial part of many Ring security systems appears to be on the cusp of a major update. Dave Zatz has shared an image of what appears to be a redesigned Chime Pro, Ring's plug-in WiFi extender and speaker hybrid. It's far more elegant, with what looks like a fabric speaker cover and no conspicuous antennas -- in other words, it no longer resembles an old baby monitor. There's also a conspicuous blue light that suggests it might include Alexa, too. While the Amazon voice assistant's presence is far from guaranteed, it'd make sense if you wanted to control your doorbell or camera without having to buy a smart speaker or use your phone.

Ring hasn't confirmed anything at this stage, although The Verge noted that the image lined up with an image from an FCC filing for the new Chime Pro.

It's unclear when Ring might introduce the new model. It might make sense to introduce the second-generation Chime Pro at CES, but we wouldn't count on that. It's also possible that Amazon and Ring may wait to avoid the flood of announcements at the trade show and help the new model stand out.