Understanding Duress Code for Ring Alarm

If you ever find yourself in an emergency situation where an intruder is in the house with you, and you need to request emergency help¹ but can’t call 911, sound the siren, or use the duress code.

To use this feature, you'll need to subscribe to Ring Home Standard or Premium and add-on Alarm Professional Monitoring (separate purchase required).

The duress code enables users to request emergency dispatch¹ silently via the Keypad. Simply enter the duress code instead of a regular personal access code and press the disarm button, and the Ring Alarm will appear to be disarmed, but a duress signal will be sent to the monitoring center and police will be dispatched without any calls to you or any of your emergency contacts. 

You can enter the duress code and press disarm even if your Ring Alarm is already in Disarmed Mode. It will still signal the monitoring center to request help without calling your contacts or sounding the siren.

How Duress Code works

The Ring account Owner, Shared Users and Guest Users at the Ring Alarm location can enter the duress code to "disarm" the system. The Base Station, Keypad and the app dashboard will reflect the Disarmed mode as usual, but a duress signal will be silently sent to the monitoring center requesting emergency dispatch.

The duress code can be entered when the Ring Alarm is in any mode. Even if the Alarm is already disarmed, entering the duress code and pressing Disarm will send the duress signal.

Choosing a Duress Code

The duress code cannot be the same as any other owner or user access code, and must have at least 2 digits that are different. 

Creating a Duress Code in the Ring app

Only the account Owner can create or reset a duress code for a location, using the app. All users will share a single duress code. Be sure to share your duress code with others inside your home, and explain that it should only be used in emergencies.

To create a new Duress Code:

1. Open the Ring app.
2. Tap the

   menu (☰)

   .
3. Tap

   Settings

   .
4. Tap

   Users & Pets

   .
5. Select

   Owner

   .
6. Tap

   Create Duress Code

   to create a new code.
7. Tap 

   Create Duress Code

   .
8. Follow the in-app steps to create your Duress Code. 

For security reasons, the duress code will not be visible within the app. If you forget the duress code, reset it in the app.

To reset Duress Code:

1. Open the Ring app.
2. Tap the

   menu (☰)

   .
3. Tap

   Settings

   .
4. Tap

   Users & Pets

   .
5. Select

   Owner

   .
6. Tap

   Reset

   Duress Code

   .
7. Follow the in-app steps to reset your Duress Code. 

How use Duress Code with the Keypad 

You can use the duress code to request help when Ring Alarm is in any mode (Armed Home, Armed Away, and Disarmed).

To use Duress Code:

1. Enter the duress code into the Keypad and press the Disarm button.
2. Wait for police to arrive. You will not get a call from the monitoring center.

Duress Code and Practice Mode¹

If you use Duress during the Practice Mode (requires an eligible Ring subscription), emergency responders will not be requested immediately.  You will receive an automated call from the Ring Monitoring center which will give you the option to speak with a live agent and request help.

Once you’re out of the Practice Mode and have Professional Monitoring,¹ you cannot test your duress code or practice disarming with it. Disarming Ring Alarm using the duress code - even for test purposes - will request emergency dispatch. You will not get a notification or be able to cancel the signal. You also will not receive a call to confirm the signal.

Additional information about Duress Code

Before using Duress Code in an emergency situation, it's important to remember:

• The alarm will

  NOT

  sound when you enter your Duress Code.

  It is a silent alarm.

   
• If you used the Duress Code, the keypad will appear to work normally, and your system will appear to be disarmed.
• The Duress signal is treated as a hostage situation and will result in police response.
• The Monitoring Center will

  NOT

  call you when they receive a Duress signal. 
• You can only test your Duress Code using the Duress Test feature within the app. You cannot test it out on your own. If you do, it will result in emergency response.