Today, Ring announced a number of new software products, services and features at Amazon’s annual Fall Product Event. The extensive list of announcements includes a new Ring Alarm Pro home security system; a more expensive tier of Ring Protect subscription service; a new virtual surveillance service; object recognition software for Ring cameras and doorbells; and availability by invitation of Ring’s Always Home Cam flying drone security camera, $ 250.
Next, we will break down each of the announcements in more detail.
Ring Alarm Pro security system
The biggest announcement is the Ring Alarm Pro security system, $ 0921 . It works as a custom home security system, a mesh WiFi router (made by Amazon’s Eero router company), and a hub for Ring cameras and various smart home devices. It uses the same sensors as the Ring Alarm (2nd generation) system , which Ring will continue to offer, but can now be connected to others Eero mesh WiFi routers so you can create a mesh WiFi network throughout your home.
The alarm system also offers a technology called Ring Edge, which will allow the system to process video images from Ring cameras and doorbells locally and store them on a microSD card. A major selling point of local security camera storage is usually the absence of monthly fees, but with Ring Alarm Pro you will need a Ring Protect Pro subscription (more on that below) to store images locally.
The Alarm Pro system also includes several wireless radios to work with different smart home devices, including Amazon Sidewalk , Zigbee and Z- Wave, and offers 4G cellular connectivity to Ring las 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, at launch, the Amazon Sidewalk and ZigBee radios will be turned off. Ring has not revealed when they will turn them on. Previous Ring Alarm systems offered ZigBee (not Sidewalk), but to date their radios have not been turned on either.
Still, in theory, the Ring Alarm Pro system seems to outperform its predecessor in practically every way. We have tested that predecessor, the Ring Alarm (2nd Gen) , which lacks many of the features of the Alarm Pro system, and is one of the highest rated options in our home security system ratings .
“While these new features sound appealing , our tests focus on what makes a security system work well, such as the types of sensors that can be added, ”says Bernie Deitrick, Consumer Reports test engineer in home security systems. “Since both Ring systems have a lot in common, they are likely to get similar results in our tests, but we will have to bring the Alarm Pro into our labs to be sure.”
Ring Protect Pro subscription and price increase
Ring is creating a new level for its optional service Subscription to Ring Protect , called Ring Protect Pro, for the Ring Alarm Pro system. The new plan costs $ 20 per month and offers 60 days of cloud video storage for cameras and Ring doorbells, professional monitoring, an Internet backup service for your home’s Eero WiFi network the 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, a subscription to Eero Secure and a subscription to Alexa Guard Plus.
Eero Secure is a set of Internet security features that alone costs $ 3 per month. Alexa Guard Plus is a suite of home security features associated with Amazon Echo smart speakers that includes hands-free access to an emergency line that you can call by saying, “Alexa, ask for help.” On its own, Alexa Guard Plus costs $ 5 per month.
Starting today, Ring will also remove professional monitoring, cellular backup for the alarm system, and Alexa Guard Plus from its plan $ Ring Protect Plus per month. New Ring Alarm customers, regardless of whether they purchase Ring Alarm (2nd Gen) or Ring Alarm Pro, will need to subscribe to the $ Ring Protect Pro plan per month to get those features.
If you are currently subscribed to Ring Protect Plus (1st generation), as Ring calls it, you will continue to receive professional monitoring, cellular backup and Alexa Guard Plus until 2025. Your system will then automatically upgrade to Ring Protect Pro on the renewal date. Additionally, current Ring Alarm owners who are not subscribed to Ring Protect Plus (1st Generation) will have until 30 of January of 2022 to subscribe to the plan and secure the lowest rate.
Service Virtual Surveillance
Ring is also launching a service called Virtual Surveillance, which will provide monitoring for Ring outdoor cameras from trained agents from professional third-party monitoring companies. It works by alerting the monitoring company when Ring cameras detect motion and your Ring Alarm system is armed in “home” or “away” mode. When those requirements are met, monitoring agents can view the camera’s live feed to determine if the movement was caused by a person and respond by speaking to the person using the two-way audio feature, activating the camera’s siren, or sending to emergency services.
Ring points out that these agents cannot download, save or share the videos of your cameras.
The first company of monitoring associated with Ring is Rapid Response, which will charge $ 99 per month for the service. Ring claims that more partners will be announced in the future. To use the service, a Ring Alarm system and a Ring Protect plan are required. If you want to request an invitation to use the service, you can do it here .
Better alerts for Ring cameras
Ring is also improving its camera and doorbell motion alerts with new custom motion alerts and package alerts (which will alert you when leave packages outside your house). Ringtones designed by Arlo and Google Nest have had the package alerts feature for a few years, but Ring has never offered this feature until now.
Custom motion alerts allow you to “ train ”the camera to detect when something changes in a specific area of the camera’s view, for example, if there is a car in your driveway or if your garage door is open or closed.
Initially, Package Alerts will be available for Ring Video Doorbell (2020) and Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 , while custom motion alerts will be available for the Ring Spotlight Cam with battery. Ring indicates that it will add these new alerts to more models in the future. To use these features, you will need to subscribe to a Ring Protect plan.
At Consumer Reports, we test security cameras, video doorbells, and home security systems regularly. Check out our Rating Home Security System Ratings for the latest test results for all three. Some Ring models get high marks in our tests, but there are a number of rival products that perform well too and that would be worth considering. And of course, be sure to check back for our Ring Alarm Pro lab test results in the future.
Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2021, Consumer Reports , Inc.
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with the advertisers on this site. Consumer Reports is an independent nonprofit organization that works with consumers to create a just, safe, and healthy world. CR does not endorse products or services and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2021, Consumer Reports , Inc.