Reviews Ring Alarm Contact Sensor 2-Pack

While KH experience Battery sucks on the sensors!!!.

I originally liked this idea of doing my own home security. I put up 13 of these sensors across my home. Some were on windows and some were on doors. Within two weeks of them being in use, 5 sensors failed. They all initially said low battery but then when I switched the battery with a new one they wouldn’t turn back on. Amazon sent me 6 new ones for free and out of the 6 new ones they sent me, 3 said low battery out of the box. I’m not sure what’s really going on here but i spent a small fortune on these sensors for them to be failing within days of coming out of the box. Very disappointed.

As Troy Lyons experience Ring Alarm rings the alarm for other security systems.

I've been waiting since last year for the Ring Alarm to finally be released. I'm glad I waited because it is saving me tons of money. I have been using Frontpoint for several years, ADT before them, and my monthly monitoring has increased up to $50 a month. I started getting Ring cameras last year and am already subscribing to the Protect Plus monitoring so when I found out that Ring was releasing an alarm system and that professional monitoring would be included with the $10 Protect Plus plan, I was ecstatic. This thing would pay for itself in just a few months over what I was currently paying for monitoring alone!
Now that I have it and everything is installed, here are a few thoughts:

Base Station - The brains. It is an unassuming white square that blends in with most of my other devices sitting in my living room. Apart from a glowing ring on top, there isn't much else to it. Mine had some blemishes on top that you can see in the right light, but that's it. I opened the Ring app, plugged it in, and started the set-up. The siren is built into the base station and it chimes when a contact sensor is triggered or if an alarm goes off. It also announces the status of the mode you select, meaning it says that is armed for Home or Away.

Keypad - The keypad is smaller than what i am used to, but still a decent size. The keys are plastic and a little clicky, but that probably has more to do with me being used to the softkeys that all of my alarm keypads have had before and not that they are cheap or anything. It comes with a usb charger and runs on batteries when unplugged. There is an install plate that you can slide it in and out of if you want. I plan on keeping mine installed on a wall and only plugging it in when the battery needs charging. I've read somewhere else that it should last six months between charging, but I am testing that out now and will see how long it really lasts in real world usage. It also announces the mode of the alarm when set (home/away) just like the base station, but there is a slight delay causing an echo effect. It might not matter depending on where you have the two, but mine are in the same room so it is something that is slightly annoying.

Contact sensors - I was not prepared for how big these things are compared to my old sensors. They are twice the size. Again, it might be what you are used to, but I was afraid that they would really be noticeable. Now that they are installed, they really are not. They are high enough that they are out of direct line of sight and I already don't notice them unless I look directly at them. They have a blue ring that lights up when triggered, but even that I hardly notice. They come with install hardware or double stick tape. I used the tape and they seem pretty secure to me.

Motion sensor - It's a motion sensor. It's larger than my old one, but looks about the same. It also comes with mounting hardware or double sided tape. The edges are tapered so that you can install it in a corner, which is nice. I also like that the app will tell you when motion is detected, even if the alarm is disarmed. It's a nice way to see if someone is moving around.

Z-wave extender - This just plugs into a wall outlet and also has a battery built into it in case of a power outage. I don't really need it because my sensors are not that far away from my base station, but it might be handy if I decide to add some on my garage door or in the basement.

And that's about it. I'm very happy with my purchase and the potential that the system has. Ring has built zigbee into the unit along with z-wave and should be activating that soon. There are other tech inside that makes me think that they have smart home plans for this thing that may make it rival Samsung Smartthings as a central hub down the road. That has me very excited. I also hope they improve integration with Ring cameras too. I would love for it to cause all of my Ring cameras to start recording if there is an alarm triggered. Or, my lights to come on for the same reason. I'm happy with it just as an alarm system, but if these other things all come in to play, then it will be THE system to beat.

As kjp41 tell us Ring Alarm Contact Sensor 2-Pack.

 use on your garage door

This a word from Kathy M. Talk OK FOR SELF MONITORING ~ WOULD NOT RELY ON PROFESSIONAL MONITORING.

We installed this system about 10 days , or so, ago. The system is very easy to install and is user friendly. If being used for self monitoring, it's fine. It signals each time a door (we don't have window sensors) is opened and the alarm is very loud. We received the e-mail stating that, after a 7 day trial period to learn how to use the system, it was being "Professionally Monitored" for a free trial period. However, today when we accidentally walked outside without disarming, the alarm went off. We could hear it outside of the house.. We never received a call from the monitoring company inquiring if everything was ok. With the system in our other home, if the alarm goes off, we receive a call within about 30 seconds. Again, we never received a call and no law enforcement official ever came by the house. I would give the system itself, 5 stars but the actual monitoring, I would give a zero. Thus, I settled on a 2 star rating.

A review mpwebster said Goes offline a lot.

Overall, I like the ring alarm. The sensors have issues with dropping off and going offline. Out of the 12 sensors I purchased, 2 are not working properly. I called ring and they want to question you like you are a thief asking for a replacement. Then when they finally give in, you have to pay ahead and send the other back on you dime. Terrible service. I told them to forget it and called amazon who refunded me for one sensor. In the end I have one that won’t work and terrible customer service from ring.

A review Lamarsh tell us Unnecessarily large, not usable in my home!.

I have to start by saying I've been a Ring user for a short time now, and I really do like the system overall. However, these enormous, fat and uncleverly designed contact sensors only fit properly on 2 of my 3 doors leading to outside ( I had to fuss with an hour of woodworking and trim painting to make the 3rd door sensor fit), and they do not fit properly on any of my 22 windows in my home. So, if I proceed with Ring, until they come out with something smaller and slimmer, I am stuck with securing my home with other things like Ring's motion detectors AND MY OLD, EXPENSIVE ALARM SYSTEM. It sucks! What's worse, is Ring's system actually works with other, slimmer z-wave contact sensors that WILL link with Ring's system, yet Ring for whatever reasons will not professionally monitor them unless you buy Ring's brand contact sensors, which don't fit my windows! So, Ring is essentially saying, if our giant contact sensors don't fit your windows, you can't have this kind of basic perimeter protection professionally monitored, because we say so, for no great reason, because our left hand never speaks to its right, sort of thing.... Makes no sense to me. Love Ring so far, but unless they come out with a solution I'll literally be left with no choice but to switch companies! I don't want to though!

And the size of Ring's contact sensors can't be overly large for any good reason I can think of. My old, conventional Honeywell sensors are a fraction of the size and thickness, and fit just fine on all my doors and windows. They aren't z-wave, but I can't see why that matters for size. I haven't used Simpli Safe's sensors, but theirs appear to be properly sized as well! What is going on, Ring??? Please fix this!!!

As OH's Meowmie Talk One of three defective.

This sensor is easy to install and support is excellent, but the one I purchased was defective. Within a day of installation, its light came on and stayed on. This discharged the battery, which should last for more than a year, in 2 days. I called Ring support on a Sunday morning and spoke with someone who was knowledgeable and communicated well. During the course of the call, the support person was able to view the status of my alarm system, walk me through some troubleshooting steps, communicate with an expert on the issue, determine that the contact switch was defective, and arrange for the shipment of a replacement and free return of the defective device. I have had no problems with the contact sensor that was bundled with the alarm system and the replacement I received for the defective sensor.

*** Update: Six months after installing two contact sensors, one of them stopped working. It continually reported "Open". After some troubleshooting, I resolved the problem by using the Ring app function to remove a failed sensor, following the instructions on the Ring web site for a factory reset of the sensor, and adding the sensor back to the system. While the problem wasn't hard to fix, it's concerning when components of an alarm system randomly stop working. As a result, I've downgraded my rating to 2 stars.

While Kennedy experience Stick and Peel.

The installation is so simple. You launch your app, scan the q-code, pull the plastic covering the battery and then if you're like me and don't want to put holes in the door/doorframe, you just affix the sensor using the double sided tape that's included. Got one right when Ring released its home security kit and have added 2 more. So far they're working great!

While Elite Sales Talk The Best Alarm System.

I bought another brand, not to mention any names (Abode) and what a difference compared to Ring. The security system is self-monitoring with a choice of professional monitoring. The software is sophisticated yet it has a user-friendly interface that includes a cell phone app and a web-based software. Super easy to set up with long life batteries. One of the downfalls is that the contacts are bigger than most other contacts but not worth degrading. If I had to buy another alarm system, it would be Ring Security.

As Cuchulain experience Easy to install, works perfectly.

Like all Rimg products, the contact sensors work seamlessly. We have installed three of them, one on each door to the outside. We used the tape to install ours, though small screws are included. Easy and effective. Takes no time at all. We now have Ring doorbell cams, and spotlight cams on two houses, and the security system on one. Ring’s customer service is great. Highly recommended.