Ring Protect Subscription: Do you need one, how much does it cost and what do you get?

If you’ve been researching home security, you’ve no doubt come across the fact that many solutions not only require you to purchase cameras, alarm systems, or video doorbells, but they also want you to sign up for a monthly plan. subscription.

Typically, a monthly subscription is not a requirement for the camera or doorbell to work, but if you want all the features offered by the respective camera, doorbell, or security system, you will need to sign up.

For Ring doorbells and video cameras, that subscription plan is currently called Ring Protect, although starting in November 2024 it will change to Ring Home. Here’s everything you need to know, including what Ring Protect’s current subscription plans offer and whether you need one.

Read what’s happening with Ring Protect in November: What is Ring Home, how is it different from Ring Protect, and how much do subscriptions cost?

What is Ring Protect?

Ring Protect is Ring’s subscription plan for its video doorbells, security cameras, alarm system, and dash cam security.

It’s similar to Nest Aware, which is the subscription service for Nest Cams, and Philips Hue Secure, which is the subscription service for Hue’s Secure security range. Arlo also has a subscription service called Arlo Secure, so it’s standard practice across all user-installed security systems.

Like many of its competitors, the Ring Protect subscription has several different plans available, and these also differ by country. So which one you’ll need to select will depend on which devices you own, how many, and whether they’re in one location or spread across a pair.

As mentioned, Ring Protect will be renamed Ring Home starting November 5, 2024.

Do Ring video doorbells and cameras require a subscription?

As with Nest Cams, Philips Hue Secure cameras, and Arlo cameras, Ring security cameras and doorbells don’t require a subscription to work.

You can place a Ring Video Doorbell in the front of your house and it will record footage, offer alerts through the Ring app, and be able to talk to any visitors who show up at your door via the two-way talk feature. The same applies to the company’s indoor and outdoor cameras.

However, the functionality of the devices is reduced. You won’t receive alerts from people or packages on the Ring Video Doorbell, for example, its notifications won’t preview snapshots without a subscription, and, perhaps most importantly, you won’t be able to store, download, or share images.

When it comes to the Ring Alarm system, the Protect plan offers a pretty substantial difference in features, with 24/7 professional monitoring added to the benefits, for example, along with protection if the internet goes down, so There are some key advantages to the monthly or annual plan. plan. When Ring Protect switches to Ring Home, you’ll need the Ring Home Premium plan with the alarm add-on to get all the features.

What do you get with a Ring Protect subscription?

In the US, there are currently four different types of Ring Protect subscription plans and it will depend on which Ring devices you have to determine which one is right for you to select. In the UK, there are two Ring Protect plans and a separate plan for the alarm system. When Ring Home takes over, there will be three different subscription plans.

Ring Protect Basic Subscription Plan

The Ring Protect Basic plan is available in both the US and the UK. Covers a Ring doorbell, home camera, or essential digital features for a Ring Alarm. The following features are included in the Ring Protect Basic plan:

Video history up to 180 days

The Ring Protect Basic plan offers access to recorded video of every movement and Live View event for up to 180 days for one of your Ring devices. The key word is “one” there. However, that’s longer than many other competitors when it comes to video history, with many offering 30 days as a base, if not less.

Snapshot Capture

With the Protect Basic Plan, you can see what happened between motion-activated events with regular photo snapshots that give you a summary.

Package and people alerts

The Ring Protect Basic plan lets you refine notifications so you can choose to receive an alert only if a person or package is detected, instead of every time motion is detected in front of your Ring Video Doorbell or camera.

Rich notifications

The Protect Basic plan will show you a photo preview of a motion-triggered event in your device notification so you don’t always have to open the Ring app to see what happened.

Link your Ring devices

You can pair your doorbell, camera, or other compatible devices, like a smart lock, with your Ring Alarm to let you customize different automations if you have a Ring Protect Basic plan.

Arm or disarm your Ring Alarm from the app

If you’re signed up for the Ring Protect Basic plan, you can change your Ring Alarm’s modes in the app or through an Alexa-enabled device. That means you can turn your alarm on or off through the app instead of on the device.

Alarm notifications

The Ring Protect Basic plan will offer real-time notifications from the Ring app or via email, and you’ll be able to view up to 60 days of event history from your Ring Alarm in the app.

Download videos

With the Ring Protect Basic plan, you can download up to 50 videos at a time when you sign in to your account at ring.com.

When Ring Home launches, Ring Protect Basic subscribers will automatically upgrade to Ring Home Basic. The price and features remain the same, although you’ll also receive Video Preview Alerts, which is an extension to Rich Notifications where you’ll see a video in the pop-up notification of what happened on your Ring device.

Ring Protect Plus Subscription Plan

The Ring Protect Plus subscription doesn’t cover just one Ring device, it covers all your Ring doorbells and home cameras in one place. Like Ring Protect Basic, this plan is available in the US and UK, among other countries. In addition to all the features you get with Ring Protect Basic, as detailed above, you also get a couple of extras with Ring Protect Plus. Subscribers of this plan will automatically be transferred to Ring Home Standard when the rebrand is made.

Advanced video features

With Protect Plus, you get Live View Picture-in-Picture, snapshot capture and Multi-Cam Live View.

Improved notifications

Notifications are also slightly improved with Ring Protect Plus, with the ability to customize how you stay up to date with alerts using a feature called Priority Alerts on iOS, as well as Event Summary.

Switching to Ring Home Standard will also include a couple of extras, including doorbell ringing, where your phone will ring just like a video call would when someone rings the doorbell. Live View will also be expanded to 30 minutes of viewing time.

Ring Protect Pro Subscription Plan

Ring Protect Pro is a plan available in the US but not the UK. It is designed as the company’s most advanced subscription to cover Ring home devices in one location and includes all the benefits of Ring Protect Basic and Plus, along with 24/7 professional alarm monitoring.

You also get the following features with Protect Pro:

Cellular backup alarm

If your home loses internet connection, your Ring Alarm system will remain connected and can send alarm signals if you opt for the Ring Protect Pro plan.

Backup Internet

You’ll also get 3GB of data each month to keep devices online in case of an internet outage.

Ring Edge and local storage

Smart alerts and videos are processed locally and stored on a microSD that is inserted into Ring Alarm Pro, although you must purchase the microSD card and have Ring Alarm Pro, so keep that in mind.

If you have this subscription, you will be moved to Ring Home Standard with Alarm Professional Monitoring by default starting November 5, 2024. You will not get 24/7 Internet Backup, eero Secure, or Ring Edge (storage local video) on this plan though. You also won’t receive SOS Emergency Response if you don’t have a Ring Alarm or Ring Alarm Pro device.

However, you will be eligible for a one-year trial of the Ring Home Premium plan that has all those features and if you want to keep them at the end of the trial, you can switch your Ring Home subscription to the Ring Home Premium plan. , with the Alarm Professional Monitoring plugin, which costs $10 a month.

Ring Protect Go Subscription Plan

If you have Ring Car Cam (US only), you can add a Ring Protect Go plan to add LTE connectivity to your dash cam. This will allow you to stay connected wherever you go, while unlocking a couple of extra features.

Without a Ring Protect Go plan, Car Cam can still offer video recording, an always-on security beacon to deter unwanted people near your car, and Traffic Stop, which lets you ask Alexa to record up to 20 minutes of video.

With a Ring Protect Go plan, you’ll be able to access the above, as well as Live View and two-way talk, notifications, and GPS location. Those three features only work over Wi-Fi without a Protect Go plan. The plan also offers video history of up to 180 days, rich notifications, and the ability to download and share videos.

How much does a Ring Protect subscription cost and how to sign up?

Prices for Ring Protect plans vary, as you would expect. We’ve broken down the prices in the US and UK to make it easier to find what you’re looking for depending on where you are.

• The Ring Protect Basic plan costs $4.99/£4.99 per month or $49.99/£49.99 per year. This is the same as the Ring Home Basic plan will cost.
• The Ring Protect Plus plan costs $10/£8 per month or $100/£80 per year. This is the same as the Ring Home Standard plan will cost.
• The Ring Protect Pro plan costs $20 per month or $200 per year. Not an option in the UK. This is the same as the Ring Home Premium plan will cost.
• The Ring Protect Go plan costs $6 per month or $60 per year for Ring Car Cam. This again is not an option in the UK.

To sign up for a Ring Protect plan, you’ll need to sign in to your Ring account with the same email and password you use for the Ring app in a web browser. Tap the Protect Plan tab and select Canceled Devices. Select Subscribe and choose a plan. That’s all.