Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsSimple replacement to built in alarm, tailored to needs
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 July 2023
I got this in the prime day deals, nearly half price. First point of note, wait for prime day when most alexas, ring and other amazon devices usually have a steep discount!
I opted for the 5 piece kit and some additional cameras to kick off my security system. I do have a built in alarm in my house, this uses motion detectors in nearly every room and for the door to my garage, but having a dog and a parrot, I don't want to activate it when I go out as it will constantly be set off!
With this ring system it's so easy to tailor the elements that are active when I am out and have a different set of sensors active during the night. So it has 3 modes, disabled, home, and away. This is disabled during the day when I am home, then set to home mode when I go to bed, and obviously away when I go out. These modes are what sold me to the system as I originally just wanted the cameras but the privacy concerns of having these save to cloud was putting me off, this is where the modes come in!
Disabled - All cameras except the garage are disabled, this even stops the app from allowing you to live view the cameras without going through the settings to enable it's use. Some may find this irritating, I find it a plus, I wanted them disabled due to privacy. Primary entrances can also be set to "chirp" on the alarm when they are triggered, so opening the garage door or front door will play a sound to alert me of this opening, more than I need if I am home.
Home - I set this when I go to bed, this can enable select cameras around the home, certain sensors that I then wish to set off the alarm and leave some disabled (I have a dog, he wants to go in the garden during the night etc).
Away - Everything is enabled, all cameras are active, I can monitor what my dog is chewing when I go shopping, or have any nefarious activity recorded should that occur.
Setup was so simple, I already had a ring doorbell, and adding this to the overall ecosystem went through without a problem, kind of. The only issue I had was when I was adding a new device to the app, it first said wifi couldn't be connected to, so I refreshed the wifi list and hit connect, then it worked. Every item, everytime, I had to refresh the wifi and try again, but second attempt was always flawless so I can't dock points for that.
Based on the performance of my ring doorbell I have never once lost connection or had to go through a resetup process (this has been almost 12 months in use now). Another item I had in the box that I haven't actually needed to setup yet is the wifi extender, maybe I have been lucky with the location of each of the cameras and sensors, but nothing has needed it yet in my 3 bedroom house. At least it's there if I experience any issues.
There is one thing I take issue with though, and it's not to do with the product itself but the sneaky amazon listing. When I searched for this set, it was £140 in the prime day deal, this was for the 5 piece starter box, however in the options was a 5 piece + camera for the same price. I did select that and get what I think is an amazing deal, but that was easy to miss.
For the installation, the only item that needs to be screwed to the wall requiring some drilling is the main hub and keypad. Everything else uses sticky pads, although if you wish to mount a camera or motion sensor to wood or a wall/ceiling then you have the option to screw the mount in.
Summary of pros;
-Easy to setup
-Complete starter kit and easy to upgrade
-App works flawlessly for me
-Away from home monitoring with alerts to my watch and phone
-So easy to install!
-Mostly battery operated, the keypad has the option of being charged or running on a plug. The only item requiring a plug is the hub, everything else is on battery power which lasts months
Cons
-Maybe a bit pricey without the deals when you add all the extras (you'll want more cameras, door/window sensors, it won't stop with your original purchase)
-£8 a month subscription is required for the cameras to record and save any footage. This service has been flawless for me, but it's just another subscription I've now got