Essentials

Essentials Fall 100: Why your home needs a Ring home security system with cameras this fall

By Lily Rose

Updated on: September 27, 2022 / 3:49 PM EDT / Essentials

CBS Essentials is created independently of the CBS News editorial staff. We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms.

cbsn-essentials-fall-100-2022-amazon-ring-8-piece-option1.jpg — CBS Essentials; Ring via Amazon

You can't be home all the time. Even when you are, you're not always alert, especially to things happening in your yard at night. Monitor and protect your home at all times with a Ring home security system -- it's one of our picks for the 100 most essential items to buy this fall.

Top products in this article:

Ring Alarm 8-piece kit with Ring Indoor Cam and Echo Show 5, $300 (reduced from $385)

$300 at Amazon

Ring Spotlight Cam, white (2-pack), $350 (reduced from $400)

$350 at Amazon

Ring Alarm Pro, 14-piece with built-in Eero Wi-Fi 6 router, $372

$372 at Amazon

Ring home security systems and cameras can help you a number of ways this fall. A Ring security camera will show you if anyone is messing with your Halloween decorations, or if critters are digging through your fall trash. Its motion sensor detects and records whatever (or whoever) is in your space, even at night -- Ring cameras offer night vision.

Ring home security camera doorbells also offer two-way talk between you and your visitors.

You can upgrade your Ring home security system to include Alexa Guard. The Alexa service alerts you to the possibility of a home invasion or fire and gives you 24/7 access to an emergency helpline you can call, just by saying "Alexa, call for help."

Amazon carries a variety of Ring products and Ring bundles. Some include top-rated Amazon tech such as the Echo Show 5 and the Echo Dot. We think the Ring Alarm 8-piece kit with Ring Indoor Cam and Echo Show 5 is a home security must-have, no matter if you're upgrading what you've got or buying Ring for the first time. This Ring bundle offers everything you're going to need to protect your home this fall.

Learn more about this fall essential below.

Ring Alarm 8-piece kit with Ring Indoor Cam and Echo Show 5

The set brings together three components: Amazon's video-capturing Echo Show 5; the Ring Indoor Cam; and, an eight-piece Ring Alarm system, featuring a Ring Alarm keypad, a base station, a motion detector, a range extender and four contact sensors. The bundle is rated 4.7 stars (out of 5) by Amazon users.

As with other Ring DIY home-security systems, other (sold-separately) pieces can be added as your needs change or grow. And, yup, because of the Amazon-Ring connection, the Ring Alarm system works with Alexa (as do the Ring Indoor Cam and Echo Show 5, natch).

Ring Alarm 8-piece kit with Ring Indoor Cam and Echo Show 5, $300 (reduced from $385)

$300 at Amazon

More Ring home security systems and cameras

Shop even more Ring home security systems and cameras. Some of these Ring packages are on sale now.

Ring Spotlight Cam security camera (2-pack)

Ring Spotlight Cam twin-pack — Ring/Amazon

Ring Spotlight Cams capture HD-quality video. Each features a built-in alarm and LED lights. Being an Amazon brand, the cameras work with Alexa voice commands and compatible Echo devices.

All this connectedness allows you to get motion-activated alerts on your device of choice. You can even remotely communicate with visitors.

Ring Spotlight Cam, white (2-pack), $350 (reduced from $400)

$350 at Amazon

Ring Video Doorbell bundle with Echo Show 5

Ring Video Doorbell with Echo Show 5 — Ring/Amazon

The Ring video doorbell bundle features a 1080p HD outdoor camera with enhanced features that let you see, hear and speak to anyone from your phone, tablet or PC.

Receive mobile notifications when anyone presses your doorbell or triggers your built-in motion sensors.

Ring Video Doorbell bundle with Echo Show 5, $140 (reduced from $185)

$140 at Amazon

Ring Video Doorbell 3 with Echo Dot

The doorbell camera offers Alexa functionality and captures HD-quality video of your visitors, both expected and unexpected.

It allows for two-way talk between your visitor and you when you're monitoring the goings-on from your connected device, including the Echo Dot that comes with this bundle.

Ring Video Doorbell with Echo Dot, $240 (reduced from $250)

$240 at Amazon

Ring Alarm Pro 14-piece system

The 14-piece system features a built-in Eero Wi-Fi 6 router, and comes with two Ring Alarm keypads, a base station, a range extender, eight contact sensors and two motion-detector devices.

One Amazon customer, who claims in a review to have previously paid "ungodly sums of money" to a traditional security company, says a system like the 14-piece Ring Alarm Pro is a relative bargain.

"This Ring Alarm has the upfront cost of several hundred dollars… BUT," the customer wrote in a 5-star review of the Ring Alarm Pro, "[n]ow we have a great system at a fraction of the cost that is much more modern, controls well from our phones, and is easily scalable if we want to add more components, sensors, etc."

Ring Alarm Pro, 14-piece with built-in Eero Wi-Fi 6 router, $380

$380 at Amazon

Ring Alarm 8-piece kit with Ring Video Doorbell

The 8-piece Ring Alarm kit features a Ring Alarm keypad, a base station, a motion detector, a range extender and four contact sensors. Setup is a snap, according to Amazon reviewers.

"If you're somewhat tech savvy you won't have a problem setting this up," wrote an Amazon customer. "The materials provided upon unboxing were sufficient enough to guide me to setting up and installing this security system without any prior experience."

Ring Alarm 8-piece kit with Ring Video Doorbell, $340

$340 at Amazon

Ring Video Doorbell 4 (2021)

Ring Video Doorbell 4 with Ring Floodlight Cam — Ring/Amazon

"The video quality is really good and the night vision works great too," a verified bundle buyer wrote in a 5-star Amazon review. "As you can see from my video I finally caught what was rummaging through my trash barrels at night."

(Spoiler alert for those who didn't click to read the review -- or review the video: A critter was the culprit.)

Ring Video Doorbell 4 (2021 release), $380 (reduced from $420)

$380 at Amazon

The CBS Essentials Fall 100

Want the secret to the perfect fall? The shopping experts at CBS Essentials (that's us!) have compiled the first-ever Essentials Fall 100, a list of the 100 most essential products of fall 2022.

These must-have items include bestsellers, seasonal favorites, top-rated products and hotly anticipated new gadgets including the new Apple iPhone 14, Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple AirPods Pro 2. Before you buy anything this season, check out the CBS Essentials Fall 100 list for the best in tech, kitchen gadgets such as coffee makers, 4K TVs and streaming boxes, home appliances such as washers and dryers, robot vacuums, must-have apparel, cozy furniture, fall decor, Halloween costumes, Thanksgiving turkeys and more.