I've currently got a house alarm system through Protection One, but I'm seriously thinking about maybe ditching it and installing my own... the service from Protection One is very good, but their sensors are terrible ... constantly going offline, needing battery replacement, etc. Also, they're not cheap.

I already own a number of Ring cameras, so their security systems are tempting. (I know there's been concern about Ring privacy issues, but hasn't been such an issue for me because all my current Ring cams are mounted outside.) They do seem to get pretty good ratings on Amazon, from what I can see.

I also know that the Ring security systems have sometimes gone on sales with Black Friday and such, so not likely to have any sales right now...

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

Following (I have Reolink cameras and Guardian alarm... tempted to move to Ring Alarm System).

PeterB,

I've got a ring alarm system. Overall, it works very well. Definitely worthwhile especially if you already have ring cameras. Get the alarm system and service and the fee for it will also include storage for your cams. And, you'll get a discount in your homeowners insurance if you give your provider a certificate confirming you have the central station monitoring.

Robert

Whats the best type of Security System now.... UHD? is that the one where you don't have to run a power wire, just ONE wire? And that is the best quality of video? Better than DVR. Had a friend that needed to read a license plate, but couldn't even make out the plate, as even though HD, was not clear enough

And if these could be integrated with RING, would be great. Costco is always having a sale on the Security part or the Doorbell

I'd echo Robert M's comments on the Ring alarm and Ring camera integration. The Ring alarm system will not support non-Ring cameras.

The discount on my homeowners insurance when I provided the Ring certificate was something around $25/year, so no big win there. The smoke/CO2/flood monitoring may provide some additional peace of mind if you're away from home frequently for work or travel.

John,

We received a bigger discount on our insurance. Not enough to offset the entire cost of the service but definitely a nice chunk of it. The flood detectors came in handy while I was investigating a leak into my apartment from the unit owned by my upstairs neighbor. The insight given to me made it well worth the overall cost of the system and monitoring.

Robert

Hmmm. Still thinking about this. If I need the control panel, four contact sensors, a glass break sensor, and a motion detector/sensor, which of their kits would be the best option? (The smoke/CO2 detector would be a nice add-on, but probably not absolutely necessary.)

The $100 a year plan seems VERY reasonable... especially considering it also includes the cloud recording for the cameras.

Also ... how does this thing work in case of power outage, which unfortunately we have very frequently here? Meaning, what if there's no power or internet? How does it "phone home" ?

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

consumer advocate Clark Howard chose Ring for his home DIY system. The deal tipper was the relatively low cost of monitoring.

I've had a Simplisafe system at my late brother's house and I have to say it is excellent and the monitoring people are spot on. But at $25 a month it is not cheap. My original intent was to move the Simplisafe system to my home when my brother's house sells. My system is very old and just this week I got an email that the internet monitoring system I have used for many years ($11.95 month) is closing shop at the end of june.

So, all budgets considered, I'm been looking into the Ring system myself because long term it would pay for itself in about a year compared to using Simplisafe. what to do...what to do...

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"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

graylocks is correct, though one other thing I forgot to ask about -- how difficult is it to install and set these things up yourself? I'm pretty handy, and it seems pretty simple, but on the other hand ... I've literally spent hours and hours trying to get my Ring cams to work well -- they're all wireless and the wireless aspect has been kind of a nightmare. (Edit: as one example, I have a wireless doorbell which is literally 4-6 foot away from one of the Chime Pro's, yet the signal is always lousy...)

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/2020 01:29PM by PeterB.

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PeterB
graylocks is correct, though one other thing I forgot to ask about -- how difficult is it to install and set these things up yourself? I'm pretty handy, and it seems pretty simple, but on the other hand ... I've literally spent hours and hours trying to get my Ring cams to work well -- they're all wireless and the wireless aspect has been kind of a nightmare.

The Simplisafe install was VERY easy. I also have a Ring Spotlight Cam at my brother's house (along with 2 Nest Cams and 2 WyzeCams - don't ask...) and though I had my handyman install the Spotlight Cam I did have some trouble at first getting the wifi to work which makes me a tiny tad nervous about going all in with a Ring Security system.

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"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

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PeterB
Hmmm. Still thinking about this. If I need the control panel, four contact sensors, a glass break sensor, and a motion detector/sensor, which of their kits would be the best option? (The smoke/CO2 detector would be a nice add-on, but probably not absolutely necessary.)

The $100 a year plan seems VERY reasonable... especially considering it also includes the cloud recording for the cameras.

Also ... how does this thing work in case of power outage, which unfortunately we have very frequently here? Meaning, what if there's no power or internet? How does it "phone home" ?

In case of power outage....the Ring base station has a built-in backup battery, and if you're on a monitoring plan with them, has a cellular backup activated as well (if you set up the alerts, the base station will send you a notification when it loses Internet connectivity and flips to cellular).

Ring does not have a glass break sensor. Closest would be a motion detector in proximity to the glass that could be broken.

Pro tip for buying sensors...when you sign up for the Ring Protect plan (monitoring & cloud storage), you then get 10% off on additional Ring gear. So buy the minimum alarm to get started, activate your Ring Protect plan, and then get a discount on your additional sensor purchase.

Hmmm... the lack of glass break sensor is maybe tipping me in the direction of sticking with what I have. Unfortunately, I have a LOT of glass in this house, including sliding glass doors to the backyard, and I don't think I'd want a motion detector pointed at the glass, at least not on the inside of the house-- it would pick up far too many events. The rest of it does sound pretty good though...

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

yes, i am bummed by no glass break protector as i research Ring. i am pondering making do with a motion detector which would probably be fine in my house with just one sliding door. Simplisafe does have a glass break detector.

PeterB are you a Costco member? They carry Ring products.

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"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/2020 02:56PM by graylocks.

Also note that the generation 2 of Ring's system is coming out soon. It has smaller pieces (base station, sensors).

I have the original Ring alarm system, but haven't gotten around to setting it up. I got as far as getting it out of the box, then couldn't decide where to set it up, or the best way to mount the sensors, especially on the doors. They need more sensor options. I'd much rather drill into the door and frame to install recessed sensors. And while the system can recognize third party Z-Wave sensors, they can only be used for alerts (i.e. door opened) and not for the actual alarm.

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Gareth
Also note that the generation 2 of Ring's system is coming out soon. It has smaller pieces (base station, sensors).

I have the original Ring alarm system, but haven't gotten around to setting it up. I got as far as getting it out of the box, then couldn't decide where to set it up, or the best way to mount the sensors, especially on the doors. They need more sensor options. I'd much rather drill into the door and frame to install recessed sensors. And while the system can recognize third party Z-Wave sensors, they can only be used for alerts (i.e. door opened) and not for the actual alarm.

Interesting. On the issue of the glass break alarm, I also found this: [www.concurrentaffair.org]

Edit: looks like the Gen 2 stuff is already available, it's on their website. $200 for a basic system isn't bad...

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/2020 03:36PM by PeterB.

If you have existing wired glass break sensors, I wonder if they would work with the Ring retrofit kit.
[shop.ring.com]

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graylocks
yes, i am bummed by no glass break protector as i research Ring. i am pondering making do with a motion detector which would probably be fine in my house with just one sliding door. Simplisafe does have a glass break detector.

PeterB are you a Costco member? They carry Ring products.

Not currently a Costco member, but I do have a free membership card that was gifted to me by a student some years ago... it's probably still usable. Does Costco have some advantage over either Amazon or ordering direct from Ring?

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

Hi everyone,

I thought about the glass sensor issue and determined it wasn't a necessity if you have appropriately placed motion detectors. It'd be nice to have them, no doubt. Fortunately, if you have appropriately placed motion detectors, they'll kick in the moment attempts enter your home through a broken window.

There is also Alexa Guard which works in conjunction with an Echo device and the ring alarm system. It handles glass breakage.

[www.amazon.com]

Worst case, dirt cheap glass break detectors that produce a super loud siren are readily available.

Robert

The Ring Alarm System 2nd Generation looks promising. I have Guardian alarm and the damn price went up to $53/month. I have Reolink 4K PoE Security Camera System so I wouldn't be utilizing the Ring Cameras (maybe add a doorbell). The deal breaker is the glass breakage but I'm I'm reading about Alexa Guard Mode works pretty good so that might be a great option seeing I have big brother... I mean Amazon Echo's throughout the house. I also have "First Alert ZCOMBO 2-in-1 Smoke Detector & Carbon Monoxide Alarm, Z-Wave Combo" which talks with the samsung smartthings hub version 3 and I've yet to setup my samsung water leak sensor. Guess I really want to simply everything such as a Ring Alarm, Ring water Sensor, First Alerts, Ring door bell (maybe one in the front and one in the back).

What I'm starting to see is that my 13" MacBook Pro after awhile drops the wifi connection. It sees the wifi but the only way I can reconnect is to reboot. So, not sure but I'm starting to think I have way too many smart devices connected to the same wifi. Between three ROKU's, School iPads, iPhones, MBP, iMac, smart switches, smart bulbs, smart everything I'm really pushing it.

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PeterB

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graylocks
yes, i am bummed by no glass break protector as i research Ring. i am pondering making do with a motion detector which would probably be fine in my house with just one sliding door. Simplisafe does have a glass break detector.

PeterB are you a Costco member? They carry Ring products.

Not currently a Costco member, but I do have a free membership card that was gifted to me by a student some years ago... it's probably still usable. Does Costco have some advantage over either Amazon or ordering direct from Ring?

PeterB - i have been researching Ring this evening. Costco has the 1st gen 10 piece kit for $179 til the end of May. On Amazon they have a 1st gen 5 piece kit for $179. Advantage Costco.

I mainly wanted to say that one of the Amazon reviewers who initially gave it a 1 star review was reached out to by Ring Customer Service and one of the things they told him was that they are working on a glass break detector. This was January 2019 so it's still vaporware. As near as I can figure the differences between Gen 1 and Gen 2 are mostly cosmetic and they components seem to be backward/forward compatible.

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"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama