Pros & Cons
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- Affordable professional monitoring available
- Supports multiple wireless platforms
- Loud siren
- Easy to install
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- Doesn't support IFTTT or HomeKit
- Bulky contact sensors
Ring Alarm 5-Piece Home Security Kit Specs
| Cellular Backup | |
| Environmental Sensors | |
| Monthly Fees | Start at $10 |
| Power Outage Backup | |
| Upfront Costs | Start at $199 |
| Voice Assistant Compatibility | Amazon Alexa |
| Z-Wave/ZigBee |
The Ring Alarm Security Kit (starting at $199.99) contains everything you need to protect and monitor your home. As with other DIY smart home security systems, installation is quick and easy, and you can either self-monitor or pay a modest fee for professional monitoring. The system worked well in our tests and interacts with Ring cameras, doorbells, and lights. It also supports dozens of smart door locks and switches, and it responds to Alexa voice commands. It's a terrific security system for existing Ring users, though the Ring Alarm Pro (starting at $299.99) also includes an Eero Wi-Fi 6 mesh router for a whole-home network, edging out the standard kit to earn our Editors' Choice award.
Features and Components: Multiple Options for Homes of All Sizes
Designed for apartments, condos, and small homes, the five-piece Ring Alarm Security Kit includes a base station, keypad, door/window sensor, motion sensor, and Z-Wave range extender. Also included in the box is an installation kit containing mounting tape and hardware for the keypad and two sensors, an AC adapter for the base station, a USB power adapter and cable for the keypad, a getting started guide, and an alarm kit security basics guide.
For larger homes, Ring sells an eight-piece kit for $249.99 that includes everything from the five-piece kit, plus four door/window sensors. There’s also a 10-piece kit for $299.97 that includes the base station, keypad, and range extender, along with five door/window sensors and two motion sensors. The 14-piece kit costs $329.99 and includes a base station, two keypads, an extender, eight door/window sensors, and two motion sensors. You can also build your own system and add any number of sensors, keypads, and Ring cameras, or buy one of several kits that bundle Ring cameras and Amazon Echo Show devices. If you already have a wired security system and want to make it smart, you can pick up a Ring Retrofit Alarm Kit for $79.99 to add Ring sensors and cameras, and control it from the Ring app (available for Android and iOS).
The white base station is the system's brain. It measures 1.4 by 6.6 by 6.6 inches (HWD) and has a 1.5-inch LED ring and a speaker on top, and a USB port and a LAN port around back, joined by a pairing button, a reset button, and Wi-Fi and power indicators. The base includes circuitry supporting numerous wireless protocols, including dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, Zigbee, Bluetooth 4.1, and LTE cellular as a backup (more on this later). It also has an internal backup battery that provides up to 24 hours of power in the event of a power loss and a loud 105dB internal siren.
(Credit: Ring)The LED ring glows solid blue when the system is disarmed and turns red in Home mode (only some sensors, such as contact sensors, are armed) or Away mode (all sensors are armed). When you arm or disarm the system, a voice announces the current mode. You'll also hear a chime whenever a sensor is triggered.
The keypad measures 4.1 by 4.4 by 0.75 inches (HWD) and has numeric buttons (0-9). It also has Disarm, Home, and Away buttons, as well as Fire and Police buttons that sound the siren and send an alert to the professional monitoring service so that first responders can be dispatched. Pressing the Medical button will trigger a call to the response center to send an ambulance.
At 3.2 by 0.9 by 0.9 inches (HWD), the Z-Wave contact sensors for doors and windows are bulkier than the sensors that come with the Vivint Smart Home system (2.5 by 1.0 by 0.5 inches). They're each powered by a CR123 battery rated to last three years and can be installed with double-sided tape or mounting screws. The motion sensor (3.5 by 2.4 by 1.7 inches) also runs on a CR123 battery and uses a Z-Wave radio to communicate with the base station. The range extender (3.1 by 1.8 by 1.1 inches) plugs into a wall outlet and extends the Z-Wave signal by up to 250 feet, so you can place sensors just about anywhere.
The Ring Alarm is controlled using the same mobile and web app as other Ring devices, such as the Ring Battery Doorbell Pro, the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro, and the Ring Outdoor Cam. The app lets you link all your Ring devices to the Alarm. For example, you can have a Ring camera begin recording and Ring lights turn on when an Alarm sensor is triggered.
The Alarm is compatible with dozens of third-party Works With Ring smart home devices, including Kwikset, Schlage, and Yale door locks, as well as Leviton and GE switches and dimmers. It also works with Alexa Guard, which listens for the sounds of a smoke alarm or breaking glass while you’re away, and supports Alexa voice commands. However, it doesn't support IFTTT applets, nor does it work with Apple HomeKit or Google Assistant.
If you require wider platform compatibility, the Abode Iota offers multiple wireless radios, works with even more third-party devices, has its own IFTTT channel, and supports Alexa, Google, and HomeKit.
Subscription Options: Flexible Self-Monitoring or Paid Professional Coverage
Pricing for add-on components is pretty much in line with what you'll pay for a SimpliSafe or Abode system. Extra door/window sensors are $19.99 each; another motion sensor costs $29.99; and a range extender costs $24.99. Additional devices include a First Alert smoke/CO detector, a flood/freeze detector, and a panic button.
You can monitor the system yourself using the mobile and web apps, but that means you'll have to alert the police or fire department in the event of a break-in or fire. Alternatively, you can subscribe to a Ring Protect plan. The AI Pro plan costs $19.99 per month or $199.99 per year for 24/7 professional monitoring, police and fire department dispatch, push and email alerts, familiar face detection, AI video search, audio detection, and 180 days of cloud recordings for all of your Ring cameras. You also get access to a Cellular Backup feature that will keep your Ring system connected in the event of a home internet outage. This system does not support the Ring Alarm Pro 24/7 Backup Internet feature, which provides 3GB of cellular data per month to keep all your Wi-Fi-connected devices online during outages.
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Ring’s Virtual Security Guard plan costs $99 per month and includes everything from the AI Pro plan, plus live video monitoring, which lets monitoring agents view video in real time and issue verbal deterrent alerts or dispatch emergency personnel when necessary.
In comparison, SimpliSafe's Core monitoring service goes for $33 per month for 24/7 monitoring. You’ll have to pay an additional $17 per month for the Core Pro plan, which monitors your outdoor cameras from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. (local time) and offers live, proactive deterrents. For $80 per month, the SimpliSafe Core Pro Plus plan includes 24/7 live monitoring.
(Credit: John R. Delaney/PCMag)App Features: A Clean Interface With Deep Smart Home Integration
The Ring mobile app offers a user-friendly Dashboard featuring live preview windows for each installed camera and doorbell. The Alarm controls are at the top of the Dashboard screen and include Disarmed, Home, and Away buttons. Below the buttons is the status of all installed sensors (cleared, open), and below that are tabs for viewing Neighborhood posts and Event History.
Ring's Neighborhood is a cool feature that lets you share recorded events with neighbors who have joined. You'll receive alerts when a neighbor posts a video and when there's fire and police activity in your Neighborhood. The Events tab takes you to a screen where you can view a list of all camera and alarm events, including sensor activity, arming and disarming times, and motion detection. Below the Neighborhood and Events tabs are windows with live views of each installed Ring video doorbell and camera.
Tap the three-bar icon in the upper left corner of the Dashboard to access the Alarm settings where you can enable/disable email and push notifications, change your location, enable/disable specific sensors while in Home and Away mode, change the Entry and Exit delay timers (30 to 180 seconds), and allow additional users to control the Alarm and other Ring devices.
Installation and Performance: Fast Alerts and Reliable Day-to-Day Operation
Installing the Ring Alarm system is easy thanks to the well-written getting-started guide. I already had a Ring account, but if this is your first Ring device, start by downloading the Ring app and creating one. I opened the app and tapped Add a Ring Product, selected Alarm from the list, and confirmed my location.
I plugged in the base station and pressed the pairing button, which started the blue LEDs spinning, indicating that the station was in pairing mode. I tapped Find My Base Station in the app and selected Wi-Fi as my internet connection method (you can connect via Ethernet or Wi-Fi), selected my router's SSID, and entered my Wi-Fi password. The LEDs flashed white momentarily before turning solid blue, and the Wi-Fi indicator turned green, indicating a successful pairing. The app also confirmed the connection.
At this point, you have to verify your address if you choose to sign up for professional home monitoring; otherwise, just agree to the Terms of Service to continue. The next screen gives you the option to add the included devices, which are all pre-paired. I removed the battery tape from the contact sensor, and it was added immediately. Here you can choose how the device will be used (door, window), give it a name, and assign it to a room (or choose No Room Assigned). I used the included double-sided tape to install the sensor on a window, test it, and then move on to the keypad.
(Credit: Ring)Installing the keypad was simply a matter of plugging it in and waiting a few seconds for it to be recognized. I gave it a name and a location, used the included mounting screws to hang the mounting plate on a wall, snapped the keypad into place, created an Access Code to arm and disarm the system, and was done. Installing the motion sensor was just as easy: I removed the battery tape and waited a few seconds for it to appear in the app. I gave it a location and a name, used the double-sided tape to mount it to a wall, and tested the sensor. To install the Z-Wave range extender, I plugged it into a wall outlet between the base station and the motion sensor (the farthest device from the base station), named it, and assigned it to a room. The entire installation took around 20 minutes.
The Alarm system performed flawlessly. The base station chimed whenever a sensor was triggered while in Disarmed mode, and the event was added to my history log within seconds. I promptly received push and email notifications whenever there was a mode change or when the base station was unplugged, and it switched to the cellular network while running on battery power.
However, the Alarm system doesn't send push or email notifications when a sensor is triggered while in Disarmed mode, unlike Vivint. This may not seem like a big deal, but it's nice to know when windows and doors are being opened if you're away while other family members are home with the system disarmed.
While in Home and Away mode, the system instantly sounded a piercing siren and flashed red LEDs whenever a sensor was triggered, and the app immediately displayed a screen that let me quickly disarm the system with a single tap. The keypad also responded quickly to my Home, Away, and Disarm commands.