Question

What are the advantages to the Ring cloud subscription service, versus other doorbell/camera options that will allow me to use my NAS cloud server as storage?  

Answer 1

I know it's only a few bucks and it certainly won't break the bank. But there are other 'smart' things out there (the Chamberlain MyQ garage door controller is first one that comes to mind) that require subscriptions, and this stuff will add up. It's partially the principal of it. I already have my own cloud storage; I don't want to pay subscription fees to store my data/info somewhere else. (I went with the meross for my garage door controller, btw. I haven't hooked it up yet. )

Comments

Ok but how often are you going to use internet connection for a garage door opener? - Thats more of a novelty like my Rachio connected sprinkler controller, sure I CAN remotely control it, but in reality I don't touch it for months on end.  

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@frankiefrankincense - good question. my answer is probably: "meh, not often, if ever. " But my idea for my 'smart home' is that I would like to be able to if I wanted to.  

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I have the MyQ connection to my garage door. There is no fee associated to MyQ that I'm aware of. And it is a pretty cool system, especially when it comes to notifying me about my open door and automatically closing my door every night if I forgot to close it.  

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MyQ doesn't have a fee

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There is a fee for MyQ for smart home integration. No fee if you use the MyQ app of course. Also, they are giving 1 year free. Charges should start in July.  

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@wsan4230 yes no fee for myq

Answer 2

I know this question may be frowned upon in this group, but what are my alternatives?  

Comments

@shechem any other Poe system that goes into an nvr. If you have the ability to run cat 6 all over then yes must faster response time. I have a combo of a lorex 4k system and ring cameras and doorbells to fix the holes I couldn’t run cat 6 too or didn’t think of when I had them run the cat 6 to. The main advantage of the ring is its getting better at people detection. Google nest people detection is way better, but they don’t have all the spotlight cams etc.  

Answer 3

Ring's warranty through the subscription service is excellent. I had someone the other day with a 4 year old Flood cam, Microphone went bad, and they replaced it.  

Comments

The Ring Protect plan is $100/year? After 4 years at $100/year, it seems like expensive insurance, given that we expect our equipment to have a useful lifetime of at least somewhat longer than that.  

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@shechem If you look at it through the narrow scope of "ONLY " being a cost of insurance sure But you also get: - Unlimited Number of device storage to the cloud - Professional monitoring of their alarm system (ADT was charging at least $50 a month for just their alarm system) - Ability to review recordings you've missed Obviously it's more powerful plan the more devices and systems you're using on it.  

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@frankiefrankincense yep all of this

Answer 4

My main takeaway for myself it is one less thing to monitor & maintain. One less application on my network. One less troubleshooting issue if my network went down. BTW I have the myQ & it costs me nothing.  

Comments

Oh, I know that I read that they charged a fee to link it to other services, like IFTTT or Alexa. Maybe they changed is since I bought the meross. I haven't had a need to look into since then.  

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@shechem yes - they charge for their bridge and some additional connectivity. @look is incorrect. They also just cut ties with Wink.  

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No they don't. I have myQ connected to Google and ifttt. No fee. No cost.  

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@alard they used to charge for ifttt for a small amount of time and then the fee went away.  

Answer 5

From a functional point of view, nothing. What makes a difference is remote access, ability to install when no wiring is present, and low (er) costs than other brands. Are there better? Yes, they cost a lot more. Are there cheaper? Yes, with either fewer options or fewer features. Only you can decide which one suits your needs

Answer 6

If you're technical enough to know what a NAS device is you're probably better off using that. Ring is pretty "dumbed down" for everyday people to use.  

Answer 7

I like the works with ring products. Ring is more than just cloud storage.