Using Open Door Arming with Ring Alarm

Keep an eye on family and personal belongings outside your home while you arm your Ring Alarm System from inside with Open Door Arming. It gives you and your family the option to arm your Ring Alarm system from your Keypad while your door is open without accidentally triggering the Alarm Base Station siren or bypassing other open sensors by mistake.

What is Open Door Arming?

Open Door Arming allows Main Door sensors to stay open when entering Away Mode. Unlike other sensors, you will not be asked to bypass your Main Door if it is open while arming.

How does Open Door Arming work?

Open Door Arming allows you to arm Away Mode from your Keypad, or digitally from the Ring app¹, while your Main Door sensor is open. Once the Exit Delay has ended, the Keypad’s Exit Delay countdown will let you know exactly how much time is left before the Ring Alarm System siren starts to sound and an Exit Error is initiated.

If the door isn’t closed before the Exit Delay countdown ends, the door will begin to arm. There will be a brief Entry Delay, using the Entry Delay time set in Away Mode Settings, then the Ring Alarm System siren will sound and initiate an Exit Error.

Learn more about the Exit Error feature for Ring Alarm.

If you have a Ring Home Standard or Premium Plan and have added on Alarm Professional Monitoring², you will receive an automated call and have the opportunity to confirm or cancel emergency response being requested. After the Alarm is disarmed, you can use your system as normal.

If you don't have a Ring Home Standard or Premium Plan subscription and have not added on Alarm Professional Monitoring, you will not receive an automated call and will need to disarm their Alarm from the Keypad to restore the system to normal.

Open Door Arming and Exit Delay

When setup correctly, Open Door Arming and Exit Delay work together to help keep your home secure while providing much needed flexibility to your home security system. To make sure Open Door Arming and Exit Delay are working at their best it’s important to keep a few things in mind:

• If an Exit Delay for Away Mode is set to zero seconds, you won’t be able to turn on Open Door Arming. You will be asked if you would like bypass all sensors, including Main Doors that previously had Open Door Arming turned on.
• If a Mode Schedule attempts to arm the affected Main Door, an Exit Error will be triggered.

Turning on Open Door Arming

Turning Open Door Arming on in the Ring app is quick, easy, and can be changed at any time. Tap the Open Door Arming toggle when installing a new sensor or change the setting on one you’ve already connected by following these steps.

1. Open the Ring app.
2. Tap the

   menu (☰)

   .
3. Tap

   Devices

   .
4. Select the

   Main Door Contact Sensor.
5. Switch the

   Open Door Arming

   toggle switch to turn on.
6. Tap

   Continue

   to complete setup.

Frequently asked questions

Can I Turn On Open Door Arming on additional Main Doors, Secondary Doors, and Windows?

No. Open Door Arming is only available to sensors that support Main Door placement and can only be turned on for one Main Door sensor at a time. To change the placement of a sensor, navigate to Device settings in the Ring app and select the sensor your would like to update. Tap Placement settings and select Main Door.

Learn more about setting up and using Ring Alarm Contact Sensor.

Can I access Open Door Arming without a subscription?

Yes! Open Door Arming is available without a subscription. However, access to supporting features like digital arming and disarming from the Ring app is only available with a Ring Home Standard or Premium Plan subscription and have added-on Alarm Professional Monitoring.²

What are the differences between Contact Sensors and Retrofit Alarm Kit Zones?

Ring Alarm Contact Sensor (1st Gen), Contact Sensor (2nd Gen), and Outdoor Contact Sensor wirelessly monitor your doors and windows and can tell when they are left open. These wireless sensors work independently of one another allowing you to open one sensor without triggering another sensor in your home.

Learn more about Outdoor Contact Sensors

Retrofit Alarm Kit zones work by taking existing wired contact sensors from a conventional alarm system and connecting them to your Ring Alarm System. When one of these individually wired sensors within a zone is opened, the entire zone is considered to be open. If the system is set to Away Mode, the Alarm siren will be triggered.

Learn more about Retrofit Alarm Kits

I have a Retrofit Alarm Kit. Can I still turn on Open Door Arming?

Open Door Arming is available for Retrofit Alarm Kit zones with Main Door placement.

Learn more about Retrofit Alarm Kits zones.