Ring Alarm Safety Package Overview

Ring is not any stranger to house safety, and the Ring Alarm Safety Package ($199 for the five-piece gadget we examined) incorporates the whole lot you want to give protection to and stay tabs on your house. As with different DIY good house safety techniques, set up is fast and simple, and you’ll both self-monitor or pay a modest price for a qualified tracking carrier. The gadget labored properly in our exams and interacts with Ring cameras, doorbells, and lighting. It additionally helps dozens of good door locks and switches, and it responds to Alexa voice instructions. It is a terrific safety gadget for present Ring customers, despite the fact that it’s not relatively as flexible as our Editors’ Selection award winner, the Homestead iota.

Options and Parts

Designed for flats, condos, and small properties, the five-piece Ring Alarm Safety Package comes with a base station, a keypad, a door/window sensor, a movement sensor, and a Z-Wave vary extender. Additionally incorporated within the field is an set up equipment containing mounting tape and {hardware} for the keypad and two sensors, an AC adapter for the bottom station, a USB energy adapter and cable for the keypad, a getting began information, and an alarm equipment safety fundamentals information.

For higher properties, Ring sells an eight-piece equipment for $249.99 that includes the whole lot from the five-piece equipment, in addition to 3 door/window sensors. There’s additionally a 10-piece equipment for $259.99 that incorporates the bottom station, keypad, and vary extender, in addition to 5 door/home windows sensors and two movement sensors. The 14-piece equipment is going for $329.99 and will get you a base station, two keypads, an extender, 8 door/window sensors, and two movement sensors. You’ll be able to additionally construct your individual gadget and upload any choice of sensors, keypads, and Ring cameras, or purchase one among a number of kits that come bundled with Ring cameras and Amazon Echo Display gadgets. If you have already got a stressed safety gadget and wish to make it a wise safety gadget, you’ll select up a Ring Retrofit Package for $149.99 and upload Ring sensors and cameras and regulate it from the Ring app.

The white base station is the brains of the gadget. It measures 1.4 via 6.6 via 6.6 inches (HWD) and has a 1.5-inch LED ring and a speaker on best, and a USB port and a LAN port round again, joined via a pairing button, a reset button, and Wi-Fi and tool signs. The bottom incorporates circuitry that helps a lot of wi-fi protocols together with dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, Zigbee, Bluetooth 4.1, and LTE cell as a backup for those who subscribe to the Ring Give protection to Plus plan (extra in this later). It additionally has an inner backup battery that can supply as much as 24 hours of energy within the tournament of an influence loss, and a noisy 105dB inner siren.

The LED ring glows forged blue when the gadget is disarmed and turns crimson when it’s in House mode (just a few sensors, similar to touch sensors, are armed) or Away mode (all sensors are armed). Whilst you arm and disarm the gadget, a voice tells you what mode you might be in. You can additionally listen a chime on every occasion a sensor is prompted.

The keypad measures 4.1 via 4.4 via 0.75 inches (HWD) and has numeric buttons (0-9). It additionally has Disarm, House and Away buttons, and Fireplace and Police buttons that can sound the siren and ship an alert to the pro tracking carrier in order that first responders will also be dispatched. Urgent the Scientific button will cause a decision to the reaction heart in order that an ambulance will also be despatched.

At 3.2 via 0.9 via 0.9 inches (HWD), the Z-Wave touch sensors for doorways and home windows are bulkier than the sensors that include the Vivint Good House gadget (2.5 via 1.0 via 0.5 inches). They are each and every powered via a CR123 battery this is rated to closing 3 years and will also be put in the usage of double-sided tape or with mounting screws. The movement sensor (3.5 via 2.4 via 1.7 inches) additionally runs on a CR123 battery and makes use of a Z-Wave radio to keep in touch with the bottom station. The variety extender (3.1 via 1.8 via 1.1 inches) plugs right into a wall outlet and extends the Z-Wave sign via as much as 250 ft, so you’ll position sensors with regards to any place.

The Ring Alarm is managed the usage of the similar cellular (for Android and iOS) and internet app as different Ring gadgets, such because the Ring Video Doorbell Professional, the Ring Floodlight Cam, and the Ring Stick Up Cam. The app permits you to hyperlink all your Ring gadgets to paintings with the Alarm. For instance, you’ll have a Ring Stick Up Cam start recording and feature Ring lighting activate when an Alarm sensor is prompted.

The Alarm is appropriate with dozens of third-party Works With Ring gadgets together with Kwikset, Schlage, and Yale door locks, in addition to Leviton and GE switches and dimmers. It additionally works with Alexa Guard, which listens for the sounds of a smoke alarm or breaking glass when you’re away, and helps Alexa voice instructions. On the other hand, it does not fortify IFTTT applets, nor does it paintings with Apple HomeKit or Google Assistant.

Pricing and App

Pricing for add-on elements is just about consistent with what you’ll be able to pay in case you have a SimpliSafe or Homestead gadget. Additional door/window sensors are $19.99 each and every, every other movement sensor will price you $29.99, and a variety extender is going for $24.99. Further gadgets come with a First Alert smoke/CO detector, a flood/freeze detector, and a panic button.

You’ll be able to video display the gadget your self the usage of the cellular app and internet app, however that suggests you will have to alert the police or hearth division when there is a break-in or hearth. Alternately, you’ll subscribe to the Ring Give protection to Plus tracking plan. For $10 per thirty days or $100 a yr, you get 24/7 skilled tracking that comes with police and hearth division dispatch and push and e-mail indicators. It additionally contains limitless cloud recording for all Ring cameras, which makes it some of the easiest tracking offers round.

Despite the fact that SimpliSafe’s fundamental tracking carrier is going for $14.99 per thirty days for twenty-four/7 tracking, you need to pay an extra $10 extra per thirty days to regulate the gadget out of your telephone and to obtain e-mail and push notifications. Tack on every other $4.99 in step with digicam per thirty days to document, obtain, and proportion video, and you are as much as round $30 per thirty days, which is 3 times what you’ll be able to pay for a Ring Give protection to Plus plan.

The Ring cellular app gives a user-friendly Dashboard that includes reside preview home windows for each and every put in digicam and doorbell. The Alarm controls are on the best of the Dashboard display and come with Disarmed, House, and Away buttons. Underneath the buttons is the standing of all put in sensors (cleared, open), and underneath which are tabs for viewing Group posts and Tournament Historical past.

Ring’s Group is a fab function that allows you to proportion recorded occasions with neighbors who’ve joined the Group. You can obtain indicators when a neighbor posts a video and when there is hearth and police process to your Group. The Occasions tab takes you to a display the place you’ll view a listing of all digicam and alarm occasions together with sensor process, arming and disarming instances, and movement detection. Underneath the Group and Occasions tabs are home windows with reside perspectives of each and every put in Ring video doorbell and digicam.

Faucet the three-bar icon within the higher left nook of the Dashboard to get entry to the Alarm settings the place you’ll permit/disable e-mail and push notifications, trade your location, permit/disable explicit sensors whilst in House and Away mode, trade the Access and Go out extend timers (30 to 180 seconds), and make allowance further customers to regulate the Alarm and different Ring gadgets.

Set up and Efficiency

Putting in the Ring Alarm gadget is straightforward due to the well-written getting began information. I already had a Ring account, but when that is your first Ring tool, get started via downloading the Ring app and growing one. I opened the app and tapped Upload a Ring Product, decided on Alarm from the listing, and showed my location.

I plugged within the base station and pressed the pairing button, which began the blue LEDs spinning, indicating that the station was once in pairing mode. I tapped In finding My Base Station within the app and decided on Wi-Fi as my web connection manner (you’ll attach by means of Ethernet or Wi-Fi), decided on my router’s SSID, and entered my Wi-Fi password. The LEDs flashed white momentarily ahead of turning forged blue and the Wi-Fi indicator became inexperienced, indicating a a hit pairing. The app additionally showed the relationship.

At this level you need to examine your deal with if you select to enroll in skilled house tracking, differently, simply comply with the Phrases of Carrier to proceed. The following display will provide you with the choice of including the incorporated gadgets, all of that are pre-paired. I got rid of the battery tape from the touch sensor and it was once added instantly. Right here you’ll make a choice how the tool shall be used (door, window), give it a reputation, and assign it to a room (or make a choice No Room Assigned). I used the incorporated double-sided tape to put in the sensor on a window, examined it, and moved directly to the keypad.

Putting in the keypad was once merely an issue of plugging it in and ready a couple of seconds for it to be known. I gave it a reputation and a location, used the incorporated mounting screws to hold the mounting plate on a wall, snapped the keypad into position, created an Get admission to Code for arming and disarming the gadget, and was once performed. Putting in the movement sensor was once simply as simple: I got rid of the battery tape and waited a couple of seconds for it to be added to the app. I gave it a location and a reputation, used the double-sided tape to mount it to a wall, and examined the sensor. To put in the Z-Wave vary extender, I plugged it right into a wall outlet between the bottom station and the movement sensor (the farthest tool from the bottom station), named it, and assigned it to a room. All of the set up took round 20 mins.

The Alarm gadget carried out flawlessly. The bottom station chimed on every occasion a sensor was once prompted whilst in Disarmed mode, and the development was once added to my historical past log inside seconds. I promptly won push and e-mail notifications on every occasion there was once a style trade or when the bottom station was once unplugged, and it switched to the cell community whilst working on battery energy.

On the other hand, the Alarm gadget does not ship push or e-mail notifications when a sensor is prompted whilst in disarmed mode like Vivint does. This would possibly not appear to be a large deal, however it is great to grasp when home windows and doorways are being opened in case you are away whilst different members of the family are house with the gadget disarmed.

Whilst in House and Away mode, the gadget immediately reacted with a piercingly loud siren and flashing crimson LEDs on every occasion a sensor was once prompted, and the app instantly equipped a display that allowed me to briefly disarm the gadget with the rush of a button. The keypad additionally replied briefly to my House, Away, and Disarm instructions.

Excellent House Safety for Ring Customers

The Ring Alarm House Safety Machine gives a very easy and somewhat reasonably priced method to ensure your house is secure and safe. The gadget will also be put in in as low as 20 mins and will also be self-monitored the usage of your cellular tool or desktop gadget. Or you’ll have it professionally monitored via subscribing to the very reasonably priced Ring Give protection to Plus Plan, which additionally contains limitless cloud garage for any Ring digicam you could personal. In case you already personal or are making an allowance for making an investment in any of Ring’s safety cameras, doorbells, and/or good lights gadgets, the Ring Alarm works with they all to offer a continuing house safety resolution, making it one among our best alternatives.

If you wish to have a gadget this is even larger on house automation, take a look at the aforementioned Homestead iota, our Editors’ Selection. As with the Ring Alarm, it gives a couple of wi-fi radios, however it works with much more third-party gadgets, has its personal IFTTT channel, and helps Apple HomeKit.