(upbeat music)
- Hi, I'm Agent Bennett, and today I'm going to show you
how to setup a smart home security system.
Security systems can do some pretty amazing things,
like making your home look occupied when you're gone
or letting you know if someone tries to enter or exit.
For this demo, I'll be setting up
the Ring 9-piece Alarm System with my Google Pixel 4
so the steps might be a little different
depending on your devices.
Here's what's included with mine, the Base Station,
four contact sensors, a keypad,
a range extender, a motion detector,
and an indoor camera.
Here's what you'll need to get started:
a smart phone, the security system app installed,
and the name of your wireless network and the password.
Later in the video, I'll also be adding my Amazon Echo Show
so Alexa can help control my alarm system.
If you wanna skip that section,
there's a link in the comments below.
Before we get started, walk through your home
and get a feel for where you'll place each part
of your new security system.
Every home is unique, but here are a few pointers
to make the process a little bit easier.
The Base Station is the heart of the Ring Alarm System.
It's what all of the other components communicate with.
It works best in a central location near a power outlet.
The Contact Sensors should be placed
at the main entry points, like doors and windows.
Each contact sensor has two parts.
One part goes on the window or door, the movable part.
The other part goes on the frame.
When they're together, the sensor is closed.
When they're apart, it's open.
So, when the alarm is set and a sensor opens,
it will trigger the alarm.
Or, if you simply left a window open,
it'll tell you that, too.
The motion detectors work just like you'd think.
They detect movement,
so you wanna put those in high traffic areas,
spots that someone would likely walk through
if they entered your home.
Or, if you keep valuables in a certain spot,
make that sure that area is also well covered.
Mount them high up in a corner so they can get a good view.
For areas that have a lot of windows or doors,
like a living room,
instead of using a contact sensor on each,
you might be able to set a single motion detector
to cover them all.
If you need more sensors or motion detectors,
you can always add them later.
The Ring Alarm supports up to 100 connected devices.
Although you can put sensors or detectors
just about anywhere,
it's a good idea to keep them out of direct sunlight
and away from heat sources.
These can damage the internal components
or make it tough to detect motion.
It's time to think about the keypad.
You want this to be in a place that's easily accessible,
since it'll be used often for things like arming
and disarming the system or sending a distress call.
Most people install it near the door they use the most.
You can also use multiple keypads for other doors
or even in the master bedroom.
Since all of these components
are ideally spread throughout your home,
larger homes occasionally have an issue with range.
Not to worry.
If any of your sensors are too far from the Base Station,
install the included Range Extender.
Now, this extender is specific to the Ring system.
It's very different than a typical network range extender
that's used for Wi-Fi.
Place the extender halfway between the Base Station
and the sensor.
Now that you have your components in place,
let's get it all set up.
First, open the Ring app.
If you already have an account, you can log in now;
otherwise, tap Create Account
and follow the on-screen instructions to log into the app.
Here's a tip: since this system is securing your home,
it's really important
that your login credentials are secure.
So don't use the same passwords
that you've used for other accounts.
We actually have another Tech Tips video
to help you pick a strong password,
along with a Tech Tips article that covers
two-factor authentication for an extra layer of security.
Check out both links below.
When you're logged in, go to the Set Up A Device screen,
and tap Alarm, and then Create Location.
Follow the prompts to enter your address,
and then tap Continue.
The app will then verify the address.
If your address can't be verified,
visit the Support section on Ring.com for help.
This is common, especially with newly constructed homes.
If it's correct, tap Confirm.
If not, tap Update Address, and make the necessary changes.
Mine is correct, so I'll tap Confirm.
Now plug the Base Station into a power outlet,
and tap Continue.
You should see the top of the Base Station light up.
When it does, press the Pairing button on the back,
and you'll notice that the light ring will start to spin.
Tap Find My Base Station.
The app will now pair itself
to your Base Station on its own.
Once paired, the app will ask if the Base Station
is connected to the internet with a wired ethernet cable
or if it will use Wi-Fi.
I'm going to select Wi-Fi,
and the system will look for the network.
Select yours.
You'll see a Success message when you're connected,
and then tap Continue.
Ring will now give you more information
about the Ring Protect Plus plan
that enables professional monitoring.
Ring Protect Plus plans provide you
with 24/7 professional monitoring
that can dispatch real-time emergency services
when break-ins or other security threats are detected.
If you don't want this capability,
you can proceed with the free plan,
which allows for self-monitoring.
Read through the information, and when you're ready,
tap Get Started.
This will take you to the terms and conditions.
If you agree, tap I Agree.
Now the system will start to hone in on your specific needs
by asking if the address it's monitoring
is a home or business.
For me, it's a home.
At this point in the process,
the Ring Alarm is going to update
and configure your system.
So the light ring on the top of the Base Station
might change colors.
Don't worry. This is completely normal.
When it's done, you'll see all the devices
connected to your Ring Alarm system.
Go down the list in order, and follow the instructions
in the app for each device.
They each have an ID number,
which is also on the actual device, like this one.
When all of the devices have been paired and set up,
tap Go To Dashboard.
Okay. Now it's time to add the Indoor Camera.
In the Dashboard, tap Set Up a Device,
and then tap Security Cams.
The app will prompt you to scan the code on your Indoor Cam
using your smart phone, and then it will ask you to add
the address where the camera will be set up.
When you're done, hit Continue.
Now it's time to name this camera.
You can choose a pre-made name or create your own.
Since this camera is going in my hallway,
I'm going to choose Hallway.
Once it's named, plug it into a power outlet,
and hit Continue.
The light on the front of the camera will start flashing.
So, I'm going to verify in the app that,
Yes, the light is Flashing.
The app will then confirm the network
is the same as your other devices.
Tap Yes.
When it's connected, tap Got It and then Continue.
At this point, it's time to place the camera.
The app will walk you through this part of the process.
When you're done, tap Additional Settings
if you'd like to share the camera's feed with someone else.
I'm not ready to do this quite yet,
so I'm going to tap Skip For Now, and then I'm Done.
You can repeat this process for all of your cameras
until everything's in place and ready to go.
Now let's go back to the dashboard.
This is where you can see the status of your Ring devices.
You'll notice you have several modes:
Disarmed, Home, and Away.
When the system's disarmed, there will be no alarm triggered
for contact sensors or motion sensors.
In Home mode, this typically means you're in the house,
and only need select sensors active, like doors and windows
or any other devices that monitor the perimeter.
You can always change which sensors are active in Home mode
by tapping the Menu in the top left, and then Settings,
Modes,
Home,
and Sensors.
You can easily enable and disable the sensors
by tapping on the slider next to each one.
When you're in Away mode, all of the sensors will be active.
If any are alerted, an alarm will be triggered.
Just like in Home mode, you can change which sensors
are included right there in the app.
You can also add cameras and doorbells
to the three different modes,
which will make your system even more secure.
Here's how you do that.
Go to the Menu, and tap Settings, Modes.
You can Use Default Mode Settings
or Customize Mode Settings for more options.
I'm going to choose the Default settings. Congratulations!
You've just installed a custom home security system!
Your home is now being monitored,
so you can sit back and enjoy the peace of mind.
As you start to use the system,
if you wanna add devices to it, you certainly can.
I've got an Amazon Echo Show that I'd like to add to mine
so I'll do that now.
I'll start by opening the Alexa app,
tapping More in the bottom right corner.
Then tap Skills and Games, hit the Magnifying Glass icon,
and find Ring.
Select Enable to Use,
and enter your Ring login credentials here.
Tap Authorize when you're done.
Once the two accounts are linked, tap Close.
Now tap Discover Devices.
Alexa will look for all of the devices
associated with your Ring Account.
This could take a few minutes.
When Alexa has found them all,
you can see them under Ring Devices in your Alexa app
by tapping on Devices and then All Devices.
And there they are!
Alexa is linked with your Ring system.
It can act as an additional alarm if your system goes off,
or you can view the live feed of one of your cameras
right on your Echo Show.
You'll only be able to view the live feed of a camera
that's currently enabled,
so depending on what mode your system is in,
not all of your cameras might be active.
You can change these settings in your Ring app
and enable the live view of the camera you'd like to use.
I'll show you how to do that.
Just open your Ring app.
Tap Settings, Modes, and then find the Mode
where you'd like to turn on Live Viewing.
In Disarmed mode, all of my cameras will be turned off,
but I'd still like to see my camera feed
even in a Disarmed mode, so I'll tap that one.
Then tap Cameras,
choose the name of the Camera you'd like to view,
set it to Enable the Live View, and tap Save.
Let's try it out. Alexa, show me the Hallway Camera.
There it is. Pretty neat!
Your new home security system
is going to give you a lot of peace of mind,
and it should be pretty easy to get the hang of.
Hopefully this video was helpful. If it was, give it a like.
If you have questions, let us know in the comments.
And don't forget to subscribe to our channel
for more Tech Tips from Best Buy.
Thanks for watching!