Ring Alarm Review: Simple Home Security at an Affordable Price
The design and modelling of home security systems is significantly changing due to developments in smart home technology. This means installing a professionally monitored system in your home, by yourself, is now easy to do. These new DIY systems can be brought along when you change homes or apartments. They also cost less than the traditional home security systems. Ring’s Alarm is the newest addition to this line-up. And based on our Ring Alarm review, it’s one of the least expensive home security systems you can purchase.
FEATURES
Review Price: $199
- Keypad
- Motion detector
- Contact sensor
- Range extender
DISCUSSION
For the starter bundle, which includes the necessary hub, a keypad, a motion detector, a contact sensor for doors or windows, and a range extender, plus $10 per month for professional monitoring, Ring’s Alarm starter pack includes a keypad, the compulsory hub, a range extender and a contact sensor for windows or doors, along with $10 a month for professional monitoring.
Ring intelligently pre-sets the contact sensor, range extender and motion detector to pair with the hub, so fixing them up just requires pulling the battery tab to activate the parts and waiting about a minute for them to be found by the app.
Setting up the sensors is hassle free as well. However, Rings contact sensors and motion sensors are very traditional – they utilize separate base station and keypad method, which can be somewhat clumsy when put up against other modern sensors. Still, adding several keypads to the Ring system can be done, so you can have one at each entrance or in your bedroom if that’s a more suitable location for it. The Keypad can be laid flat on a table or fixed on a wall. It uses a regular micro USB cable for charging purposes. According to Ring, its battery lasts for duration of between six to twelve months. This translates to the feasibility of installing the sensor in a place without power access and just charging it from time to time.
The base station can be mounted on the wall as well. It can be connected right to your Internet router via Ethernet or installed on a Wi-Fi network. It has the ability to connect to an LTE network and also as 24-hour battery backup in case of power malfunction. The LTE connectivity uses AT&T’s network and can be accessed when through subscription to Rings Protect Plus Monitoring Service.
The base station and keypad both come with colored Led rings to show if the system is disarmed or armed. They also have internal speakers in case of emergency / intruder situations that require sounding the alarm.
Carbon monoxide or fire monitoring are not included in the Ring Alarm system. To get those, a Ring’s Alarm Smoke and CO listener ($35) or First Alert Z-Wave Smoke/CO alarm ($40) needs to be installed beside your current smoke alarms.
Then they would be able to pick up the smoke alarms sound to set off the Ring Alarm system.
Ring gives 24/7 professional Alarm system monitoring via its Protect Plus service, which automatically alerts emergency services and authorities in situations of perceived danger. The service will signal you and other pre-set emergency contacts via phone to send out the necessary emergency personnel.
While the Ring Alarm will send push alerts to your phone or mobile device devoid of the extra monitoring facility, setting up the additional monitoring facility guarantees that the needed emergency services are dispatched regardless of if you see the push alerts or not.
Same as its hardware, Rings Protect Plus Service is considerably less costly than other systems. It goes for $10 a month with no long term contract obligations.
Additionally, Rings Protect Plus Service comprises unlimited cloud storage for Rings assorted security and doorbell cameras. Therefore, if you have an external camera or Ring Doorbell already fixed up, paying a different fee to properly utilize it is not necessary.
ions; and then a “Home” mode, which by default will monitor sensors installed on entryways, but ignores motion inside the house.
The alarm system features three separate modes which can be fixed up via the app or the keypad. There’s the regular disarmed mode that switches off all monitoring, a “home” mode which monitors- by default – entrance sensors but pays no attention to movement within the house, and way mode that observes all set up sensors for disturbances.
Placing the Ring on Away mode will set off a modifiable countdown timer (ranging from 30 seconds to 3 minutes), to provide you with time to leave the home or turn off the alarm. Then, it will push a notice to your phone as well as loudly announce that the system has been armed. It follows the same notification process when the system is disarmed.
Any mounted Ring cameras as well as the Alarm system is handled by the Ring App.
Besides the keypad and app, there is presently no other way to carry out the Ring Alarm system set up.
According to ring, Alexa is on the way but it is absent for now.
From our Ring Alarm review, it handles the home security system basics but there’s more to be done as regards smart home integration. For instance, you cannot use the alarms contact or motion sensors to regulate a smart thermostat or set off lights. This is in spite of the fact that the Ring alarm sensors are built on the generally user smart home standard Z-Wave technology.
Ring however says the home integrations are in the works but it wanted to ensure that the security facet of the system functioned efficiently before adding integration facilities.
CONCLUSION
Beyond its occasional unsophisticated method and the absence of integrations with other devices, it’s difficult to find any considerable issues with the Ring Alarm.The Ring Alarm offers a simple uncomplicated way to secure your home at a budget friendly cost.
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