I noticed a similar pattern when testing the connection speeds, though it never affected them enough to significantly affect performance with any of my usual internet-dependent activities.Īnother cool feature the Ring Alarm Pro brings to the table is backup Wi-Fi. Too often, the router would leave us on the slower 2.4GHz band when it should have connected us through the faster 5GHz band. In our review of the Eero 6 router, we were disappointed by faulty band-steering throughout our speed tests. As you'd expect, the Eero router performed significantly better than the basic gateway installed by my provider, helping deliver high speeds as far as the back office in my basement (which, without a mesh system, chugs along like dial-up internet from the early aughts).Īn Eero range extender will give you solid mesh Wi-Fi throughout even large houses. I couldn't run the Ring Alarm Pro through our usual battery of Wi-Fi tests, but I did perform some basic speed tests and monitor for consistency around my house. Amazon scooped up the company in 2019 and quickly put out newer, more affordable Eero systems - followed by the Eero 6 and Eero Pro 6, which added support for Wi-Fi 6 in 2020.Īccording to Ring, "The built-in Eero Wi-Fi 6 router functions like a standalone Eero 6 router … The only difference is that Ring Alarm Pro does not support Zigbee or Thread at this time." The Edge of tomorrow?īesides the basics, the Ring Alarm Pro introduces a few great new features that many DIY home security systems don't offer: built-in Wi-Fi 6, backup Wi-Fi in case of power outages, Alexa Guard Plus integration and the option for local storage and processing, a feature Ring calls Edge.Ī bit of context: Eero was a pioneer of mesh networking and the first company to deliver mesh routers to the masses, popularizing the approach. Installation was mostly a breeze, but I had to check some online guides to activate some more advanced features, and performance was consistently great. The motion detector, power pack and keypad were similarly reliable, and the Ring Stick Up Cam, which we've reviewed separately, performed as expected. Ring's entry sensors give a little more latitude than others, so the two pieces can be about an inch apart before registering a door "open." I appreciated that calibration because it meant no false alarms, but it wouldn't allow any doors to be cracked open without sending an alert. In addition, some of my house's doors have unique molding around the door jambs, which has given some door/window sensors problems in the past (e.g., registering doors as open when they're not). For instance, my basement's back door is far from the base station, but I experienced no connection issues with the Z-Wave-powered door/window sensor. They were responsive and reliable, even in slightly odd conditions. Ring's devices did exactly what they were supposed to do in my testing. Hobie Crase/CNET Ringing the alarm, pro-styleīefore I talk about Ring's unique features, the first big question to answer is, "Is it a decent home security system?" The answer is a solid yes. Ring suggests keeping the keypad wired, though its battery should last for months. Ditto for that Wi-Fi range extender and the microSD card, which don't make sense for other systems because those systems don't offer the same features. Likewise, you probably wouldn't spend $130 on a backup power pack for other home security systems, and you wouldn't for the Ring Alarm Pro if it didn't enable backup Wi-Fi. Remember, Ring's $250 base station is also a router, meaning you'll get a lot of extra functionality that you won't get with SimpliSafe's $115 base station. That brought me to a total bill of about $600.Ī similarly scaled build from SimpliSafe might cost $400, but it's important to understand the broader value Ring offers compared to its competitors. To give an example of one possible setup: I got the $300 Ring Alarm Pro package, along with a $100 Ring Stick Up Cam, a $130 Alarm Pro backup power pack, an $89 Eero 6 Wi-Fi range extender (on sale for $62 when I got it) and a $15 microSD card (though you can get one for free by redeeming a code after purchasing the system) for local storage.
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