- The Amazon-owned security brand Ring
offers about a dozen cameras in a security system.
There's also guardrails for your internet,
months of cloud storage,
and 24/7 professional monitoring for your system.
But none of those perks are included,
they all require a subscription to Ring Protect.
Protect ranges from the most basic features
that you need for a single camera system,
to more advanced options
like cellular backup for your home security system.
And what you get depends on how much you pay.
Today we're talking Ring Protect.
I'll cover the basics of each plan
and the features that come with it,
and which one has the best value
for the kind of security that you want.
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So what is Ring Protect?
Simply put, it's Ring's subscription service.
With three tiers of features,
you can pay between $4 to $20 a month
for things that will improve your Ring security system
and the cameras that watch over it.
There's Basic, Plus, and Pro.
With each of them,
you can pay up to a full year,
or month-to-month.
The choice is yours.
All three plans add a little extra as you go up the ladder,
but you need more Ring equipment
to make each of them worth it.
The good news is that all of this is optional.
You don't need Ring Protect to use any of the brand's gear,
but the bad news is that you might not get
as much out of your Ring devices without it.
Here's a breakdown of Ring Protect's plans,
features, and prices.
Ring Protect Basic is the cheapest of the bunch
and all camera focused.
Its perks revolve around saving and sharing video clips
or improving notifications.
Without these features,
you have to catch every moment live in the app
as it's happening.
And even then,
you won't be able to save that video clip.
So sure, it's cheap,
but features like saving, sharing,
and special notifications come standard
with tons of other cameras out there.
When you set up any new Ring camera at home,
you get a 30-day trial to Protect Basic.
But after those 30 days are up,
you'll lose all those features
like saving and sharing videos,
personal alerts, snapshot captures,
and video downloading.
So if you're rocking a single Ring camera,
that $4 every month is probably worth it.
Next up is Ring Protect Plus.
Just like Basic,
Ring's second tier of service
is all for cameras,
but unlike Basic,
Plus supports multiple cameras.
In my research, I wasn't able to find an exact limit
or number to the amount of cameras that you can have
under this plan.
So, if you know,
drop it in the comments and let us know.
If you have a Ring Doorbell on your front stoop,
a Floodlight Cam in your backyard,
or a Stick Up Cam in the kitchen,
you'll wanna be able to save and share all the videos
that each of them gather,
and Plus is the way to do that.
Unfortunately, Plus doesn't add many more perks
into the mix.
The biggest benefits to Plus
is that it works for multiple cameras
and throws in an extended warranty
for all of that Ring gear.
And finally, there's Ring Protect Pro.
Not only do you get those camera-centric perks
like Basic and Plus,
it throws in features
that make your other devices smarter and better connected.
Ring Protect Pro includes exclusive features,
like Guard is a free feature included with Amazon speakers,
but Guard Plus goes just a little bit further.
Just like Alexa Guard,
when you arm and disarm your speaker,
it listens for a warning sign like smoke or fire alarms.
If something goes awry,
you'll get a notification,
but with Guard Plus,
it does all of this plus connect you
to an emergency help line,
and even activates the sound of dogs barking
if motion is detected outside.
We dropped a link in the description
if you want to learn more about Guard Plus.
Like all DIY security brands,
having a steady Wi-Fi and internet connection
is essential for Ring.
But as we all know,
that doesn't always work out.
Ring Protect Pro includes a few ways
to keep your security system and your family safe online.
If your internet drops,
Ring's cellular backup kicks in
and hops on the nearest cell signal.
Then there's backup internet
that puts your home network on a data plan.
When the internet drops,
you can stay online with data
up to 3 GBs per month for free.
That's roughly a two-hour Zoom call
or half an hour of streaming.
If you're curious about mesh networks,
Ring Protect Pro includes a subscription to eero Secure.
Eero is a tri-band, mesh Wi-Fi system
that can extend your network's reach
and strengthen the signal.
Bye-bye, buffering.
And finally, there's local storage access
through Ring Edge.
The SD card slot on the back of the Ring base station
can store all the footage from compatible cameras,
keeping everything safe, sound, and offline.
If Ring Protect is optional,
why bother paying every month?
Well, if you want more than one Ring camera,
want to save and share your videos from those cameras,
want professional monitoring for your security system,
or want local storage for your Ring security cameras,
then it might be worth a shot.
What I don't like about Ring Protect
is that it holds a few essential features behind a paywall,
even if it is a small one.
Things like looking back over your video log,
saving those videos,
and sharing what you saw
are really important parts of having a security camera.
And there are options where all of those come included,
just not with Ring.
Ring Protect Pro is chock-full of features,
but you'll get the most out of it
after spending a bundle on Ring products.
All that said,
$20 a month for professional monitoring
is rare in the home security world,
and that's not including cellular backup
or internet backup features found in Pro.
Ultimately, Ring Protect Pro is an affordable option
if Ring is your brand of choice.
But unless you're going all out with your Ring cameras
and security system,
you can find cheaper options
that won't charge for basic features.
Go ahead and check out the description
to see some of Ring's products on Amazon,
as well as our own reviews on Ring home security,
its cameras, and other features.
Like and subscribe to catch more from us every week.
Thanks for watching and stay safe.
Thanks for watching.
And if you want more safety,
head over to safewise.com
and you can find reviews
and our lineups of best home security systems,
best wireless cameras, and more.
Stay safe!
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