ring Retrofit Alarm Kit User manual
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Retrofit Alarm Kit
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Welcome to the
Ring Retfofit Alarm Kit
Thank you for choosing the Ring Retrofit Alarm Kit. Please read all of these
instructions before you begin the installation.
This is an advanced DIY project. We recommend that you consult a professional
before installing the Retrofit Alarm Kit.
Professional alarm installers and licensed electricians are experienced with wiring
projects, are familiar with using tools such as multimeters to test electrical wiring,
and can read and interpret electrical schematics. We advise you not to install this
yourself if you are inexperienced in any of these areas.
This manual is for informational purposes only.
Working with electricity can be dangerous unless proper safety
precautions are taken. If you are not comfortable or are inexperienced
with the processes and tools described in these instructions, we
recommend that you hire a licensed electrician or professional alarm
installer.
You are responsible for ensuring that you do not have any existing contractual obligations
regarding your existing alarm system. You are also responsible for any changes or damage
to your existing alarm system.
This device is designed to operate in a particular region and is not intended to be used or
distributed outside of that region.
If you are using hardwired smoke, CO, or heat detectors or other
life safety devices, we strongly recommend that you get a licensed
professional to do any work on your wired alarm panel. Disconnecting
power will result in the deactivation of your hardwired life safety devices.
Do not attempt to install the Ring Retrofit Alarm Kit yourself.
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1. Alarm box or alarm cabinet.
The metal box that holds your wired alarm equipment.
2. Alarm panel. The circuit board that functions as the brains of your wired
security system. All device and zone wires, along with electrical and battery
backup wires connect to the panel.
3. Battery backup. The extra battery located inside your alarm panel which
supplies power temporarily if the electricity goes out.
4. Transformer / power supply. This is the device that plugs into your wall
outlet to supply power to your alarm panel.
Understand your wired alarm panel
Common wired alarm components
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Sensor Zone
Zone Common
5. Contact sensor zones. A zone is a closed wired loop that contains one or
more devices. Zones are used as a way of grouping several sensors or
devices together for eciency. Contact sensor zones are two-wire zones
with one or more contact sensors.
6. End of line resistors. Small wires with resistors on them used to reduce
the flow of electricity, indicating the end of a zone.
7. Terminal. A connection point that secures the wires to the alarm panel.
It will often hold each wire in place with a screw or a clip.
Wire nuts or wire connectors. (Not shown) Small plastic pieces
secured over the end of any connection between two wires for safety.
Each alarm panel will look dierent depending on the brand, model,
location of the alarm panel, size of the home, security components,
and other factors. Your panel may look dierent, but it will likely have the
same components and work the same way. If you are not experienced
in wired alarm equipment modification, we recommend that you consult
a professional.
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Sensor Zone
Zone Common
Please note: Traditional wired alarm systems are often wired to include multiple door and
window contact sensors within a single zone. This means that the settings for a wired zone
will likely include several wired contact sensors. When you add a wired zone to your Ring
Alarm, customized settings will apply to all sensors within that zone.
Sensor Zone
Zone Common
Supported sensor types
We suggest using the Ring Retrofit Alarm Kit with wired door and window contact
sensor zones.
Ring Alarm cannot activate wired indoor and outdoor sirens, or wired smoke or
CO detectors. If you see these on your Alarm panel, please do not attempt to add
them to the Retrofit Alarm Kit.
Optional wired alarm components
These items may be connected to your wired alarm panel, depending on your
specific configuration. All of these items require an external power source to
work properly:
• Motion detectors • Carbon monoxide detectors • Smoke detectors
• Glass break sensors • Indoor or outdoor sirens • Keypads
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You should also know
Ring Alarm Required. You need to have a Ring Alarm Base Station set up at
your location before you begin to add the Retrofit Alarm Kit and connect it to
your wired contact sensor zones. Your Ring Alarm Base Station will need to be
connected to the internet via Wi-Fi or ethernet, and cannot be on cellular backup
during installation.
Compatibility. To see if the Ring Retrofit Alarm Kit will work with the contact
sensor zones wired to your alarm panel, you’ll need to verify the resistance
on your zones. Check your alarm panel and documentation to confirm
compatibilibty.
The Ring Retrofit Alarm Kit design supports a maximum resistance of up to
5200 ohms under all conditions of temperature, battery, etc, with or without
end of line resistors. This is intended to tolerate 4.7K, 1K or 2K end of line
resistors commonly found in wired systems.
Add Up to 8 Zones at a Time. You can wire up to 8 zones with one Retrofit Alarm
Kit. If you have more than 8 zones, you can add additional Retrofit Alarm Kit
devices to the same Ring Alarm.
Document Everything. If you need assistance from Ring Support, having
documentation in the form of photographs and notes will help them identify any
issues faster and help you resolve them.
The Retrofit Alarm Kit is designed for residential use. It is not designed to
work with large commercial security systems.
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Tools and supplies you may need
for installation
Required supplies:
• Ring Retrofit Alarm Kit, with the included #1 Phillips head screwdriver
• A screwdriver that fits your existing wired alarm panel terminals
• A continuity tester or multimeter
Additional supplies you may need:
• A wire stripping tool
• Extra 20 or 22 gauge wire
• Twist on wire nuts or wire connectors
• Cleaning cloth or alcohol to clean the wall before using the included
mounting tape
• If you prefer to mount this device using screws, two screws and anchors to
mount the Retrofit Alarm Kit on the wall near your wired alarm panel,
plus a drill bit
• Masking tape and a pen, or some other method to label the wires
• If you plan to wire your Retrofit Alarm Kit through a hole in the metal alarm box,
make sure there is a rubber grommet around the hole to protect the wires
from damage. If it is missing, we recommend getting a replacement rubber
grommet at your local home improvement store.
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Preparing for installation
Locate your wired alarm panel inside your home, and familiarize yourself
with the components. It may be located in a basement or inside a closet.
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ARMED
READY 5 6
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1. Open your wired alarm panel. If it’s
locked, the key is often located right
on top of the panel box or
somewhere nearby.
2. Take photos to document your
current setup:
• The open alarm panel
• Wiring diagrams or schematics
• Anything else you can find about
your alarm system
3. Look for any written labels, lists of
zones, or descriptions to help you
map the zones to specific sensors.
Check inside the cover of the alarm
panel, or inside the cover of the wired
alarm keypad. If you find information,
take a photo of it.
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4. Label the wires for each zone using
labels or masking tape to keep track
of them during the wiring process.
5. Visually inspect the wiring and make
sure that none of it appears to be
damaged or cut. Check for corrosion,
frayed wiring, visible cracks in the
casing, and any damage to the alarm
panel itself. If you find signs of
damage or wear, the zones may not
work with the Retrofit Alarm Kit.
6. Identify other important parts of the
alarm panel, including the
transformer or power supply and the
backup battery. When you are ready
to begin wiring the Retrofit Alarm
Kit, you’ll need to make sure you’ve
properly disconnected power to the
alarm panel.
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7. Think about where you want to set
up the Retrofit Alarm Kit. Make sure
there is space on the wall nearby.
It cannot be mounted inside the
wired alarm panel box as this could
block communication signals to the
Ring Alarm.
8. Make sure your wired alarm system
is not actively professionally
monitored. If your existing wired
alarm system is actively monitoring
your home, call the monitoring
center and ask them to put your
system in “Test Mode”. If you skip
this step, you may set o your
Alarm during the Retrofit Alarm Kit
setup process.
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Setup instructions
Add the Retrofit Alarm Kit to the Ring app.
You’ll need to have a Ring account with a Ring Alarm system set up at your
location first before you can set up and use the Retrofit Alarm Kit.
Add the Retrofit Alarm Kit to the Ring app:
1. Open the Ring app.
2. Tap the Menu (three lines in the upper left corner), and select Set Up a Device.
3. Tap Security Devices.
4. Tap Retrofit Alarm Kit.
5. Tap Retrofit Alarm Kit again.
6. Tap Ready.
7. The Ring app will take you step-by-step through the process of
adding the device.
• First, open the front cover. The app will prompt you to scan the QR code on
the cover or on the card located inside the box.
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• Next, pull the battery tab to power on the Retrofit Alarm Kit. It will
power on and begin to communicate with your Ring Alarm.
• The Ring app will prompt you to configure the device. You can give it a
name and add it to a room.
8. Move the Retrofit Alarm Kit to the place where it will be installed near the
wired alarm panel. This may be in a basement or closet. Do not mount it on
the wall yet.
9. Run the communication test in the app to ensure that the Retrofit Alarm Kit
can send a signal to the Ring Alarm Base Station.
• If you see the light flash green, it passed the test.
• If you see the light flash red, the test failed.
• If the communication test fails, you should repeat the test. If it continues to
fail, you can add a Range Extender between the Retrofit Alarm Kit and the
Base Station in order to strengthen the Z-Wave signal. You can also try moving
your Ring Alarm Base Station closer to the alarm panel.
10. When the communication test passes, the Ring app will show all zones as
Available or Ready to Test, and you are ready to move on.
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Wiring up the Retrofit Alarm Kit
1. Disconnect the power to your alarm panel.
Unplug the AC power supply. The transformer may have a safety screw that
will need to be unscrewed before you can unplug it.
Disconnect the battery backup for safety. Remove both the red and black
wires from the battery terminals.
If you can’t unplug the AC power, we recommend that you switch o the
breaker at the fuse box. After you successfully disconnect the power to the
alarm panel, you can turn the breaker back on to provide lighting while
you work.
2. Choose where to mount the Retrofit Alarm Kit.
The Retrofit Alarm Kit should be mounted near the wired alarm panel box,
but not inside it. We recommend mounting it on the wall next to the wired
alarm panel. Do not mount near combustible or flammable surfaces.
3. Mount the Retrofit Alarm Kit.
We suggest that you use the included double-sided tape located on
the back of the Retrofit Alarm Kit. You can also use screws and anchors
(not included) for the type of wall you’ll be mounting it to.
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4. Test your wired zones.
Checking the integrity of your wired contact sensor zones will ensure that the
zones can be connected to the Retrofit Alarm Kit. Wired contact sensor zones
must create a complete closed loop in order to work properly with Retrofit
Alarm Kit.
Before you begin this step, check that all doors and windows are closed. To test
your contact sensor zone using a continuity tester or multimeter:
A. Identify which zones are contact sensor zones using the alarm diagram.
B. Remove one contact zone (2 wires) from your wired alarm panel.
C. Turn on your multimeter and set it to measure resistance.
D. Wrap one end of the exposed zone wire around one of the testing probes.
E. Wrap the other zone wire around the other probe. (Be careful not to
touch the probes.)
If the zone test is successful, the multimeter will show a number.
This number will vary based on your system. If the number is between
0 and 5200 ohms, congrats! This zone can be successfully wired to the
Retrofit Alarm Kit.
If the number is larger than 5200 ohms, the resistance is too great to work
with the Retrofit Alarm Kit.
If the zone test failed, the zone test will show the letters OL or Open Loop.
This means that the zone is open. Check that all doors and windows in your
home are closed. If everything is closed, there is no visible damage to the
wiring or sensors, and the tester still reads OL, then there is an issue within
that zone that needs to be diagnosed and repaired. If not repaired, this
zone can’t be added to the Retrofit Alarm Kit.
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If the zone test shows the letters OL or Open Loop, the zone is open.
Check that all doors and windows in your home are closed. If everything
is closed, there is no visible damage to the wiring or sensors, and the tester
still reads OL, then there is an issue within that zone that needs to be
diagnosed and repaired. If not repaired, this zone can’t be added to the
Retrofit Alarm Kit.
If any of your zones fail the integrity test, we recommend that you hire a
professional alarm installer to repair the zone. Failures can be dicult to
diagnose and may have a variety of causes, including:
• The contact sensor hardware has been damaged.
• The wire is no longer connected to the sensor.
• The wiring inside the wall is broken or disconnected.
The Retrofit Alarm Kit will not work with wired zones that fail an
integrity test. If you cannot repair the wiring for a zone, wireless Ring Alarm
Contact Sensors can be used to secure the doors and windows in that
zone instead.
5. Next, make sure the wires are long enough.
If your wired alarm zones have short wires, you’ll need to lengthen the
wires to reach the Retrofit Alarm Kit using extra lengths of wire and the
wire nuts/connectors.
6. Keep the zones closed.
Make sure all doors and windows within the wired zones are closed before
you start rewiring them.
7. Begin wiring the zones, one at a time.
A. Choose an app zone for the zone wires. For each 2-wire zone, you’ll place
one wire alone in a numbered terminal and one “Common” terminal
labeled “C” on the Retrofit Alarm Kit. Each “C” can have up to two wires in it.
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Zone Number Connect the tow wires to
these side-by-side terminals
Zone 1 Terminal 1
Terminal C
Zone 2 Terminal C
Terminal 2
Zone 3 Terminal 3
Terminal C
Zone 4 Terminal C
Terminal 4
Zone 5 Terminal 5
Terminal C
Zone 6 Terminal C
Terminal 6
Zone 7 Terminal 7
Terminal C
Zone 8 Terminal C
Terminal 8
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B. Add the wires to the Retrofit Alarm Kit. Tighten the screw within each
terminal (using the included screwdriver) just enough so that the wires
don’t fall out.
C. If you’ve completed steps 1 and 2 correctly, check your Ring app. Zone 1
within the Ring app will now say Ready to Test.
Note: If your zone still says Available, you may need to open and close
a door or window to wake it up.
D. Tap the zone to begin the Zone Setup Test.
COmplete the test by opening and closing a door or window within
that zone. Take your smartphone and open the Ring app with you so
you can watch the test complete successfully while you open and close
the door.
Use this chart and illustration below to match the zone with the correct
terminals. Each Terminal C may have multiple wires.
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Note: Sometimes zones are incorrectly labeled. If the Zone Setup Test
does not successfully complete, follow the directions in the next step.
If your zones are not labeled or mislabeled, you will need to identify
them using trial and error. Look at the Ring app while you open and
close each door and window around your property to identify which
contact sensors are within the zone.
Make a note of which doors
and windows trigger that
zone so you can understand
how your alarm zones are
wired together.
8. When you have successfully completed the Zone Setup Test,
you can configure the zone settings using the Ring app.
A. Choose a name for the zone.
B. Assign the zone to a room or area so you can remember where the
zone is located.
C. Configure the Placement settings within the Ring app.
If a zone includes a door you use to enter and exit from frequently,
select Primary Door. The Primary Door option allows you to customize
Entry and Exit Delays.
If the zone is made up of only windows or doors that are never used,
select Window.
(If you have wired contact sensors on interior doors, you can choose
Secondary Door.)
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Note: If your zone includes both doors and windows, we recommend
that you choose “door” as the placement option to help reduce
false alarms.
Repeat these steps until all zones have been added to your
Retrofit Alarm Kit.
When you’re finished, slide the cover back on the Retrofit Alarm Kit.
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Using your Retrofit Alarm Kit
After you have completed your setup, you can arm and disarm your Ring Alarm
as usual. You can adjust your entry and exit delays within the Ring app at any
time. Click here to learn more about setting Entry and Exit delays.
Your Ring Retrofit Alarm Kit will work similar to your Ring Contact Sensors, but you
should remember that any settings you customize will apply to all wired sensors
within that zone, and not a single door or window.
If you want to test your Ring Alarm, temporarily switch your Ring Alarm from pro-
fessional monitoring to self-monitored (if applicable). This will allow you to set o
the alarm and sound the siren without sending a signal to request emergency
dispatch.
You can enable and disable zones on your Retrofit Alarm Kit as needed using the
Ring app. A disabled zone will not be armed when you arm your Ring Alarm in
Home or Away Mode.
If you need to temporarily bypass a door or window that uses a wired contact
sensor, you will need to bypass all zones on the Retrofit Alarm Kit. As an alternate
option, you can also disable that zone within the Ring app, and enable it when
you no longer need to bypass the sensor.
You can also learn how to add other types of wired zones to the
Retrofit Alarm Kit.
Visit Ring.com/retrofit to find tips for using Ring Alarm.
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Troubleshooting Tips
If the zones you succesfully added to the Ring Retrofit Alarm Kit stop working,
you can try these steps to get them back online.
Check the Retrofit Alarm Kit. Did any wires become loose or fall out of the
device? If so, reinstall the wires and ensure that they are securely placed
within the device.
Inspect the wiring and wired contact sensors. Take your time and visually
inspect any visible wiring and the wired contact sensor hardware, looking for
damage. If you’ve recently had construction, window replacement, or repairs
made on your property, it’s possible that a sensor may have become loose,
damaged, or accidentally removed.
Removing a zone. If you need to remove a wired zone from your Retrofit Alarm
Kit, simply open the app tap on the Menu,tap Devices,tap Alarm Base Sta-
tion, and tap Retrofit Alarm Kit. Tap the zone you wish to remove, and you’ll be
prompted to Reset your device screen. After you complete the reset and con-
firm, your zone will read Ready to Test. Simply remove the wires from the Retrofit
Alarm Kit, and the zone will be removed.
Need Help?
If you need additional help with the Ring Retrofit Alarm Kit, please reach out to
our dedicated support line at 800-656-1918.
To review your warranty coverage, please visit www.ring.com/warranty.
© 2019 Ring LLC or its affiliates.
Ring, Always Home, and all related logos are trademarks of Ring LLC or its affiliates.
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