Ring Alarm - Best Security Cameras and Video Doorbells

Editors Rating:

7.7 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

• Equipment Costs Starting at $199
• Monitoring Options Professional and DIY
• Monthly Monitoring Costs Starting at $20
• Contract Lengths 1-12 months
• Contract Lengths DIY or professional
• Smart Platform Integration Alexa and Google Home

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Ring Alarm Overview

Our last entry on this list is Ring Alarm, and the reason it’s here isn’t just the security system itself, but the Ring brand as a whole. Ring is best known for its video doorbells and security cameras. We tested a number of its cameras ourselves, including the Ring Spotlight Cam Battery and the Ring Video Doorbell Pro. We can say that Ring’s security cameras are some of the best in the market.

Now, here’s where Ring Alarm comes in. In addition to working with the Ring cameras and video doorbells via the same app, the Ring Alarm covers areas the cameras don’t. More specifically, it focuses its protection indoors, while the cameras focus outdoors. They complement each other, which is why they are the best choice if you want extensive video security with a conventional home security system.

Equipment

Ring Alarm equipment is pretty standard. There are security sensors and smoke alarms, but no smart home devices at all. Ring makes up for that with a bunch of security cameras and video doorbells, though.

For security cameras, Ring offers an indoor camera, a semi-outdoor camera called the Stick Up Cam (weather-resistant but not weatherproof), a spotlight-equipped camera, and a floodlight-equipped camera. For the outdoor models, including Stick Up Cam, you can choose from different power options (battery, plug-in, solar, or wired). You can access our review of the complete Ring lineup for more details.

For video doorbells, Ring offers eight models, from simple and affordable, like the Ring Video Doorbell Wired, to smart but slightly more expensive, like the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2. There’s a selection of wired and battery-powered options, all of which we covered in our Ring Video Doorbell review.

Monitoring

Monitoring was completely optional, but we highly suggest getting a Ring Protect Pro subscription, especially if you’re buying security cameras. Protect Pro includes 24/7 monitoring. Ring monitored our security system (but not the cameras like Deep Sentinel did), but on top of that, it also provided cloud video storage for our Ring cameras. It doesn’t matter how many cameras you have, they will all have cloud storage.

Cost

We recommend the Protect Pro plan because of the cost. We paid only $20 per month, and there were no contracts to sign. That’s a good deal, considering that the cloud video storage alone costs $10 per month if bought separately. That means we were essentially paying just $10 per month for professional monitoring. That’s hard to beat.

As for the equipment, however, prepare to spend at least a few hundred bucks. The smallest kit costs $200, which is good for small homes or apartments only. It includes only one motion sensor and one door sensor, plus the hub, keypad, and a wireless range extender.

If you want to save, we suggest getting bundles. The bundles typically include a Ring Alarm starter kit (five to 14 pieces), a security camera, and a video doorbell. The price range is from $300 to $700.

>> Learn More: Ring’s Pricing, Monitoring Plans, and Packages

Ring Alarm User Experience

The Ring App puts camera feeds front and center, making it easy to visually monitor your surroundings. Ring made sure not to push aside the Ring Alarm, though. You can choose an arming mode (Disarm, Home, Away) at the top part of the app’s interface. Better yet, you can make the Ring cameras arm the same time you arm your Ring Alarm. That ties them all together as one comprehensive system rather than just individual devices from the same brand.