Lennar Homes has been at the forefront of the move-in-ready smart home, having previously been the first homebuilder to participate in the Wi-Fi Alliance’s Wi-Fi Certified Home Design program in 2017. Now the firm is partnering with Ring to offer new homes preconfigured with a suite of smart home products that will be managed from within the Ring app.
Dubbed “The Connected Home by Lennar,” these new houses come with a Ring Alarm security system and a Ring Video Doorbell Pro, an Eero Pro 6 mesh Wi-Fi system, Level Bolt or Level Touch smart entry locks, a Honeywell Home smart thermostat, a Flo by Moen Smart Water Shutoff, and LiftMaster’s myQ Smart Garage Control as standard equipment. All the components, apart from the Ring Alarm hub and Eero router, will be built in during construction. Home buyers will set up those two items once they move in.
In addition to the contact sensors, motion sensors, and keypad that comes with a Ring Alarm system, Lennar will also supply buyers with a Ring smoke and carbon monoxide alarm listener. Customers can incorporate other Ring devices, such security cameras and smart lights, on their own.
Lennar’s smart home product picks are good ones—of the ones we’ve reviewed, all have garnered a positive verdict if not an Editors’ Choice award. Lennar’s choice of Level Home’s smart locks, however, is interesting. When we reviewed the company’s smart locks, the only way to control them remotely was via a HomeKit hub and an iOS device. But Ring assures us owners will be able to control the locks with the Ring app.
In any event, we’ve linked to our relevant product reviews above. LiftMaster’s Smart Garage Control will allow the homeowner to sign up for the Key by Amazon program that enables secure package delivery inside the garage, instead of being left on the porch. The Flo by Moen Smart Water Shutoff can safeguard against catastrophic water damage. We recommend that buyers sign up for the inexpensive ($10 per month) Ring Protect Plus plan that adds professional monitoring to the excellent Ring Alarm system.
Updated shortly after publication to clarify that Level locks offered through Lennar Communities Connected by Ring will be controllable via the Ring app but not Ring Alarm.
Author: Michael Brown, Executive Editor, TechHive
Michael is TechHive's lead editor, with 30+ years of experience covering smart homes, home networking, and home audio/home theater. He holds a BA in Multimedia Journalism, authored the book Desktop Video Production, and was awarded Best Online Review by the Computer Press Association. Michael built a smart home in 2007 and used it as a real-world product-testing lab. Now living in the Pacific Northwest, he is converting his 1890 Victorian bungalow into a modern smart home. Michael has worked at CNET, PCWorld, Electronic Musician, and Maximum PC. As a freelancer, he contributed to New Media, Camcorder, MacWeek, and more.