Top positive review
2,332 people found this helpful
You Don't Need a Glass Break Sensor!
By Brendan on Reviewed in the United States on 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.
Top critical review
70 people found this helpful
Lack's Glass Break Sensor and Zigbee; Limited 3rd Party Devices
By JOHN S THOMPSON on Reviewed in the United States on 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.
Sort by:
Filter by:
By -
Verified Amazon Purchase
Vine Customer Review of Free Product
Sorry, no reviews match your current selections.
Try clearing or changing some filters.Show all reviews
Show more reviews