Ring alarm pro virtual security install#
Ring alarm pro virtual security upgrade#
Ring alarm pro virtual security windows#

My cat and my small dog were able to move around the house freely without setting the system off. I set it to the middle of its three sensitivity settings, which Ring says is best for homes with small pets. The motion sensor reported motion accurately, even in the somewhat challenging, tight space I put it in, and I was unable to sneak past it, even by crouching and hugging the wall.

Ring alarm pro virtual security install#

The motion sensor was similarly easy to install and use, with the added clever option of adhesive pads that allow for mounting in either a corner or on a flat wall. This one correctly reported the door as being closed despite the yawning gap between the two components. Ring’s contact sensors proved very tolerant of installation in less-than-ideal locations. Windows, along with secondary doors, will set the alarm off immediately if they’re opened while the system is armed. Main doors will provide an entry delay that gives you time to enter the house and disarm the system and the keypad before the alarm goes off. That’s not always the case with the Ecobee sensors I use.Įach sensor can be configured as a main door, a secondary door, or a window. I configured each sensor to notify me when they opened, and there was almost no delay between the moment a sensor was tripped and when I got the notification on my phone. In my house, they worked perfectly on every door I stuck them on, including my deeply recessed back door, which gives my Ecobee door/window sensor quite a bit of trouble.

Ring alarm pro virtual security windows#

If your doors and windows are misaligned or so deeply recessed that there’s more than one inch of space between the two pieces, you could get false readings indicating they’re open when they’re not. The magnetic door/window sensors can tolerate a gap of about one inch between the two pieces. For the included motion and contact sensors, this was a matter of cleaning the surface I wanted to place them on, then peeling the film off the adhesive backing and sticking them to the walls, doors, and windows I wanted to monitor. After that, it’s just a matter of placing the accessory in its desired location.

Once that’s done, the device immediately looks for a connection to the hub. To pair each device, you simply pull out a plastic tab at the battery compartment, so the device can power up. Tapping on each device in the app brings up a clear and concise installation video to help with installation. Pairing the accessories was straightforward, and the Ring app walked me through the process as gently as you please, stopping me at every step to check each device to ensure it functioned as intended. The process took me about a leisurely hour all told, and that was only because I was stopping to take pictures and screenshots and wasn’t in a hurry. Setting up the Ring Alarm Pro is remarkably frustration free. The same contact sensors are used for doors and windows, and they can’t be hidden. I’ll also discuss my experience with the accessories that come with the kit I was sent. I’ll touch on every part of the new system here, but I’ll focus primarily on the updates. Timing constraints meant I wasn’t able to dedicate the same amount of time that TechHive’s Michael Brown put into his in-depth analysis of the Ring Alarm (2 nd Gen ). Mounting holes give you the option to hang the hub on the wall. Ring has moved the pairing and reset buttons, but it retained the LEDs to indicate wireless connectivity and power. A USB-C power port replaces the barrel connector on the earlier models, and there’s a new and welcome feature: a microSD card slot that lets you store video footage from your Ring video doorbell and security cameras (more on that later). Thanks largely to the router integration, the Ring Alarm Pro has gained a pair of gigabit ethernet ports in back.

Prima facie, embedding a router in the Ring Alarm Pro feels like a step towards that great unified smart home system Ring has long promised to deliver, but it’s not there yet, for reasons I’ll cover below. Here again, however, the Ring Alarm Pro costs only $50 more and it includes a lot of extra features. If you’re new to Ring Alarm and don’t need-or just don’t want-a new mesh Wi-Fi router with your alarm system, you might consider buying the second-generation Ring Alarm instead. Ports on the Ring Alarm Pro (left to right): Two auto-sensing gigabit ethernet ports (one for WAN, one for LAN), a USB-C port for power, and a microSD card slot for storing video from Ring cameras. In addition to the kit, Ring also sent a Ring Stick Up Cam Battery, a Ring Power Pack backup battery, and an additional Eero 6 node. You’d be better off buying the kit and deploying the motion sensor, four door/window sensors, keypad, and range extender around the house.

Ring alarm pro virtual security upgrade#

Existing Ring Alarm users can upgrade just the hub for $250, but that’s only $50 less than the entire eight-piece kit reviewed here.