This DIY Whole Home Ring Alarm Kit Is Under $200 Right Now | Lifehacker

Home security solutions don’t need to come with a hefty upfront cost or a a mandatory monthly subscription. Right now, you can get a 14-piece Ring alarm kit, covers all the security basics for a two to four-bedroom home and includes a base station, two motion detectors, two keypads, eight contact sensors, and a range extender, for $197.99. That 40% off the list price of $329.99—and the lowest price the kit has ever reached, according to price tracking tools like Keepa.

Setting up 14 pieces might seem like a lot, but the job is fairly straightforward: You plug in the base station, activate the system through the Ring app, and place the sensors wherever you need them. That’s it.

There are three security modes—a home mode that disarms the interior sensors but keeps the exterior ones active, an away mode that arms all the sensors in your home, and a disarm mode that deactivates all sensors. (As a heads-up though, you won’t get push or email alerts in disarmed mode, according to this PCMag review.)

If you prefer handling things on your own and don’t mind contacting the authorities in case of an emergency, you can opt to self-monitor the system. However, if you’d rather leave that to the pros, you’ll can subscribe to the Ring Protect Pro plan, which offers 24/7 professional monitoring, dispatch services, and email alerts for $20 a month.

This kit works well with a variety of smart door locks, switches, and other Ring products, and is compatible with Amazon Echo and Alexa (though a subscription is required to integrate them). If you’re seeking broader compatibility with third-party devices, an Apple smart home system, or Google Assistant, you might want to consider the Abode Iota ($329.99).