Ring has just introduced Ring Protect, an affordable and accessible DIY home security system that can be used by the blind and visually impaired. The new customizable security system enhances the effectiveness of Ring’s powerful, easy-to-use Doorbells and Cams. Together, these products create a stronger-than-ever Ring of Security that protects homes both inside and out.
With Ring Protect, there are no long-term contracts or expensive fees for cancellations or for using cameras, sensors or a mobile app. Ring Protect is easily installed by the homeowner without any tools and can be customized to fit an individual’s needs.
Affordable Security
The announcement comes at an interesting moment. Recently, Nest — which makes its own line of home security cameras and a still-unreleased smart doorbell — announced that it was getting into the home security system market, unveiling a $499 package that included a keypad and enough sensors to monitor two doors or windows.
Now Ring is announcing its own product, called Ring Protect, and it’s undercutting Nest on price. The base unit costs only $199 and includes a single door / window sensor and a motion detector. Additional door / window sensors will sell for $20, and additional motion sensors will sell for $30. That means you could outfit 10 windows and five rooms for the price of just getting started with Nest’s system.
Ring’s subscription monitoring service is relatively cheap, too. You can choose not to pay, in which case, alerts will be sent straight to your phone. But for $100 a year, Ring will provide a monitoring service so that someone can call your home if an alarm goes off. Nest hasn’t announced how much its subscription monitoring service will cost and so far there is no information on the Nest security system’s accessibility.
What you get with the Ring Protect:
The core is the Ring Base Station, which is the mains-powered hub for the Ring Protect system. It acts as the wireless central point – with WiFi a/b/g/n 2.4/5 GHz, along with Z-Wave, Zigbee, and Bluetooth – in addition to being a 104 dB siren. Although it’s intended to be plugged into power permanently, and then mounted on a wall or table, it also has a battery backup that Ring says should last for up to twenty-four hours in the case of a power cut.
Actual interactions with the system, though, are through either Ring’s app or the Ring Protect keypad. That’s also intended to go on a wall, though it can sit on a table or countertop, and plugs into the mains though also has a rechargeable battery. It has simple controls for arming the system, in addition to a keypad for punching in the PIN to turn it all off.
Ring’s two main sensors for Ring Protect are what you’d expect. On the one hand, there’s a contact sensor for doors and windows. That’s powered by a 3V lithium battery which Ring says should last for around three years.
A motion detector tracks movement, with the same battery life as its door/window monitoring sibling. Both promise a 250 foot wireless range to the base station. Should that not be enough, there’s a range extender which plugs into a spare outlet and adds another 250 feet of range. It’s designed to screw into an outlet plate so as to avoid being accidentally unplugged, though it also has a 24 hour backup battery just in case.
The primary method of control will be through Ring’s app. The security system blends with Ring’s existing products so everything is controlled from the same place, and you get notifications if Ring Protect spots movement or an opened door or window.
When is the Ring Protect Available?
The system will ship later this month, and Ring says there’ll also be optional cellular backup for times when your home internet goes down.
Ring Protect plans start at $10 per month and include:
- 24/7 professional monitoring
- Cloud video storage for an unlimited amount of Ring devices
- Free Ring mobile app usage
- 10 percent off all future Ring purchases
Ring Protect is available for preorder today at Ring.com, HomeDepot.com and BestBuy.com and will be available in Home Depot and Best Buy stores later this month. For more information on Ring Protect plans and features, visit Ring.com.
