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Our Ring home security review assesses how it measures up to the best home security systems in the UK regarding pricing, performance, warranties, and more.
Ring offers some of the most user-friendly home security systems on the market. Each of its systems can be upgraded and customised to suit your needs and is designed for DIY installation.
The Ring Protect Basic and Protect Plus subscription plans have advanced features such as rich notifications, person and package alerts and video sharing, providing a more rounded experience.
Our experts have analysed Ring’s home security catalogue and compared it with other popular home security systems. We’ve looked closely at performance, price points and reliability to help you understand if Ring is the best option for you.
Rating: ★★★1/2
Since each package can be expanded and customised to fit different household sizes, the Ring home security system is a top option for most properties.
Installation is a simple DIY job, as is customising your setup with additional video doorbells, cameras and sensors. Optional add-ons, including motion detectors, range extenders and sirens, offer further protection and allow you to create a more comprehensive package.
Thanks to its easy-to-navigate interface and simple installation, Ring is a good choice for households with little tech knowledge. However, smart home fans should be equally satisfied, as Ring is compatible with Amazon Alexa and can be controlled remotely from selected Echo devices.
Overall, Ring offers a range of reliable home security systems that cater to different price points and household types. Ring’s most notable disadvantage stems from privacy concerns in the US, which may be off-putting for some users.
In compiling this Ring home security system review, we consulted hundreds of customer reviews, media articles, technical documents and professional forums. We then scored the Ring home security system against several competitors for a maximum score of 100 points.
We considered the following factors:
For more information, read our article on how we review home security systems.
You can purchase the Ring home security system as a complete pack or as individual components.
All systems are available in 4 sizes: S, M and L and XL. The company currently offers 3 packages.
Each Ring Alarm Pack contains the base station (17cm x 17cm x 3.7cm) that operates on ethernet, wifi and Z-Wave (plus cellular backup with Ring’s Protect Plus subscription).
Ring’s most popular feature is its doorbell camera (image credit: Ring)
As with any home security system, there are pros and cons to consider. Below are the top benefits of a Ring home security system.
It’s also important to be aware of the disadvantages of Ring home security systems.
The Ring Alarm System has 3 modes: Away, Home and Disarmed. Home will keep a selection of sensors active (eg your glass break sensors), Away arms all sensors and Disarmed disables all sensors. Users can switch between modes by pressing the mode button on the keypad and entering their PIN.
You can add shared and guest users (the number of additional users permitted isn’t specified) to provide them with full or timed access. For example, if you have a cleaner or a neighbour feeding your cat who needs to use the system during set times, you can grant them limited access.
As Ring is an Amazon product, you can integrate your alarm with Alexa and use the Ring Alarm to trigger events, such as turning off your lights whenever the alarm is set to Away mode. You can also install a loud outdoor siren that lights up at night – this can be hardwired or used with a battery pack. Unfortunately, Google Assistant is incompatible with the system, and other devices such as Philips Hue, can’t be used alongside Ring.
Our pick for the best overall home security system is SimpliSafe due to its comprehensive packages, DIY installation process and extensive subscription plans.
However, if you are working on a tighter budget, you may find that Ring is better suited to your home, as it’s more affordable overall.
Verisure is another alternative to Ring. Its home security packages are customised to meet the needs of individual homes. It’s also a good choice if you would rather have free professional installation within 24 hours of your order. However, the company’s lack of transparent pricing may be a deterrent for some households.
Ring is a fairly affordable home security system brand in terms of its packages and subscription costs.
Below, we have compared the prices of the cheapest home security systems from popular brands so you can see how Ring stacks up.
| Home security system brand | Cheapest package cost* (excluding installation and subscription costs) |
|---|---|
| Ring | From £219.99 for a 5-piece package |
| SimpliSafe | From £199.46 for a 4-piece package |
| Yale | From £190 for a 5-piece package |
| Abode | From £168.99 for a 4-piece package |
| Arlo | From £399.99 for a 6-piece package |
While a subscription to Ring is not mandatory, it does unlock more features and offers a more comprehensive solution for users. Here’s how Ring’s Protect Plus subscription plan compares to some of the company’s competitors.
| Home security system brand | Cost per month* | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Ring | £8 for Ring Protect Plus | 1-year limited warranty, motion-activated notifications, live view, two-way talk, video storage up to 180 days, download up to 50 videos at once, video saving and sharing, snapshot capture, package alerts, person alerts, rich notifications, 10% off selected Ring products, advanced video features, enhanced notifications, extended warranty for all devices, assisted monitoring for Ring Alarm, cellular backup for Ring Alarm |
| SimpliSafe | £27.99 for SimpliSafe Pro Premium | 24/7 professional monitoring, police response, Securitas guard response, whole home protection, instant alarm alerts, unlimited camera recordings, 30-day cloud storage, premium extended hardware warranty, advanced app features |
| Yale | £36 for Yale Secure Pro Plan | Cellular backup, call alerts, 24/7 professional monitoring, cloud recording for all cameras, advanced AI motion detection |
| Abode | £13.99 for Abode Pro | 24/7 professional monitoring, live video, cellular backup, smart AI detection, rich notifications, home automation, exclusive deals and discounts |
| Arlo | £14.99 for Arlo Secure Plus | 60-day video storage, theft replacement, 4K video resolution, unlimited camera coverage, 12-month extra hardware warranty, VIP customer support |
The Ring home security system doesn’t require a lot of maintenance, but routine care is recommended to ensure your system remains in good working order.
Make sure that all your security devices are securely attached and do not appear to have been moved or tampered with. Check the battery life of your various devices via the Ring app. Whenever necessary, recharge or replace low batteries in your Ring doorbell wireless camera or contact sensors. You should also review your emergency contact list regularly to make sure it’s up to date.
“I’ve always installed my own alarm systems but never quite found a system that I could say I’m completely happy with – until now. Everything about this system is fantastic. Super-easy to install, but the best bit about it is that it’s completely customisable from the app. You can set each sensor to act differently, depending on the mode you want, and you can even change the sensitivity of the sensors from the app. Another plus is that when arming from the app, it tells you if there is an open contact and gives you the opportunity to bypass the contact and continue to arm. This system has been really thought about and definitely gets my thumbs up.”
“A great system, easy to set up with all the steps guided on your phone. Give[s] a bit more peace of mind when you [are] away and at home, there are 2 active modes, home where you can modify what activates, such as door triggers, and away where everything I’d actually. Very customisable and would recommend.”
“I purchased a Ring camera with a solar charger. It installed fine and worked perfectly for 4 months. Then the app told me to recharge the battery [so] I removed [it] and put the battery on charge, but it wouldn’t accept any charge. After checking everything, I purchased a replacement battery and all is well. But Ring refuse to accept that I have an issue. They wanted me to reinstall the faulty battery. Do I really have to get back on the roof for the sake of a £24 item? I am deaf, so phone support is not an option. They won’t communicate via email and insist on me jumping through so many hoops [that] it’s just not worth it. Judge a company by its support – good product but useless support.”
Ring’s home security systems are suitable for any house thanks to the flexibility of each package. This flexibility is also reflected in the pricing, making Ring a great choice for budget-conscious homeowners.
However, the company’s history of privacy violations cannot be ignored, and this contributes to Ring’s lower score. When investing in a Ring home security system, ensure you set a secure password and regularly check your account to guarantee nothing is amiss.
Ultimately, if you want a reliable home security system that’s compatible with the Amazon Alexa ecosystem, Ring is one of the best options. However, if you’d prefer a more comprehensive system or need 24/7 professional monitoring, we recommend looking into brands such as SimpliSafe, ADT or Verisure.
Rating: ★★★1/2