Does Ring Alarm have a glass break sensor?

We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but Ring doesn’t have a glass break sensor to add to your Ring home security system. Wait! There’s another option for detecting glass breaks in your home and you don’t have to shell out extra cash for an additional sensor. Ring’s glass break option uses your existing smart home ecosystem and turns it into an extra pair of ears, with the power to call for help.

If you have a Ring Alarm already, chances are high you also have an Alexa-enabled smart device like the Amazon Echo, or Echo Show 10. After all, your Ring Video Doorbell can show you who’s at the door on the Echo Show 10 screen, or you can ask Alexa to bring up the backyard camera, just by asking. Did you know your Ring and Alexa devices can actually work in tandem to listen for and alert you to a break-in?

A Ring Alarm system has door and window sensors, plus motion detectors. It’s even possible to link your Ring home security system with Alexa to add special listening features, too. Alexa will listen for and alert you to the sound of breaking glass and even smoke alarms.

How does Ring Alarm detect glass breaks?

You’ll need to connect your Ring Alarm system to Amazon Alexa, and sign up for Alexa Guard. Ring Alarm will use Alexa’s built-in microphones to listen for problematic sounds. If an Echo device hears the sound of glass breaking while you’re away, Alexa can send what’s called a Smart Alert to your phone. The Smart Alert opens the Alexa app and you can replay an audio clip of the sound Alexa heard. You can also “Drop In” on the Echo device that sent the alert and listen to what’s happening in real time (Drop In, by the way, is like opening a live, two-way audio communication). If you have Ring Protect home monitoring service, you can request backup or help too. Ring recommends having an Alexa device in each space where you want Alexa listening for the best results. Alexa’s hearing is good, but not bionic, so if you have one in the living room, it’s not going to hear a glass break in the basement.

What exactly is Alexa Guard? It’s simply an opt-in feature that gives Alexa permission to listen for certain sounds in your home. For now, by the way, it’s only available in the U.S. You can read our primer, what to know before you enable Alexa Guard, here.

How do I connect my Echo to my Ring Alarm and set up Alexa Guard?

It’s easy to connect an Echo device to a Ring Alarm. First, add the Ring Alarm as an Alexa device in your Alexa app:

1. Open to the Alexa app.
2. Tap the Devices tab in the lower right corner of the screen.
3. Tap the + sign on the upper right corner to add a device.
4. Tap Security System.
5. Tap Ring.
6. Follow the detailed instructions in the Alexa app to add your Ring system to Alexa and then to set up Guard.

While Ring isn’t making a dedicated glass break detector, the upside is that you don’t need more sensors around the house. All you need to do is tap into your existing Alexa devices and use them as extra pairs of ears. You can create a whole home security net that should alert you quickly to any problems.