Virtual Security Guard setup guide

With Virtual Security Guard,¹ trained guards will monitor events on an enrolled device to evaluate and engage if necessary. Learn more about using Virtual Security Guard.

Setting up Virtual Security Guard

Step 1: Make sure you meet the eligibility requirements

View the full requirements for Virtual Security Guard.

Step 2: Purchase a Virtual Security Guard subscription

Subscription auto-renews until cancelled.

1. Sign in to your Ring account.
2. Select

   Plan

   in the main menu.
   • If you have more than one Location set up, select the one you’d like to subscribe to Virtual Security Guard.
3. Select

   Subscribe

   or

   Upgrade

   and choose Virtual Security Guard in the list of available plans.
4. Select

   Purchase

   and follow the remaining steps.

Important note: You can enable Extra Events anytime from the Plan tab on ring.com. Sign in to your Ring account, select Plan in the main menu, select the Location that is subscribed to Virtual Security Guard, and enable Extra Events in the Add-Ons section. Learn more about Extra Events here.

A Virtual Security Guard subscription costs $99 a month per location, which includes 175 Events. Events don’t roll over to the next month, but instead reset each month at the start of each billing cycle.

Step 3: Set up Virtual Security Guard

After you’ve purchased Virtual Security Guard, you’ll see the next steps to complete the setup and begin using the service.

During this process, you’ll be asked to:

• Enroll in Professional Monitoring

  ²

  if you don't already have this set up.
• Confirm the eligible cameras you want monitored. You must select at least one camera to activate the service.
• Confirm your emergency contacts and alert preferences. We recommend adding yourself as the first contact, then at least one other person.

After you’ve set up the service, you’ll get a welcome email in your inbox.

Step 4: Enable Live View and Motion Detection on enrolled cameras

With motion and live view enabled, guards will be notified and see what’s happening in real time. Learn more about Live View in the Ring app.

Virtual Security Guard will not work without these features enabled on enrolled cameras.

To turn on Live View for a specific camera:

1. Open the Ring app and tap the

   menu (☰)

   .
2. Tap

   Settings

   .
3. Tap

   Modes

   .
4. Select the

   Mode

   you’re interested in checking or updating.
5. Tap

   Cameras

   and select the camera.
6. Toggle on

   Live View

   for that camera.

To turn on Motion Detection for a specific camera:

1. Open the Ring app and tap the

   menu (☰)

   .
2. Tap

   Settings

   .
3. Tap

   Modes

   .
4. Select the

   Mode

   you’re interested in checking or updating.
5. Tap

   Cameras

   and select the camera.
6. Toggle on

   Motion Detection

   .

Important note: Motion events are only monitored by a guard if a person is detected by Ring's person detection feature.

Adjust your Motion frequency settings to Regularly or Frequently. You can disable monitoring of indoors while your system is in Home mode. To do this, go to Modes settings,³ select Home, and disable Motion Detection and Live View for your indoor cameras. This prevents guards from receiving events from your camera when the service is active in Home mode and from accessing your camera’s Live View.

Step 5: If you have a Ring Alarm, enable Video Verification

Turn on Video Verification to make sure there are no gaps in video monitoring coverage when your Ring Alarm is triggered but, cameras didn't pick up motion.

To turn on Video Verification:

1. Open the Ring app and tap the

   menu (☰)

   .
2. Tap

   Settings

   .
3. Tap

   Monitoring.
4. Tap

   Video Verification

   under the settings section.
5. Switch on the toggle for each camera you’d like to activate.
6. Tap

   Authorize

   .

Step 6: Make sure your cameras aren’t using video end-to-end encryption

Video end-to-end encryption must be turned off for cameras enrolled in Virtual Security Guard. Ring already encrypts your videos by default when they’re uploaded to the cloud and stored on Ring servers.

End-to-end encryption disables certain Ring features when enabled. Learn more about end-to-end encryption.

To turn off end-to-end encryption for an enrolled Ring camera:

1. Open the Ring app to the main dashboard.
2. Tap

   Control Center.
3. Tap

   Video Encryption.
4. Select

   Advanced Video Encryption.
5. Select the

   Enrolled

   camera.
6. Unenroll the camera from end-to-end encryption.

Step 7A: Activate Virtual Security Guard by setting your mode to Home or Away.

When Virtual Security Guard is active (in Home or Away Mode):

• You’ll see the

  blue banner

  that says 'Virtual Security Guard Active' on the Ring app’s main dashboard.

• You will get a

  text alert

  that you armed the service.
  • Important note

    : You can turn off these alerts in Virtual Security Guard settings in the Ring app.
• You will see Virtual Security Guard on the arming takeover screen, along with a green check mark. If it shows a red X, the service is not armed.
• When people are detected on your enrolled cameras by Ring's person detection feature, you may receive text alerts and hear guards talking on the camera’s speaker.
• In some situations, your emergency contacts may get a text or call from a guard letting them know an event needs attention.
  • Make sure to add your emergency contacts as Shared Users on your Ring account so they can view the video in any text alerts they receive.

    Learn how to add and manage Shared Users.
  • Be sure that your emergency contacts have agreed to be listed as such and know they may be contacted by Virtual Security Guard.

Step 7B: Check your cameras are not part of a Linked Devices group

Linked devices are not supported for Virtual Security Guard.

1. Open the Ring app to the main dashboard.
2. Tap the menu (☰).
3. Tap Device Settings.
4. Tap the

   Linked Devices

   tile on your Device Dashboard.
5. Make sure no device triggers a “records event" on your enrolled device.
   • The camera icons should all be deselected.
6. Tap

   Save

   .

Tips for using Virtual Security Guard

• To use Virtual Security Guard without any interruptions, be sure to

  keep meeting the eligibility requirements

  .
• Both you and your emergency contacts can opt out of text alerts anytime. Alerts will always be sent from this number: +1-424-300-8338. Please save this number to your phone contacts. To opt out of text alerts, reply

  STOP

  to this number. To opt back in, send

  START

  as a text message to this number.
• If you need help with Virtual Security Guard or would like to stop using the service at any time, contact us at

  1-866-894-8282

  . This is a Ring Customer Support line dedicated to Virtual Security Guard.