Virtual Security Guard: A New Service Offering Peace of Mind When You’re Out of Range

By Leila Rouhi, President on September 28, 2021

Today, I’m excited to introduce Virtual Security Guard, a new subscription service that gives you the assurance and benefits of onsite security through third-party professional monitoring of your Ring cameras. Whether you are on vacation, asleep in bed, or at your kid’s soccer game, Virtual Security Guard helps keep your home or business safe and protected so you can focus on other things.

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Virtual Security Guard is launching with industry-leading monitoring company Rapid Response, and like all of Ring devices and services, is designed with customer control, security and privacy as top of mind. With Virtual Security Guard, you are in charge of which Ring outdoor cameras are professionally monitored and when. Simply set your Ring Alarm to Home or Away Mode, and Rapid Response’s highly trained agents will monitor your enrolled cameras any time Motion Alerts are triggered. Monitoring agents can quickly check Live View, see if people are in the frame, and depending on the situation, can intervene on your behalf.

Virtual Security Guard includes the following features and safeguards:

The service is only activated for the cameras you choose, when you want it. Cameras are opted-out of virtual monitoring by default, and you choose the cameras you want enrolled.
Modes ensure privacy. Your Ring Alarm must be set to Home or Away Mode in order for agents to monitor motion events. Agents are never able to view your cameras unless you have enabled virtual monitoring.
Agents are only able to view videos in real-time as part of Live View when a motion event is triggered on an enrolled camera, and cannot download, save, or share any videos.
If you have Privacy Zones set up on an enrolled camera, these zones are respected and are not viewable by the agents.

Additionally, you will see an indicator in the Ring App so you always know when Virtual Security Guard is on, and which videos were reviewed by Rapid Response agents.

An Added Level of Protection at Your Home or Business

Rapid Response’s Virtual Security Guard agents are professionally trained on a variety of scenarios, and undergo background checks and anti-bias training. They will intervene depending on the type of motion event taking place at your home or small business. These levels of response include:

Minimal to No Intervention — if there is a passerby, delivery or service personnel on the property, the agent reviews to ensure there is no escalation and no additional intervention is needed.

Agent Intervention and Deterrence — if someone is causing property damage, forcing entry into the home or business or if there is a life-threatening circumstance, agents can engage via Two-Way Talk, or if available, use the siren or light to alert the person on camera.

Agent Dispatch of Emergency Services — if the agent determines emergency services are needed, they can dispatch fire, medical, or police assistance as necessary.

For example, in the event someone is attempting to open the door of your business after hours:

First, the Rapid Response agent uses Two-Way Talk to let the visitor know they are being monitored and their actions will be observed.
If the visitor doesn’t leave your property, the agent requests they leave the property.
If the visitor still does not leave, the agent sounds the siren on the camera and continues monitoring the situation as emergency services are dispatched.
The agent also alerts the device owner and any selected emergency contacts of the situation via phone call and SMS by sending a link to the video.

Sign up for Added Peace of Mind Today

In order to be eligible for Virtual Security Guard, customers must have a Ring Alarm with a professional monitoring plan and an outdoor hardwired Ring Video Doorbell or Security Camera. Sign up today to request an invite to be one of the first to experience Virtual Security Guard with Rapid Response. We plan to extend invitations to invited customers later this year, and look forward to expanding the service to additional security providers in the future to offer choices that best fit your needs.