Because of the company’s constantly expanding assortment of smart home equipment, Ring has emerged as one of the most widely used brands of smart home gadgets in the modern house. Beginning with a range of security cameras for the interior and exterior of your home, they progressed to the first version of the Ring Alarm System, which was presented in 2018. The second version of the Ring Alarm System was released only a few months ago, and the company’s line of smart lighting will debut in 2020.
The Ring Alarm System is equipped with a hub that was specifically built for use with the Alarm System. The Ring Base Station is the name given to this core node. Additionally to the Ring Alarm System, several smart home owners have chosen to purchase the Ring Smart Lights to complete their smart home setup. The Ring Bridge serves as a focal point for all of these activities.
Ring consumers, on the other hand, who possess or are considering purchasing both of the Alarm and Smart Lighting systems, are questioning if they should forget the Ring Bridge if they already have the Ring Alarm Base installed. The Ring Base Station serves as both a hub and a base station, which explains why this is the case.
To comprehend this, we must first comprehend the various systems and the manner in which they are designed to function.
What is the operation of the Ring Alarm System?
The Ring Alarm System is a relatively new addition to the Ring product line, having only been introduced in 2012. It’s a fully working security system that integrates with a range of smart home hubs, including Amazon’s Alexa and Echo devices, as well as Samsung’s SmartThings products.
If you’re on the go or sound asleep at night, this Alarm System gives you peace of mind by monitoring not just the outside of your home but also the interior while you’re away or asleep. They have a Starter Kit that is the most basic of their offerings, and it includes everything you’ll need to get started with home security.
The keypad for the Ring Alarm system is positioned on the wall near the front door. It is easy to access.
The Ring Alarm 5-Piece Kit comes with a Base Station, which serves as a centralized control center for all of your Ring Alarm devices, as well as four additional Ring Alarm devices. Besides a keypad for controlling your alarm system, the package also includes a contact sensor for windows and doors, a motion detector for motion detection in your home, and a Range Extender, which allows your Base Station to share information with all of your security devices, regardless of whether they are located inside or outside your home.
However, while the 5-Piece kit only includes one Contact Sensor and one Motion Detector, you may easily expand your system by adding more sensors to increase the overall safety of your home’s security. Now that smoke and carbon monoxide sensors are available, and you may have complete protection against all potential risks in your home.
They communicate with the Base Station via Z-Wave, after which it uses a combination of and cellular data WiFi to “report back” to Ring’s cloud servers, allowing you to intelligently control the system from your smartphone or other devices via the Ring app.
Optional accessories include a Retrofit Kit, which enables you to use it with any existing wired contact sensors you may already have on hand, as well as a Panic Button, which can be used in an emergency.
Ring Alarm Professional Monitoring is offered for a fee, despite the fact that it is supposed to be a do-it-yourself system with self-monitoring capabilities.
What is the operation of the Ring Base Station?
The Ring Base Station has been designed to work in conjunction with the Ring Alarm System and to provide additional functionality. It serves as the main controller for your Ring Alarm System and all of its components, allowing you to monitor and control everything. A base station is required in order for your Ring Alarm devices to connect with one another. The base station works as a bridge between Z-Wave and WiFi. Your devices may be able to communicate with the internet as well as with other smart home hubs if they are connected to the Base Station.
It is the base station of the Ring Alarm system, which is installed on the wall.
The Base Station is also compatible with the Ring app, which allows you to control all of your Ring Alarm devices from your smartphone when you’re away from your house.
In order to be effective, the Base Station should be put in a conspicuous location where you will be able to hear the alert if it is activated. Although just one unit is permitted per household, it will be sufficient because it can connect to up to 100 devices!
In the case of a power outage, the Base Station has equipped with a 24-hour backup battery as well as a cellphone backup in the event that the internet is unavailable. They are required because they allow your Ring Alarm System to continue to function and keep you and your loved ones of your’s safe even if the power and internet are gone.
Is it necessary to use the Ring Alarm and Ring Bridge in conjunction with one another?
You may be already familiar with the “Ring Bridge,” which is a component of Ring’s Smart Lighting range, which was introduced last year.
It is not necessary for the Ring Alarm system to use the Ring Bridge, which was created specifically for the Ring Smart Lighting system because the Ring Alarm system is designed to communicate directly with its Base Station. The Ring Alarm system, on the other hand, is designed to work in conjunction with the Ring Base Station.
In order to activate one or more of your Ring smart lights around your home, the Ring Bridge is the only application for which you might consider employing it.
Known as a smart lighting bridge or hub, the Ring Smart Lighting Bridge or Hub enables smart lighting products to communicate with one another.
The Ring Bridge is required in order to connect two systems of devices together. For instance: If you desire your Ring pathway lights to illuminate when one of your Ring Alarm sensors detects an alarm, you’ll need to use the Ring Bridge to accomplish this task.
After you’ve linked all of your Ring Smart Lights to the Ring Bridge, double-check that they’re all also connected to the Ring app on your smartphone or tablet computer. The Ring app allows you to configure what your Ring smart lights should do when an alarm sensor is triggered. The trigger will be enabled as a result of this configuration.
This can also be accomplished through the use of a Routine in the Alexa app, which is advantageous due to the fact that the Ring app and devices are also compatible with it. Using Alexa routines is a straightforward method of connecting a lot of smart devices and ensuring that they all work in unison.
Is it possible to use a Ring Bridge to improve the sound quality of the ring alarm bell?
Your goal in connecting your Ring Alarm with the Ring Bridge will determine how you link the two devices together in the first place.
If you’re attempting to use the Ring Alarm System solely through its components rather than the entire system, the Ring Bridge makes little difference in terms of functionality. There is no need for additional hardware because the Ring Base Station, in collaboration with the Ring app, serves as the central center for all Ring Alarm activity, requiring no further gear.
When it comes to controlling additional Ring smart home things that aren’t already included in the Alarm system, such as smart lights and cameras, a Ring Bridge is not only handy, but it is also essential.
Is it possible to connect the Ring Smart Lights to the Ring Base Station and use them together?
The installation of a Ring A19 smart light bulb is now underway.
The Ring Base Station, as well as the wireless communication protocols that are associated with it, were established expressly for use with the Ring Alarm System and for no other purpose. Consequently, only the Ring Bridge, not the Ring Base Station, is capable of connecting to the Ring Smart Lighting system.
This device acts as a bridge between Z-Wave (the wireless communication system used by Ring Alarm products) and WiFi signals. For communication between devices, Z-Wave is utilized; for communication with the internet, WiFi is used. This also applies to the Ring app, which is accessible via the Ring app. The ability to handle your Ring Alarm System from anywhere in the globe, rather than just at your desk or at home, is provided by this feature.
LoRa is a long-range communication technology used by Ring Smart Lights, which allows them to communicate with one another. An example of a device that transmits LoRa to WiFi signals is the Ring Bridge.
Because of the way the links are set up, Ring Smart Lights can only connect to the Ring Bridge and not the Ring Base Station, which is a limitation of the technology. Ring Smart Lights can only link to the Ring Bridge and not the Ring Base Station.
The Difference Between LoRa and Z-Wave, as Well as How Do They Interact With One Another
LoRa
The term LoRa refers to Long Range Radio Access, which is used in the context of Long Range Radio Frequency technology. It is a wireless communication technology that connects numerous devices over a long distance by transmitting a signal via a radio frequency.
According to the company, LoRa technology has just lately been incorporated into products such as Ring smart lighting and the Ring Bridge, among other things. Ring smart lights can communicate with one another at a greater distance thanks to this communication protocol, without affecting functionality or performance.
In some circumstances, expanding the range of your LoRa network may necessitate a bit more effort on your part because LoRa does not operate in the same manner that Z-Wave does. The placement of the Ring Bridge may need to be adjusted depending on where you decide to install your Ring smart lights throughout your home, in order to provide the most comprehensive coverage for every of your Ring smart lights.
Z-Wave
Z-Wave is a trademark that has been registered.
As well as wireless communication, Z-Wave entails the development of a low-power mesh network, via which various devices can connect with one another. Given the low energy consumption of Z-wave and Zigbee, they are frequently favored over WiFi in a wide variety of applications.
Because Z-Wave devices run on a separate frequency than WiFi and Zigbee devices, they are more stable than their counterparts. As a result, communication between networks is extremely uncommon. It does not matter if your neighbor also has a Z-Wave network because the networks are so specific that they will not intertwine and harm your information. After all, the networks are so specialized.
Conclusion
The use of a ring bridge is superfluous.
With the exception of the Ring Alarm’s Base Station, the Ring Alarm system was meant to operate without the use of any other hubs or bridges.
If you find yourself in this situation, you can integrate the Ring Alarm into the Ring Bridge – but it is not essential for it to function. If you find yourself in this situation, you can integrate the Ring Alarm into the Ring Bridge.
