Thinking about buying a Ring camera? Whether that’s a smart doorbell or security camera, you wouldn’t be alone, as Ring offers some of the most popular home security devices on the market.
The short answer is no – Ring video doorbells and Ring security cameras do not require a subscription.
Ring does offer subscription plans to its customers, but these are optional and are not needed for the basic functioning of Ring’s smart doorbells or home security cameras.
If you want to know what the various Ring subscriptions provide, however, this short guide will tell you everything you need to know.
The Different Ring Subscription Plans
Ring’s subscriptions are called Ring Protect Plans. There are three tiers to these subscriptions, which are:
Ring Protect Basic Plan
Ring Protect Plus Plan
Ring Protect Pro Plan
Put simply, you’ll only need to subscribe to a Ring Protect Plan if you want to save and store the videos your Ring doorbell or Ring security camera records (see also: Do Ring Cameras Record All The Time?).
There are two main reasons for saving your videos: reviewing captured footage at a later time or storing your recordings on a personal hard drive (like a laptop, computer, or phone), which can then be shared or uploaded.
To do any of these, subscribing to a Ring Protect Plan is required because Ring devices do not have local storage.
As a result, saving recordings is done via cloud storage, which therefore requires one of the above Ring subscription plans.
What’s The Difference Between The Ring Protect Plans?
Whether or not you subscribe to a Ring Protect Plan, all Ring devices will provide a live video stream, custom motion detection, ring and motion (see also: What Is Motion Warning On Ring)alerts, and remote interaction with visitors.
The main difference between having a Ring Protect Plan and not is that subscribing to a Ring Protect Plan will provide cloud storage (60 days) for saving, backing up, and transferring recorded videos.
Below, we’ve listed the main benefits of each Ring Protect Plan: Basic, Plus, and Pro.
Ring Protect Basic is the cheapest plan while Ring Protect Pro is the most expensive plan. All Ring plans can be paid monthly or annually, with annual payments providing a small discount.
Ring Protect Basic
Covers one Ring device only
1-year warranty
Ring Protect Plus
Covers all Ring devices at one address
Extended warranty
Cellular backup for Ring Alarm
Professional monitoring for Ring Alarm
10% off Ring products
Ring Protect Pro
Covers all Ring devices at one address
Extended warranty
Cellular backup for Ring Alarm
Professional monitoring for Ring Alarm
Store videos with Ring Alarm Pro hub
3GB monthly backup with Ring Alarm Pro
10% off Ring products
What If I Don’t Subscribe To A Ring Protect Plan?
If you are not subscribed to a Ring Protect Plan, you’ll only get access to the free features of Ring video doorbells and Ring home security cameras. These are:
Live video stream
Remote interaction with visitors
Motion detection
Ring and motion alerts
All of these can be accessed and customized via the Ring app.
So the main difference is that, without a Ring Protect Plan, you won’t be able to save, review, store, and upload recorded footage.
Otherwise, your Ring device will work as normal and do everything that it should.
Aside from cloud storage, Ring subscriptions provide other benefits such as extended warranties, bonus features compatible with the Ring Alarm device, and discounts for other Ring products.
Is A Ring Protect Plan Subscription Worth It?
As mentioned, the main reason for signing up for a Ring subscription (Ring Protect Plan) is to be able to access and save video recordings.
All Ring devices—including video doorbells and security cameras—do not come with local storage, so subscribing to a Ring Protect Plan is required if you want to view, transfer, or share/upload your video recordings via Ring’s cloud storage.
By subscribing to a Ring Protect Plan, all live streams recorded on your Ring device(s) will be securely stored online for 60 days.
But above all, it’s worth asking yourself what your Ring device will be primarily used for.
If you’ll be using a Ring video doorbell to privately see who’s at the door and remotely communicate with visitors, then subscribing to a Ring Protect Plan for cloud storage probably won’t be necessary, or worth it.
If, however, you’ll be using your Ring device for home security purposes and surveillance, then subscribing to a Ring Protect Plan will be worth it – and also necessary.
This is especially true if you’re planning to get a Ring home security camera.
Which Ring Subscription Do I Need For Multiple Ring Cameras?
If you have, or want to set up, multiple Ring cameras—for example, a Ring doorbell and several Ring home security cameras—then you’ll need to subscribe to the Ring Protect Plus Plan or Ring Protect Pro Plan.
Unlike the Ring Protect Basic Plan, Ring Protect Plus and Ring Protect Pro cover more than one Ring device.
Not only is this cheaper than paying a Ring Protect Basic for each Ring device you own, but subscribing to Ring Protect Plus or Ring Protect Pro will also provide extra benefits such as Ring product discounts and bonus compatibility with the Ring Alarm device.
As mentioned, though, you’ll only need to subscribe to a Ring subscription plan if you will use your device for security surveillance and, as a result, require cloud storage for reviewing and saving video recordings.
Conclusion
So, does Ring require a subscription?
The answer is no – you can use Ring video doorbells and Ring security cameras without subscribing to a Ring Protect Plan.
You won’t be able to access video recordings via Ring’s cloud storage, but you’ll still be able to view live video and communicate with visitors remotely.
As a result, the main reason to subscribe to a Ring Protect Plan is for home security and surveillance purposes – such as reviewing, saving, and transferring video recordings.
For both Ring smart doorbells and Ring security cameras, the plans cost the same and provide the same benefits.
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