Ring Alarm review: Professional monitoring without signing your life away

No long-term contracts or costly installation required.

After shipping later than expected, is the Ring Alarm still worth your time? There are a bunch of alarm systems available that you can buy and install yourself these days, but there are a few key points that make the Ring Alarm stand out. From the ease of installation to the low monthly costs, the Ring Alarm system ticks a lot of boxes on paper that people will be looking for, but how does that on-paper experience compare to the real-life one?

We’ve been using a Ring-supplied review unit for about two weeks now with a beta version of the app. The version of the app shown in this review will be released to the public in the coming weeks.

Ring Alarm

Price: $199

Bottom line: For under $200, it’s going to be hard to find a better DIY alarm system. The installation is easy and the added peace of mind is invaluable. Ring has plans to make more sensors available which will make the system even more robust.

The Good

• Great price and value
• Easy to install on your own
• Hardware looks great and is built well
• Integrates easily with your existing Ring equipment

The Bad

• Sluggish app performance at times
• Limited additional sensors at launch

See at Amazon

Getting Started

I’ll be the first to admit, the thought of installing the alarm system on my own was a bit scary, and I didn’t know that I would be able to get it done. I’m not exactly the handiest person, and my wife doesn’t like things to be messy in our brand new house. Ring does an incredible job at making the unboxing experience extremely easy by labeling everything so you exactly what goes with what. In just under 90 minutes I was able to get everything out of the box and set up, including mounting the hardware.

The kit comes with a base station, keypad, contact sensor, motion detector, and range extender. Since Ring is pre-packaging all of this, all of the pieces are designed to automatically talk to each other, which makes setting them up easier, but could lead to some confusion when things go wrong. You won’t be able to take any of these parts and integrate them with another Ring Alarm system, just the one they come with.

As for the base station, you can hardwire it to your router or connect to it via Wi-Fi. I opted to hardwire it, in hopes that it would provide a more stable connection, considering the importance of it. There is an AT&T SIM card inside of it as well, which is what the system uses as a backup for when your internet connection goes down. The cost of this SIM card and its service is covered in the monitoring plan. Once the base station is powered on and hooked up to your router, you can add it your account.

The Ring app will automatically detect the rest of the items that came pre-packaged with the base station once its initial set up is complete. You’ll need to pull plastic tabs on each piece so that they can power up, and you’ll want to do this one at a time. If you pull all the tabs at the same time, the system tries to connect to multiple devices at once and slows down the setup process.

As you set up each piece, you’re able to give it a name (like Front Door, Office Window, Main Hallway, etc), and then a location of where it is in your home, as well. Within the app, the devices are grouped by type, and the names that you give each piece is displayed to help you know what is what. While setting up the keypad you’ll be asked to create a PIN number that you’ll use to engage and disengage. If you have additional family members, once you share the new equipment with them in the app, you can set PIN numbers for them as well.

Using it daily

After the hardware itself is set up, you can pretty much forget it’s there, except for the keypad. You won’t need to adjust the sensors regularly or clear alerts on them, everything you do from here on out is done via the app or keypad. It’s worth noting that since the sensors aren’t hardwired, you will need to change the battery at some point, though Ring says that the included batteries should last for up to three years with normal usage.

The learning curve was pretty quick once I started playing around with it. Immediately following activation, Ring puts you in a seven day trial period, which is great because I set off the alarm a handful of times because I wasn’t used to having it. The trial period lets you use everything the way it’s intended, except that when the alarm goes off it won’t alert the monitoring company. You can end the trial mode at any point if you prefer to just get right into the full monitoring services.

Ring’s updated app (which will roll out to everyone in the coming weeks) brings lots of improvements for those invested in the ecosystem. You have quick and easy access from the main screen to the alarm features, as well as a glimpse of what your cameras are seeing. Things can be a little slow to load, depending how much equipment you have, but most of the time it works great.

Professionally monitored

Speaking of monitoring, there are different modes that you can set when arming the alarm. When you’re at home, there are two choices, including Disarmed and Home. With disarmed, there is no 3rd-party monitoring happening, so you can open and close the doors, windows, and more as you please. Home mode is used for times like when you’re home alone or going to bed, and there is external monitoring involved. With Home mode, you can opt to change which sensors are active and which aren’t, which is great for if you don’t want a motion sensor to go off because of your pets or something.

The final alarm choice is Away, which engages all of your sensors by default and activates the external monitoring services as well. Much like with Home, you can opt to not include certain sensors if you want, and those settings are all controlled through the app. With both Home and Away modes, you can set an entry and exit delay, which is a buffer period that allows you to get in or out and disengage the alarm before the monitoring company calls.

As for pets, Ring says that its motion sensors won’t detect animals under 33 pounds, as long as the sensor is placed at its recommended height, which is between seven and eight feet high. I’ve yet to experience any issues with my 45-pound dog falsely setting off the sensor coming down the stairs so far.

Some improvements can be made

For all the things that the Ring Alarm system does well, there are still some areas in which it can be improved. One of my biggest annoyances with the system is that there is an audible alert for when a contact sensor is opened, but there is no alert for when it’s closed. I have a sensor on each of the three doors that lead into my house and while it’s great to hear a noise that they’ve been opened, it would be awesome to hear a confirmation that they’ve been closed as well.

..but there is no alert for when it’s closed!

While setting the system up, my motion sensor got hung up and wouldn’t stop detecting motion. I had to reset it, which I did through the app, but since it was part of the kit, the process was a little different than the app stated. This was a minor annoyance, but worth noting that if you ever run into an issue with any of the pieces that come with the kit, you’ll need to do a full reset of that piece so that the base station can see it again.

Finally, at times the app is slow to connect to the system. For the most part, this isn’t an issue, but I’ve run into a few situations where my kid opened the door to help me out and the alarm started sounding and it took up to 30 seconds for the app to connect to the alarm system. Luckily, I have had enough time in my entry delay period to get it disarmed before the monitoring company was notified, but I’d like to see the app delay disappear.

The extra costs

For the Ring Alarm to function properly, you’ll need to subscribe to Ring’s Protect Plus plan, which is $10 a month or $100 if you prepay for the year. It includes 24/7 professional monitoring, video recording, reviewing, and sharing for unlimited cameras, 10% off purchases made at Ring.com, and an extended warranty on all of your items as long as your subscribed.

In conclusion

So, is the Ring Alarm for you? If you’re looking for a DIY alarm system that provides external monitoring and doesn’t cost a fortune, I’d have to say that this is the option to consider. There is no shortage of great options out there from companies like Nest, SimpliSafe, and more, but they all come in much more expensive than this. At under $200 for the base package, it’s really hard to beat what Ring is offering here.

If you already have a Ring doorbell or security camera, the integration is quite seamless, and the value becomes even better on the annual costs. Ring charges $30 a year per camera on the regular subscription, so if you’ve been holding out on adding to your system, this may push you over the edge. The company has plans to offer additional sensors in the future, like smoke and CO sensors, water sensors, and more, which will only help make it even more robust.

4.5
out of 5

As icing on the cake, some Homeowners Insurance policies offer discounts for professionally monitored alarms, so you’ll want to reach out to them to see if you qualify!

See at Amazon

Top things you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S8’s SD card slot

SD cards are mostly plug-and-play, but you should know a few things to make the most of yours.

After a short blip with the Galaxy S6 series, Samsung is back to making a microSD card slot one of its core tenets. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ have an SD card slot that lets users choose just how much storage they want to add, even though fewer people will need one with the new higher default storage of 64GB internally.

Whether you’ve already purchased and installed your microSD card or are trying to learn a bit more about them before getting one, we have you covered. Here’s what you need to know about the microSD card slot on the Galaxy S8 and S8+.

Adoptable storage isn’t here — and that’s OK for most people

Sticking with its legacy of devices, Samsung is continuing to use the SD card as removable storage rather than the newer “adoptable storage” system. What that means is that instead of integrating the SD card into the internal storage, it remains its own separate volume. You have to choose to put a file either on the SD card or the internal storage — it won’t be able to span the two seamlessly, which takes a bit more management.

In practice, this has the benefit of being more familiar to those who used SD cards in previous Samsung phones or have used them typically with computers or cameras. You can remove the SD card from a Galaxy S8 freely without worrying about how it will affect the system, because you only lose the data files on the card. You can pop out the card, put it in your computer and transfer files to and from it, then put it back in the phone with no worries.

Not every app can be moved to the SD card

One of the downsides of using the SD card as removable storage rather than adoptable storage is that there are limitations on what files can be moved. For the most part, you can think of the SD card as a place to store big chunks of data, not live applications that you need to access regularly.

You can have photos, music, videos, podcasts, and documents all stored on your SD card without issue, and those are great ways to free up space on the faster, more versatile internal storage. But you won’t be able to move most apps or games to the SD card, as they need to be on the internal storage in order to run. You may find that some simple apps or assets for apps that don’t need to be run on demand can be stored on the card — but as a rule, you shouldn’t count on being able to move apps to the SD card.

Pictures and video save to the card by default

Because the types of data you can put on an SD card are limited, the Galaxy S8 wants to take advantage of it automatically for types of data it knows it can move there. The best example is the camera, which automatically starts saving photos and videos to the SD card as soon as you insert one. You’ll get an alert the first time you open the camera after inserting a card that burst shots will still save to the internal storage, though.

If, for whatever reason, you don’t want photos and videos to save to the SD card, you can head into the camera’s settings, then storage location, and tap it to change back to device.

It’s worth mentioning that Samsung has worked out one of the more annoying issues with storing photos on the SD card in that you can now use other gallery apps — like Google Photos — to manage those photos stored externally. Simply give the gallery app of your choice permission to access your SD card, and you’ll be able to delete, edit, and move photos on the SD card with that app instead of relying on Samsung’s Gallery.

With a good card, you don’t have to worry about performance

One great thing that’s happened in the world of SD cards (well, all storage really) in the past couple years is the proliferation of amazingly fast cards at reasonable prices that anyone can manage. Earlier on in the life of Android phones, it was rather hit or miss as to whether or not the card you bought was fast enough to consistently be used inside an Android phone, and now that’s rarely the case.

Stick to big brands and look at ratings online before buying, but chances are if you find a modern card out there it’s going to do what you need it to do in a Galaxy S8.

More: Best microSD cards for the Galaxy S8

Where to find good SD cards

A rising tide of storage quality has lifted all boats, but that doesn’t mean every card is created perfectly equal. You still want to make a well-educated decision about the SD card you buy. There are so many available out there and many places to buy, but we’ve narrowed down a few for you to choose from if you want to let us do some of the hard work for you.

Removing your SD card also removes the SIM

It’s a small thing, but you should remember that your SD card lives in the same tray as your SIM card. So if you plan on using the removable storage capabilities of your SD card for transferring files back and forth with a computer, you’re going to knock out your cellular service while you do it.

In some cases, removing the SIM card and reinserting it will require a full device reboot to get your mobile data back up and running. If you can’t manage to wait a few minutes without data, pull out your SD card at a different time!

You can encrypt your SD card for your safety

One of the other small downsides of an easily removable SD card that’s formatted as removable storage is the data on there can be easily accessed by anyone with a SIM tray tool — they don’t even have to unlock your phone to get it. Of course, the best way to secure your phone is to not let anyone have it in the first place, but accidents happen — and the best way to secure the data is to encrypt the card. With encryption enabled, the data is only readable by the Galaxy S8 that encrypted it and only when the phone is unlocked.

To encrypt your SD card, head into the phone’s settings, lock screen and security, and encrypt SD card. The process will only take a few seconds if you don’t have much data on it, but it could take a while longer if you’ve already loaded it up before encrypting.

Now, there’s one big downside to this: when you encrypt the SD card, it also can’t be read by your other devices. That means that if you pop out the SD card and put it in your computer, the computer won’t be able to read the data. It also means if you break your phone beyond repair, you will lose the SD card data forever. If your intention is to use the SD card in your Galaxy S8 as a quick way to transfer large amounts of data between devices, you’ll have to use a USB cable from your phone or decrypt the card first.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

• Galaxy S8 and S8+ review!
• Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs
• Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s cameras
• Get to know Samsung Bixby
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

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Update July 2018: Updated with the latest information on using an SD card in your Galaxy S8 after the Oreo software update.

WyzeCam review: A cheap smart security camera that does the job

A wise man said, “If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

The WyzeCam is an affordable indoor smart home camera that boasts a ton of cool features for a price tag this low. Available for just $26 with no monthly subscription fee, the WyzeCam offers 1080p HD live streaming video, motion tracking, and notification alerts, along with premium features such as rolling cloud storage all built into an app that’s a breeze to use.

Based on that, the WyzeCam might seem like a no-brainer. But as the old saying goes, you basically get what you pay for.

WyzeCam

Price: $26

Bottom line: If you’re interested in a wireless camera to keep tabs on parts of your house while you’re away, the WyzeCam is an affordable entry point that offers some premium features without a monthly fee.

The Good

• Surprising quality in a compact size
• Magnetic mounting options
• Performs reliably with decent video performance
• Premium features without a monthly subscription
• Support for microSD cards for continuous recording

The Bad

• Too light, easy to get knocked over if not properly mounted
• Two-way audio is nearly unusable
• Power cable limits placement options
• Doesn’t integrate with other smart home devices
• Users reported suspicious data transfers with earlier software.

See at Amazon

Cheap and easy to use

WyzeCam What I like

I was first and foremost surprised by the compact size of the WyzeCam — all folded in on itself it’s roughly a two-inch cube. You’ll either love or hate the cube design as it’s a matter of taste, but compared to the sleeker and round designs of competing cameras I love it.

The setup process is simple using the WyzeCam app and makes rare use of a QR code to expedite the pairing process. Given the ease and cost involved with setting up the one sent to me for review purposes, I could see this being an affordable way of keeping tabs on all areas inside your home especially compared to other popular brands like Nest, Arlo, or Amazon. I never had an issue with connecting to my home Wi-Fi, and the camera was only ever knocked offline by a curious pet.

The Wyze Cam boasts some respectable specs including live-streaming 1080p HD video and microSD support for continuous local recording. I was able to connect and check in on my place on a recent trip to San Francisco and tested the sharing function while house sitting for my friend and co-worker Mick Symons. I’ve included his thoughts on using the WyzeCam below.

The motion-tracking and sound alerts certainly came in handy during my stint house sitting. I had just left the house when I got a text from Mick saying he had received a notification that his home alarm had gone off. I immediately checked the app to see what had set off the alarm and quickly discovered that Appa, Mick’s dog, had knocked over a baby gate set up to keep him out of the living room.

The loud noise set off both the home alarm and the WyzeCam noise alert, so when I checked the camera I was greeted to a clip of a confused dog standing next to the fallen gate in a noisy room.

Questions over where the data goes

WyzeCam What I don’t like

We live in a time where our devices are constantly leeching personal data that’s just waiting to be scooped up and analyzed by interested third parties. That fact was front of mind while I went through the process of setting this connected camera up in my home, and I spent a good while reading the Terms and Conditions of use because we’re talking about video and audio data from my bedroom being sent in data packets around the world.

While there were no outright red flags in the documentation — beyond all the legal language absolving WyzeCam of any responsibility if your property is stolen or destroyed in a fire — there do seem to be valid reasons for my concern. Six months ago, some WyzeCam users started reporting that the Wyze Cam app was sending data to non-AWS servers which understandably became a point of concern for the community.

WyzeCam’s response was that any rerouting of data must have occurred because the contracted commercial IoT streaming provider, ThroughTek, has its servers set up in different locations. The company has since stated the issue has been addressed in the latest firmware updates and that all camera traffic is now limited to within the US and there’s a section that explains how they encrypt your live stream data to ensure your personal data is always secure.

The It shouldn’t be a significant issue and if you’re too bothered by the possibility of your data being mismanaged you’re best off spending a bit more on another wireless security camera.

Other issues I had while testing the WyzeCam involved it getting knocked down either because a cat knocked it over or something tugged at the power cable. I wish it had an internal battery or came with a longer micro USB cable because I felt pretty limited finding a spot where I could plug the camera in with a good vantage of the room. It also doesn’t integrate with Google Assistant or Alexa and the noise or movement notifications work, and I wish you had more control over fine-tuning the alerts for specific days of the week.

WyzeCam in the real world

Wyze Cam Second opinion

I (Mick Symons) went on vacation for 10 days and left Marc to watch over my house and my pets (brave or stupid, you decide). He plugged in the WyzeCam and had it on the bookshelf in my living room so that I could periodically check in on my home while I was hiking in Alberta.

Video-wise, it worked very well. The only time I was unable to connect was when one of my cats inevitably unplugged the WyzeCam, which was plugged in beneath their tree (perch?). The video loaded up quickly each time, and despite some occasional buffering when the screen would freeze, I was able to check on things in real time. I also dig that the screenshot for the camera is the last frame you looked at before leaving the app.

Audio is a bit of a different story. When the camera was working quickly and streaming in real time, the audio was flawless — I was able to hear room noise and even kitty footsteps (and the two times the pets set the alarm off). When the camera had to buffer or there was too much video activity, audio was poor. It was stilted and patchy at best. I tried to have a conversation with Marc, but it was terrible. For one, the speaker on the WyzeCam is pretty bad; it’s overblown and garbly at the best of times. Occasionally, talking through the camera sounded OK, but only OK. And because of the delay, having a conversation with someone in the room was near-impossible.

That said, for the price, I’d still recommend this camera. The video quality is solid, and aside from occasional delay, checking in in real time is sweet. Just don’t try and have a conversation with anyone. But if you want to talk through it to scare off a burglar, it’ll likely more than do the job.

WyzeCam

It’s easy to recommend the WyzeCam based purely on its ease of use, compact design, and affordable price. There’s no monthly subscription to deal with, either, which is pretty extraordinary — but if data security is a top concern, the software issues might be a valid enough reason to be skeptical whether this deal of a camera is simply too good to be true.

3
out of 5

You can get your WyzeCam for just $26 on Amazon.

See at Amazon

Best apps for celebrating the 4th of July!

These apps will help you ensure your Fourth of July is as stress-free as possible.

The 4th of July is a time for celebration, whether that means going out for drinks with your best friends, or throwing an epic backyard BBQ. No matter what your plans are this year, having a few apps in your pocket to help make the day less stressful is always a good call. From helping you to put on the perfect barbecue, to facilitating fireworks, to making sure you hit as little traffic as possible, we’ve got the best apps to help make your holiday awesome.

• Allrecipes
• Yummly
• Waze
• Airbnb
• A trusty weather app

Allrecipes

If the weather in your area is clear, the classic way to spend Independence Day is by cooking amazing food on a hot grill. If you don’t know where to start with your weekend barbecue, Allrecipes is here to help. This app lets you find recipes based on what you want to make, or based on what ingredients you have on hand. You can either follow along with text recipes, or there are over 1000 video recipes. If you use Allrecipes over time, it will make recommendations based on what you’ve cooked in the past. Finally, Allrecipes lets you create a central shopping list from the recipes you’ve saved.

Download: Allrecipes (Free)

Yummly

While grilling is almost always on the menu for the Fourth of July, it isn’t the only thing available. You’ll also need to consider sides, dietary restrictions, or forgoing meat entirely if people are doing vegetarian. If you don’t know what kind of food to make, or even how to make it, Yummly has your back.

There are thousands of recipes for you to thumb through, and it’s easy to save your favorites, or add ingredients to your grocery list. Finding themed dishes isn’t difficult either, since you can search with filters. Yummly will also recommend recipes it thinks you’ll be interested in, and learns what you do — or don’t — enjoy eating. This means you can have a delicious spread without touching the grill, with everything you need right in your pocket.

Download: Yummly (Free)

Waze

The fourth of July is a major travel event, and if you have a trip planned you’ll want to ensure that you are skipping as much of the congestion of the road as possible. So long as you have someone riding shotgun with you, then Waze can be a serious boon to keeping an eye out for everything from traffic, to accidents, to road work, all reported by other users of the app.

This means if someone is keeping an eye out you can see problem areas before you hit them, and take a different route to bypass sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. You’ll even be able to see easy places to make a pit stop for gas, or to stretch your legs if you’re planning on a longer trip.

Download Waze (free)

Airbnb

If you plan on taking a vacation for the holiday — those of you lucky enough to get off more than just the 4th — then finding a place to stay away from home is mandatory. If you’re looking for a beach house, or something other than a hotel, then Airbnb may be your best option. You can find some amazing places to stay whether you’re aiming for one night, or a few weeks during the summer.

There are a variety of places to stay with Airbnb and you can save your favorites to share them with friends or family. You’re also able to see the amenities offered by different venues, and what is nearby. This way you get to enjoy the holiday precisely the way that you want to.

Download Airbnb (free)

A trusty weather app

As a holiday that’s famous for its fireworks, it’s a smart idea to have a weather app at-hand so that you can ensure that the rain clouds are staying away — from the professional fireworks displays you’re heading out to or your own backyard fireworks! If you’re setting off your own fireworks, having a weather app handy is especially important so that you can see how windy it is and avoid firing any when the winds are too strong.

Best weather apps for Android

Questions?

Do you have a favorite app to prepare for the Fourth of July? Is there a must-have app that we missed here? Be sure to leave us a comment and let us know about it!

Read more: Best grilling accessories for Android

Updated July 2018: We’ve consolidated and updated the list for the Fourth of July 2018! Enjoy your grilling, chilling, and firework watching!

Echo Show, AmazonBasics gear, Hue lights, and more are all discounted today

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

We found plenty of great deals today that include big discounts on popular Philips Hue lights, AmazonBasics gear, the Echo Show, hard drives, and much more! Time’s running out to take advantage of these prices, so hurry!

View the rest of the deals

If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!