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Vivint vs. Ring: Which home security system is better? – CNET [CNET]
When deciding on a home security system, the central question often comes down to how much DIY you’re willing to perform to get it done. How you answer that one also can radically alter the amount of money you’ll ultimately pay for such a system — a number inversely proportionate to the amount of DIY work you’re willing to put into it.
That cost/benefit equation in particular rises to the top when comparing security systems from rivals Vivint and Amazon-owned Ring. Vivint skews high on the cost axis, but magnificently low on the DIY axis. Ring, conversely, ranks low on cost (which is good) but high on DIY, which can be anywhere from bad to good, depending on your DIY acumen.
Many of the available features are must-haves for any smart security system worth its sale — smart displays, connected cameras, etc. Where it gets complicated is in sussing out which of the other features you require for your individual application. Do you need more flood sensors or fewer? Does your home have multiple entryways (which may or may not include a garage) or just one front door? The list goes on.
Here, we take a look at integrated security systems from both Vivint and Ring, paying special attention to the cost breakdown. The response to which system is best for you are detailed as much as possible at the end, with the answer determined by where you fall on the cost/DIY continuum mentioned above.
Let’s start with the system that’s breathtakingly painless to install (because someone else does it for you) but, generally speaking, you’ll pay more for that privilege: Vivint.
Ring Security System
Less well-integrated, but also way, way cheaper
Chris Monroe/CNET
Starter kits for the Ring Security System costs between $200 and $330, or about half the price tag of the Vivint starter kit. Plus, Ring offers two subscription tiers at a fraction of Vivint’s price: $30 or $100 per year (you can pay by the month instead, but it costs more). The cheapest Ring starter kit gets you five devices: A base station, one keypad, one contact (aka door and window) sensor, one motion sensor and one range extender.
Upgrading to the $250 kit that CNET’s Molly Price tested in 2020, you get everything in the five-piece kit plus three additional door and window sensors. The $330 kit adds an extra keypad, a total of eight contact sensors and an extra motion sensor.
Unfortunately, however, there’s one crucial piece of equipment missing — a smart display to act as a hub. Thankfully, the Amazon most comparable to the included Vivint hub — the Echo Show 8 — will only run you about $80 if you can find it on sale, which it almost always is. So, you’re still paying considerably less than for the Vivint starter kit when you choose Ring. Here are the other add-ons you may consider:
- Ring outdoor camera ($100)
- Ring outdoor camera with spotlight ($200 each)
- Ring door and window sensor ($20)
- 3rd Generation Amazon Echo Dot ($40, serves as glass break and other emergency noise sensor)
- Kwikset Smart Lock ($118, same model Vivint offers)
- Amazon Smart Plugs ($25 each)
- Ring 3 Video Doorbell ($140, wired version)
- Ecobee Smart Thermostat ($249)
- Ring Motion Sensor ($30)
- Ring flood and freeze sensor ($35)
- Ring smoke and CO detector ($35)
- myQ garage door opener ($30 — does not, however, work with Alexa)
Some quick back-of-the-napkin math shows that David’s Vivint setup would cost about $1,700 with the comparable (where available) Ring or Ring-compatible devices. This eliminates, however, the smart storage drive option, which Vivint is phasing out anyway, and the car guard, for which there is no similar ring device. Those omissions bring the total cost of David’s setup down to about $3,230, or still nearly twice was a comparable Ring system would cost.
The only downside, of course, is that you’re going to be the one installing all those devices, both physically in places around your home, but also electronically, by connecting the various apps and services to your Ring Security System.
Conclusion: Add your DIY ability to your budget to get your answer
With about a $1,500 price difference between the more expensive Vivint security system and the far less-expensive (but more DIY-intensive) Ring system, it might be worth it to you to learn the DIY skills necessary to install the Ring system and save all that money. But if the time it would take you to learn how to install and connect all of those ring devices would be better spent earning that $1,500 at, for example, your day job, by all means, outsource it.
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