I'm more concerned with the inaccessibility of the video through anything other than streaming it to the phone app in the event the device records something legally significant.

Reliability is certainly important, but there's nothing novel or inherently unreliable (or even particularly expensive) about the individual components that go into this thing. Ring has, for the moment, the advantage of binding them together with software support that provides a great UX. It's an advantage that, for the cult of "good enough," won't last forever.

Like wi-fi security cameras, you'll see similar devices at 1/2 the price within the year. Those will likely support 3rd party storage solutions as well as the notification and 2-way communication options of Ring. Ring may remain a superior product, but I doubt they'll be able to maintain the premium price point.

My 4 year old Foscam cameras support 2-way audio and motion sensing notification, but in a manner that isn't particularly useful for highly interactive use. It's great to see that functionality evolving.