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Ring’s Alarm Pro DIY security system is an impressive product that checks off nearly all the required boxes. It can securely monitor your home, but it also gets help when you need it. Plus, it’s effortless to customize. It’s our top pick for a security system, but there is one piece of the puzzle that’s been missing: a glass break sensor.
And Ring is finally putting all the pieces together with this one-size-fits-all $39.99 Ring Alarm Glass Break Sensor. In fact, it’s the company’s only announcement at CES 2022. It can be preordered now and will begin arriving on Feb. 16.
Why a glass break sensor?
A glass break sensor is an important tool in a security system because when stationed in a particular room, it can listen for the sound of breaking glass. When detected, it will then alert you just like a door or window sensor.
Until now, the costly workaround for Ring Alarm customers has been a contact sensor on every window for complete coverage or just a few of them on scattered windows. And, of course, this can get pricier depending on the amount of windows you decide to cover. Alternatively, you could use an Echo smart speaker or display with Alexa Guard to listen for broken glass.
The small, circular Ring Alarm Glass Break Sensor can be placed on any flat surface or mounted to a wall. As Ring does with most products — doorbells, cameras and sensors — it includes the needed mounting hardware in the box and it will listen to noise for up to 25 feet away. Then just download the Ring app for Android or iOS to complete setup.
Some smart features
Aiming to set Ring’s Glass Break Sensor apart from the competition, it uses AI to correctly identify sounds. This way you won’t get alerted with every loud jangle of keys or other more normal ambient sounds, like stacking dishes or dropping a plate.
We haven’t had a chance to test it yet, but we imagine Ring’s team worked with Amazon Alexa’s team on best detecting these types of noises. It’s critical that any glass break sensor accurately identifies when glass from a window is actually breaking so you won’t be inundated with false notifications. In this case, since it’s hooked up to a Ring Alarm system, that could mean a false alert to a call center or an abundance of inaccurate notifications. However, given Ring’s track record in this space and our testing of the Alarm and Alarm Pro’s many other sensors, we have faith in this latest product.
Let’s recap
Ring’s Glass Break Sensor isn’t the most exciting announcement from CES 2022 — Samsung has a fancy projector, Sony has Mini LED TVs and Dell has a sleek laptop — but this is a big launch within the world of security systems. It also fills out a missing piece of the Ring Alarm or Ring Alarm Pro system.
For its unique use of AI and deep integration with Ring or Alexa, it’s a finalist for best smart home product of CES 2022. We’ll be sharing our full finalists later this week ahead of the top picks in each category.
You can preorder the Glass Break Sensor for $39.99 from Amazon, and it is expected to begin arriving to customers on Feb. 16. We imagine at that point, Ring may update some of the Ring Alarm and Alarm Pro Kits to include this sensor in the base cost as well.
Source: www.cnn.com