Ring Retrofit Alarm Kit | Convert Wired Security Contact Sensors to Ring Smart System | Compatible with Most Door & Motion Sensors| Pro Install Recommended | Base Station Required

Very easy install. I did myself in 20 min.You will need ring base as well for this to work.

If you’re not handy with wiring, you may want some help. That’s what I ended up doing. I am SO impressed with how it seamlessly integrated with my legacy alarm system. Primarily removing the need for the ring door sensors, improving the look and need to maintain. Great device!

This worked exactly as promised, and installation was pretty quick (if you have the least bit of experience working with wiring). The hard part was identifying which wires in my existing system went with what sensors, but after that it was easy. You also have to able to do a continuity test to make sure your sensors are N.C. sensors (not N.O.). That is, the circuit is completed when a door is closed, and broken when it's opened.The reason I chose Ring for my alarm system was that they offered this device. I could not find any other alarm system that would allow me to use my existing door sensors. I paid a lot to get the original system installed, including wiring to each door sensor that is completely hidden. This device allowed me to reuse 7 door sensors without having to mount the conspicuous wireless sensors on the edge of each door.

Everything transitioned over with the exception of the motion and glass break detectors. Installation was easy.Keep in mind these two devices were 30 years old.

This review is for the Ring Retrofit Kit only. Other components of the Ring Alarm System are reviewed elsewhere.I decided to install the Ring Retrofit kit to replace the legacy alarm system that came with my home. My original system had 20+ alarm circuits. I installed two retrofit kits to transfer 16 of the existing circuits to a new Ring Alarm system.This was a very doable DIY project. It will help if you have a clear understanding of your existing system. Find the wiring diagram for your old system and study it. Take lots of photos and label everything. It helps if you make sure all of your alarm circuits are working BEFORE you do the retrofit. I needed to replace two of the magnetic sensors in my windows before I could attempt the retrofit.You use the Ring app to add circuits one at a time. Disconnect the circuit from the existing system, and then connect the wires into the Ring Retrofit module. I needed to add extra length to most of the circuit wires, so you might need a spool of alarm wire, and some wire connectors to complete the circuit. Once the circuit is connected, the app will ask you to open and close the associated window/door for testing. Repeat the process for each sensor circuit that you add.Traditional alarm systems include a resistor in the circuit in order to detect tampering. My system had the resistors in the alarm box, so I could just reconnect the existing wires to the retrofit kit. A lot of reviewers are concerned about the need for resistors. My reading of the Ring documents seem to indicate that any wiring arrangement will work with the retrofit kit (resistor or not), as long as there is not a short circuit or broken wire.PROS:The retrofit kit allows you to use the existing sensors in your home. This not only saves money, but it also gives a “cleaner” look to your home when you don’t have to have clunky wireless sensors attached to each window and door.This is a project that a homeowner with a reasonable wiring knowledge can do alone. Save the cost of professional installation.Very reliable system. I’ve had zero problems after six months.There really aren’t any other options for retrofitting an older alarm system. Ring is about the only one out there.CONS:You can’t connect wired motion detectors or smoke/fire detectors to this system. Ring sells alternative devices for this, but it would be nice if you could use the devices that are already wired into your house.Each retrofit kit only supports 8 alarm circuits. I installed two retrofit kits for my system, but I really needed three. It would be nice if they was a larger capacity kit with more circuits.The retrofit modules are battery powered only. Ring claims the batteries will last years, and my batteries still show full charge after six months. However, it would be nice if you could power the modules directly, and avoid the cost and hassle of battery replacement. I was able to use the power in my old alarm system to power my new Ring keypads using the existing wiring in the walls. This isn’t an option with the retrofit kit.No Siri/ Homekit integration. Ring devices only work with Alexa. If you’re a HomeKit user, you’re out of luck. However the Ring app is very useable. This hasn’t been a problem for me.

I have/had a Guardian Security alarm system with 5 wired zones connected into a Honeywell Vista 20P control panel. It took me several hours to figure out what wire went to what zone, and how to connect it all. I'm sharing this in the hopes it helps others out there with a similar dilemma. It works great once you know what to do!I connected 4 wired doors and 1 wired motion sensor to my new Ring Security system with this retrofit kit. In hindsight, had I known, I probably would have saved myself hours of trouble tinkering with things and trying to get the power to work (it wasn't being monitored, so I had to figure it all out on my own), and ultimately just not messed with the wired motion sensor and have just put a wireless one up. This is because, (after the fact) I figured out that (in my case) ONLY the wired motion sensor needed to be connected to the Honeywell control panel, and required connection to a power outlet and backup. To make that a bit clearer, all 4 doors only had 2 wires (a black & a red wire) which BOTH connected into the retrofit kit. They don't require power. The motion sensor DOES require power to work - (it has 4 wires: green/white to retrofit, and black & red to control panel for power). For the motion sensor, this means it requires power through the transformer (plug) AND a battery backup.(My battery backup had died, so I ordered another on Amazon, and got a scary-defective one. The first one I bought I noticed it was warm and made a sizzling sound like the acid was boiling inside! Amazon refunded me and I ordered another replacement and it's working fine - just sharing because that was scary and I didn't know it was a possibility/risk. All good now.)After labeled all the wires, I connected the four doors to zones 1-4 (red/connector to the zone, and the black goes to their respective common terminals). Zone 5 is my motion sensor - so the red & black go to terminals 4 & 5 (respectively) on the Vista 20P control panel, and the green goes to designate zone 5, where the white goes to the common shared by zones 5&6.The other thing to note about the motion sensor / detector is how ring 'sees' it. It thinks it's a door. You can label it whatever you want, but it's either open (motion is sensed) or closed (no motion detected). No big deal, just worth noting for those who didn't think motion sensors could work with the Ring system... it can. See photos for screenshot showing it's connected, and it's current status of closed/no motion.I took painstaking efforts to keep things straight and to label things, and to provide photos. I'm NOT a technical person and have never done anything like this before. I was able to figure it out with a lot of frustration and stubbornness, and hope my pictures help others figure theirs out. Overall, we love our new system and are enjoying having wired and wireless devices connected. If this helped you, let me know with a thumbs up. Good luck!

I was able to connect wired sensors from my old alarm into the ring system. The setup and wiring is easy, and the installation using the ring App was easy and very logical. Wire a channel, test channel, move to next channel. I was able to connect 7 channels from my old alarm in about an hour.

Product is a great addition for those who have an alarm system already. It has a nice feel and works great. It is a bit expensive provided what it does and it really should have a plug in option not just battery powered. However it does work well.

Works great. I managed to install everything and it was all relatively easy to do. The wired sensors work perfectly with the Ring Alarm. Having said this the motions seem to be triggering the alarm even when the entry/exit delay is in progress during away mode. I suspect this is a software issue. Other than this everything is working great.