Ring’s next-gen Alarm Security Kit is a cheap, reliable DIY system

The new Alarm Security Kit is Ring’s second-gen DIY home security system. It looks very similar to the original, despite some minor hardware design tweaks, and it maintains the same $200 starting price as before. Its similarity to the previous model would annoy me if I hadn’t liked the first iteration, but it was the best affordable security system I had tested at the time. 

Now the second-gen Ring Alarm Security Kit is replacing the original version as my favorite. No, it still isn’t flashy, and I wish it offered more accessories like a glass break sensor or a key fob for arming and disarming, but this system benefits from its simplicity. It’s a good bet if you want a straightforward, affordable DIY security kit with optional professional monitoring. 

An intro to Ring’s new system

The Ring Alarm Security Kits range from a $200 (£179) five-piece kit on up to a $330 14-piece kit. I tested the $250 eight-piece kit, which includes a base station (with a built-in siren), a keypad, a range extender, a motion detector and four door/window sensors. (Different kits are offered in the UK. None are available in Australia.)

Ring offers an optional professional monitoring service called Ring Protect Plus for $10 per month or $100 per year. In general, if your system is armed and a potential security incident takes place, Ring’s call center team will reach out to you and ask if everything’s OK. If it isn’t, they’ll contact law enforcement for you.

You can add additional range extenders ($25), motion detectors ($30) and door/window sensors ($20) to your system, as needed. Ring also sells a few standalone devices that aren’t available in this kit — a flood/freeze sensor, a panic button and a device that “listens” for the audio frequencies of standard smoke/carbon monoxide detectors and sends you an alert if they sound. (Each of those devices costs $35 apiece.)

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Ring’s solid DIY security system is a lot like the original

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The Alarm Security Kit works with other Ring devices, too, like the Ring Indoor Cam and Ring Video Doorbells. That way, if you have a Ring camera or doorbell and pay for the optional cloud storage plan, your camera-enabled device will record video if your Ring security system is armed and a sensor detects unexpected activity. 

Use an Alexa speaker or display to arm and disarm your system — or to ask for the status of the system. Note: If you ask Alexa to disarm the Alarm Security Kit, you’ll be asked to say the same secret four-digit PIN you enter on the keypad to arm and disarm the system. 

Ring offers select partnerships between this system and third-party devices, including GE dimmer switches, a First Alert smoke and carbon monoxide detector, a Dome siren and Yale and Schlage smart locks. That’s a decent start for optional accessories, but I would like to see even more, especially a glass-break sensor and a key fob for arming and disarming, otherwise Ring won’t be able to compete with DIY brands like SimpliSafe.

The Ring system is thankfully simple to install. Download the app and create an account if you don’t already have one and follow the prompts to get everything working. In this article I explain the set up for Ring’s second-generation Alarm Security Kit . Check it out if you have further questions. 

My colleague, Julie Snyder, also put together this great video explainer of the entire installation process.

Testing out the Alarm Security Kit

Unfortunately I don’t have an Alexa speaker or any of the additional accessories that work with Ring here at my home, which made testing those features difficult. (I hope you all are staying safe and healthy during quarantine. Once I’m able to return to our CNET Smart Home, I’ll test those features and update this review with my findings.) I didn’t sign up for Ring Protect Plus, either, since I didn’t want to create false alarms that involved an actual call center or law enforcement, so I kept things simple here, sticking with the basics: the eight-piece system itself, as it comes out of the box.

It installed quickly, thanks to the straightforward steps in the app and the sticky tape on the back of the sensor devices. It probably took me 15 minutes to set up everything from start to finish. Some of the devices, like the keypad, come with hardware if you want to mount it to the wall for a more permanent install, which could make the overall installation time longer. 

To test out the system, I walked in front of the motion sensor and opened the doors and windows with door/window sensors attached. I tested arming and disarming the system, both from the app and from the keypad. I also tested out the siren built into the base station that comes with this system. You can program the siren to sound when the system is armed and unexpected activity is detected — and also manually from a button on the app, whenever you want. 

I can attest to the siren being very loud and scaring my two dogs, as well as my husband (sorry, y’all). 

The sensors, keypad and app worked as expected, too, responsively sending alerts to my phone and arming and disarming the system. The updated keypad offers “one-touch buttons” to contact emergency services, but, again, I didn’t test their capabilities. 

Ring privacy and security 

As far as Ring’s privacy and security goes, I’ve felt conflicted. I go into that at length in this commentary about Ring, but the gist is that privacy and security necessarily factor into how — and, sometimes, even whether — we review a product. After learning more about Ring’s partnerships with law enforcement through its Neighbors program on the Ring app, as well as some security concerns, we temporarily removed Ring products from consideration. 

However, Ring has introduced measures that make it easier for customers to access and adjust their privacy and security settings, including requiring two-factor authentication for its camera-equipped devices. Because of those changes, we’re now reviewing Ring products again, but, as always, it’s ultimately up to you to decide if you’re comfortable with a company’s policies. Read Ring’s privacy statement for more information — and check out my colleague Alfred Ng’s extensive reporting on Ring and law enforcement.

The verdict

I like the Ring Alarm Security Kit. It’s cheap, it’s simple and it works well. Ring needs to add more accessories into the mix to compete with highly customizable systems from brands like SimpliSafe, but Ring’s Alexa integration and small but growing assortment of hardware options make it a solid entry-level DIY home security system. Consider it if you want a basic DIY home security at a great price.