Why You Can Trust CNET Ring Alarm, a $199 security system, hits presales today
It's the latest piece of hardware from Ring, which Amazon acquired in April.
The Ring Alarm bundle, for $199.
Jamie Siminoff's mission to make neighborhoods safer is taking another small step forward.
The founder and leader of Ring, an Amazon-owned company that makes video doorbells and security cameras, said the company's new Ring Alarm security system is available for presale starting Wednesday. The $199 system will begin shipping in the US on July 3.
Siminoff said he hopes a range of people will buy the system, from those in smaller homes with limited budgets to those in larger estates.
"You can actually build a very complex and large system at a very low cost," he said about Ring Alarm.
The new system is part of Siminoff's broader goal to create a portfolio of affordable hardware and apps that can help people protect their homes and neighborhoods. His company, which Amazon purchased in April, is among a handful of tech players including SimpliSafe and Nest that offer DIY and cheaper home security options to rival incumbent companies like ADT.
Ring Alarm, which was renamed from Ring Protect, includes a base station, keypad, contact sensor, motion detector and range extender. Preorders can be made on Ring.com, Amazon, BestBuy.com and HomeDepot.com. Sales of the system, which were first announced in October, were delayed until now after ADT sued Ring and temporarily blocked Ring from releasing it.
Customers can buy the system to use for self-monitoring at no additional cost, or pay $10 a month for 24/7 professional monitoring under the Ring Protect Plus subscription plan. More products to connect to Ring Alarm will be coming soon, including a dome siren and a flood and freeze sensor.
Siminoff said a next step for his company will be rolling out smart outdoor lighting, a move Ring already teased out at the CES tech show in January. He added that Ring in recent weeks launched a new free app called Neighbors -- essentially a mobile version of a neighborhood watch -- and has already seen strong usage and positive results.
After Amazon acquired his company a few months ago for a reported $1 billion, Siminoff said his team remains intact and the work continues as usual.
"So far, Amazon has let us continue to be the company that we want to be," he said. "They've just let us do our thing."
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