Ring Alarm 8-piece kit (2nd Gen) – home security system with 30-day free Ring Protect Pro subscription

10 reviews for Ring Alarm 8-piece kit (2nd Gen) – home security system with 30-day free Ring Protect Pro subscription

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Brendan – May 12, 2020

   
   The Ring 2nd Gen is my first experience with a home install of a security system; however, not my first experience with security systems in general.If you’re somewhat tech savvy you won’t have a problem setting this up. The materials provided upon unboxing were sufficient enough to guide me to setting up and installing this security system without any prior experience. I am converting over from ADT due to their expensive monthly costs and I was extremely happy to find that the magnet side of the window and doors sensors (the smaller side of the sensor) worked with Ring. What this meant was I only had to replace part of my ADT system, thus making install easier and less time consuming.Software is easy to use. I was able to figure it out on my own without any instructions.Some people will complain that Ring doesn’t have glass break sensors but coming over from ADT I will tell you that this is a blessing. The biggest false alarm you will get is from glass break sensors, especially if you have kids. I can’t tell you how many times I had a false alarm go off because a kid banged their toys around, or screamed at the right tone, or threw a dish into the sink. I understand the need for glass break sensors in certain situations, like a bigger where you might not be able to hear a window break. If you want a glass break sensor there is nothing stopping you from putting a window/door sensor on the glass itself, positioned in a manner that doesn’t interfere with the operation of the window. Stick the sensor on the bottom of the window frame and the contact magnet above it directly on the glass. If/when someone smashes the window and clears out the glass to climb thru, it’s going to go off. I get that this is not practical for every scenario and every window, but it is an option.Alexa Guard is another option and while it isn’t a true glass break sensor, it is a bit of a backup.I want to edit to add that I’m a little frustrated with Amazon on the package options and shipping.I bought the 14 piece kit, however, I did not need the 14 piece kit. I didn’t need the 2nd keypad, motion sensor or range extender. All I needed was one the base station, one keypad, one motion sensor, the fire alarm listener and 8 contact sensors. Buying all that stuff separately cost more than the 14 piece kit so I was forced to order it. This is when I became aware that a true 14 piece kit doesn’t exist. What Amazon did was ship me an 8 piece kit and then all the other pieces separate, like I wanted to order anyway. They all shipped at different times with the last pieces arriving 5 days after the initial kit. I wish they would have at least arrived at the same time so I could have installed my system all at once, however, doing it this way gave me the chance to see just how easy it is to add on additional devices at any time.The cellular backup is via AT&T. You’ll want to check service at your address.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Chris R. – September 29, 2023

   
   I purchased for my parent’s house and they love it. Super easy to navigate for someone who is not so tech savy. It gives them a HUGE piece of mind when away from the house traveling or whatnot. Definitely recommend purchasing solar charging kit on these. No more changing batteries is a great thing…especially for the elderly. These cameras are very durable and customer service is off the charts. You have an option for them to monitor in case of an alarm activation. They will dispatch police and I have seen it first hand. If you are looking for something simple and effective…look no further! 5 Stars!

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Maro – September 19, 2023

   
   I love that i can have all features with the ring Alarm system and pay 20 bucks for premium service monthly. I was going to get ADT and Vivint after comparing their monthly charges and the one of ring, I chose the best and less fee. Long battery life. Motion superb and connectivity excellent . With your ring app you don’t have to stress with it comes to setting up your ring Alarm, turn it on and let ring do the set up for you, all you need is your finger lol. Tap tap tap yes just tap. I’d recommend

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Dee – August 16, 2023

   
   I’m hooked on these Ring products! Not being tech saavy I hired someone to install it…when they couldn’t make it….and after watching a video…I took the plunge to try and set up myself! It was a breeze! Took less than a hour and works beautiful! I purchased over 6 month’s ago to get in some “live time” before writing a review and couldn’t be happier! Have the app on all my devices..and am impressed with the clarity of the “Ring Cameras” as well! Easy operation and built sturdy to last! Quality products from this company…with exceptional customer service! I’ve had other security systems that don’t begin to compare to this one! If your on the fence….take the jump…you wont be sorry!

5. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Heathen – October 9, 2023

   
   missing pieces to anchor some of the stuff to the wall so pretty pissed about that, have to go out and get stuff just to mount.

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Lisa B. – June 7, 2023

   
   I am not a DIY person. At all. I wanted a new alarm system as well as equipment to view my property. The amount of crime and things happening across the area caused me to think twice about my monitoring service. My old system was a basic alarm company monitoring and equipment. I got the ring alarm system and doorbell as an alternative and the monitoring is actually 5 dollars cheaper. Not a big savings but for better technology, it’s worth it. I got the alarm system with 4 contacts. It’s what I previously had. I was mistaken when I thought this would be difficult to install. Not at all. From setting up the base to adding the contacts, it took me about 40 minutes. The app is incredibly easy to use and the walkthrough of every step is very clear. You test every area before moving to the next. I did not add the motion detector because of pets. You can go back and configure any piece of equipment you don’t use. The alarm panel is basic, no touch screens but you don’t need it because the app has everything. I have not installed the doorbell yet because I am having an electrician come next week to do that. I have a hard wired bell. The professional monitoring of the alarm is free for 30 days while you get used to the equipment. For signing up for professional monitoring you get 10% off future products. Everything Ring emailed me was very clear. They walked me through registering my alarm with the locality. I added an emergency user in less than a minute. The chat feature and FAQ on their site is simple and easy. I am looking to add some cameras in the future and there’s no doubt the set up will be easy once the electrician installs. Very pleased.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Brady – September 19, 2020

   
   Easy setup, fine user control, extremely thoughtful design!I was using smartthings with a mix of smartthings, wink, and other z wave products for my alarm.This alarm is better in my opinion than anything you can buy professionally or diy.DesignFirst off, everything just looks nice and clean. The sensors are slightly wider and taller than my old sensors, but are way thinner which makes them stick out less. I really the design language of everything for the 2nd generation products.Setup is really fast and easy. I appreciate this because z wave can be super duper finicky and hard/time consuming to setup. The thoughtfulness of design of everything is just bar none better than anything else. For example, starting with the base station, backup battery, cellular free, wifi and ethernet options, and cable management! Both the base station and keypads have cable management which gives options in setup to really make everything look nice! The keypad also can be operated wired or by rechargeable battery which again, awesome. On top of that, the base station comes with a great wall mounting solution that can be used permanent or semi permanent with the charging cable and not have to go through walls. The cable even has a notch to make it easier to pull out!The sensors are amazing as well. Installation is easy with double sided tape and also the option to hard mount with screws. The detection distance is very good which helps for non aligned installations due to door trim and such. What I really appreciate is they use CR2032 batteries which I can buy almost anywhere. Too much of my other z wave equipment used rare batteries that were not stocked by walmart/target/etc. Also the batteries are easy to change and that is also something that really matters down the line.Control and IntegrationThe amount of control has been just amazing as well. There are still improvements to be made, however with Ring they have been constantly improving and i feel like that is a huge benefit to this alarm in that the software will keep maturing.I use multiple ring outdoor and indoor cameras with a doorbell pro, and schlage smart deadbolts. Together with this alarm, I have been very satisfied with how well you can sync everything up. First off my deadbolts synced up on first try which did not ever happen with smartthings. It is truly wonderful to be able to both arm and disarm my alarm from my deadbolt TouchPad. The ability to set one deadbolt to arm and disarm the ALARM with codes while the 2nd deadbolt doesn’t is great. The amount of user control is great, but what makes this really stand out is I don’t have to look online for custom schedulers or run iftt to get things to work how they should. You can easily make any single door sensor alert on open or close with a few different sounds. They can be separately configured or be turned all off/on based on alarm mode which is again great.I already had Ring premium or whatever it is called due to my doorbell and multiple cameras, so this cost me no more than I was already paying. Paying $100 a year for camera and alarm service with cloud storage is a steal. Please don’t ever change that.Overall this has been everything I could have asked for and more. By far the easiest install. What was surprising was how well everything is designed and how well you can control everything to your liking.I am hoping that my door sensors do not have the issues down the line that I had with other zwave devices. On the plus side, replacing a sensor is again just such a great design. You can just replace the sensor without having to undo any tape or screws due to the design of the sensor mount. Please, whoever designed these, give them a raise!

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Carlos Ponce – September 26, 2023

   
   Met expectation. Easy to install.

9. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   JOHN S THOMPSON – November 21, 2021

   
   First Impressions:Pros:The keypad is brilliant! It serves as a panic button. With a 3 second depress of emergency buttons, you can contact police, fire, or emergency services with a 3 second depress. The keypad does not indicate whether it is armed or disarmed until you depress a key. In daylight, the armed status illuminates. At nighttime, the entire keypad illuminates. Why this important: a potential intruder looking into the house cannot determine if your system is armed or disarmed. The internal battery allows easy placement.The motion sensor works great, however, if you have a large dog, you cannot use the away mode with the dog in the house and expect the alarm not to trigger. The motion sensor detects motion in the home mode but does not trigger an alarm.Motion and contact sensors have double-sided tape for install. They also have holes for screw mounting. This is especially helpful for permanent mounting into wood.Cons:The lack of a glass break sensor makes this system almost useless in the “Home” mode. If window glass breaks, there is no alarm set off unless a contact sensor on the window trips. For sliding windows, this may not occur. Since the motion sensors do not trigger an alarm in home mode, no alarm will sound. Using Alexa in Guard mode is garbage! I migrated from 3-in-1 contact/motion/temperature sensor Smartthings to Ring contact sensors. I gave up glass break sensors when I migrated. The Ring contact sensors are lousy for windows. Check the internet for complaints on Ring systems for glass breaks. Until Ring fixes this, I do not think this is an adequate “At Home” security system. Note, in the “Away” mode, the motion sensors detect the intrusion. Be careful where you place these. They may be your only sensor that detects a break-in! 5 stars for “away” mode. 1 star for “Home” mode.Professional monitoring: I am disappointed with Ring’s process for installing professional monitoring (this applies only to installations in cities requiring permits). The process is missing a key step! You sign up for professional monitoring. This starts with a 7-day practice window and a 30-day trial window. On the same day you sign up, Ring sends you a notification that your city requires a permit for the alarm system. Ring provides the alarm monitoring number and information required by the city to assist you in filing for a permit. You file for a permit. The city takes time to issue the permit. In the interim, your 7-day practice period ends and your professional Monitoring is active. But you cannot set the alarm to Home or Away mode, so you are now burning up your 30 day trial period while waiting for your permit. Simple fix: require the user to send a copy of the permit back to Ring before the 7-day practice and 30-day trial starts. I am working with Ring Support to fix this.The alarm system has limited automation. I need to use my Echo shows to create routines for automation. For instance, if a sensor triggers an alarm at night, I want smart lights to go on in the house. Or if a Ring (or other) camera detects motion outside, I want a light to go on or a prerecorded voice to go out to a camera speaker and/or Echo to indicate an intruder alert.The App: I am getting used to the application. I have had a hard time finding contact sensors (windows) that are open. Everything is in a list format. I much preferred the Smartthings app where sensors were in color-coded rooms and easy to find. This may just be me getting used to a new interface. I will have to have more time using the product.Suggestions:Amazon Echos can automatically show cameras live if they detect motion. Ring needs to provide detailed instructions for users to set routines for their phones and Echo Shows to automatically display a camera once motion has been detected. This is a perimeter early warning system.I hope Ring adds Zigbee communication protocol to the Alarm base hub so Ring can expand 3rd party sensor compatibility. Currently, the base only has Z-wave. The hub needs to be more versatile to control a broader array of typical devices needed for home automation. I would like to see sprinkler automation, more leak detection and control, and electrical consumption monitoring.I intend to update this review in 6 months. At present, I cannot recommend this as a security system for the “Home” mode. I hope Ring develops a glass break sensor in the interim.

10. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Kenneth M. Young – September 13, 2023

    
    Great value