Front door requires bypass if open

When leaving the house I will frequently have my front door open while getting ready to go. When trying to arm the Ring alarm it reqests I bypass the front door contact sensor. I thought I would try this and see if the sensor starts working once I closed the door. Sadly it doesn’t and remains bypassed. Also it doesn’t seem to shaow anywhere in the app it is bypassed.

Every other alarm system I have used will allow your entry/exit sensor to be in open state while setting the alarm. If of course you don’t close that sensor before arming completes the alarm will trigger.

Please offer an ignore option in addition to bypass, so the sensor starts working when the alarm finally sets. Or simply show a warning to close the entry/exit sensor or the alarm will sound after countdown. Also make sure the app clearly shows any bypassed sensors.

It is daft forcing me to close the door just to arm the alarm, it should allow you the countdown time to close it.

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Just set the entry/exit delay on that door. In drive settings. Under the sensor, change it to main door. This will allow it to delay arming it. Motion sensors also have this feature.

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I assume you mean device setting? It is set to main door. If it is open when I try to arm the alarm, as I leave, I’m told I have to bypass it (or I need to close the door to begin the countdown). Once the alarm finishes arming the sensor remains bypassed, even though the door is now closed. As I said I have the door open while getting ready to leave and sometimes my kids are outside. I’m not going to shut the door on my children just so I can arm the alarm. My wired alarm has no issue with this scenario.

Of course I could just wait until I’m outside and use my phone, in which case why bother with a keypad?

It is daft I cannot start the arming process with the door already open, but can with it closed and then open and close it without affecting arming.

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Thank you for sharing your experience with us @McLovin! We appreciate this feedback and will share it with the team. In the meantime, I recommend simply setting a longer exit delay. This way you will have time to arm and comfortably make your way out of your home along side your family.

Arming from the Ring app is another great way to improve the arming in away mode experience. I hope this helps! :slight_smile:

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The proper way to make this setting is

  1. go to “devices”

  2. select your alarm system

  3. select the contact sensor you want to delay the arming

  4. click the “setting” button on the top right corner of your phone

  5. select “main door” from the placement

hope this can help…

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Thanks @Marley_Ring that’s a useful workaround.

@joe24 I’m sorry but you need to read my posts again. The door is set to main.

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Just to add my voice to this. Most people moving to Ring from another alarm system will expect this feature. I take the point about kids going out first. I’d also add putting luggage into a car, or helping an elderly or disabled person. There are lots of situations where it would be normal for the exit door to be open for some time before the alarm is set. The current behaviour is sensible for other sensors, but not for the main exit door.

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Interesting request - I have had alarm systems from several companies and they all required all the doors to be closed to Arm and most required no motion as well. I find this a useful feature as it prevents me from arming it if I did something stupid like leave one of the sliders open! If a change is made, I hope it is an optional one!

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Yep, I would love this feature too, very annoying when trying to arm with my keypad by the front door and contact sensor has to be bypassed. And for others that have responded, thank you but it IS set as ‘main door’ in settings…!!

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This behavior is pretty common for security systems. While it seems annoying, it is actually a safety feature to prevent you from leaving the house with a door or window open that you didn’t intend on leaving open. It also prevents someone from jamming a side or back door without your knowledge and entering your home or business after you leave. It is also there to alert you if a sensor is broken and would fail to trip the alarm.

My suggestion would be to use the app after you leave to arm the system.

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It’s not common for any alarm system I have ever used. All these have allowed me to start the arming countdown WHILE exiting via the defined entry/exit. Of course if I tried to arm the system with another entry/exit/window open they would throw a wobbler. They all managed fine to stop me from leaving non defined exits open. If I managed to leave the defined entry/exit open (or took too long getting out) the alarm would sound. If I walked away having done this I’d be pretty stupid.

I don’t want to use the app after I have exited. I want to get into my car and drive away, not faff with my phone waiting for the ring app to load. I have a perfectly functional keypad just by my front door so I’d rather use that. I just need ring to fix the dumb behaviour of the system or at least offer the option to have the exit open while starting the countdown.

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I could not agree more.
The main door would be “excluded” from the bypass check.
It crazy that we have to find workaround when this should be a basic option.
Workaround: leave your kids out while you arm Ring.
Or use your phone once you left. Why a keypad then?
Put the keypad outside… not weatherproof, easy to steal.

@Ring, please add this option.

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I too would like to see this option, quite often myself and partner will be leaving at the same time. She goes first and I set the alarm on my way out the door.

This is a great alarm system and would benefit from this feature.

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100% agree with McLovin;

Ring should provide this as a user configurable option please.

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100% agree. I just installed a big system yesterday and I just found out that I can’t arm with the door open. I’ll get over it but PLEASE @Ring fix this. I hoped at first that I could ignore the tick button and just close the door… but it cancels arming! There’s a great opportunity for a firmware update here.

  • Cross for “don’t bypass, and arm after exit delay”;
  • Tick for “do bypass, and arm after exit delay”;
  • Do nothing or press another mode to cancel arming.

How can we most effectively petition Ring for this? It must be their biggest flaw, greater than the no glass break sensors.

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How do you re-activate a front door sensor after it’s been bypassed?

Good question @Lacocok! If you’ve armed your Alarm while the Sensor was bypassed, you can reset it by disarming and rearming. For a contact sensor, please close the door, disarm, and then arm while closed. Your exit delay will allow you to leave without triggering an Alarm. I hope this helps! :slight_smile:

This feature is absolutely needed! I just setup my ring alarm the other day, coming over from a Smartthings ADT system. I often arm my alarm through automation.

The big problem is that I have sensors on every window, and sometimes I want to intentionally leave the windows open. When I get into bed, the sleep sensors shut down the house, locks all the doors and arms the alarm. But wait, I have my bedroom window open for some air. All I hear over and over and over is “sensor requires bypass, sensor requires bypass, sensor requires bypass” until I get out of bed, go to the front door and press the checkmark.

The app allows me to set the sensor up as a window, but I can’t arm the alarm from anything but the keypad if it’s open! Rediculous! It should just send a notification saying “Heads up, your bedroom window is open” so I can choose to ignore it.

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Just setting up new ring system after comming off simplisafe which has this option and 100% agree; Ring needs to provide this as a user configurable setting.

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+1
I too have been struggling with this limitation - please fix it Ring.

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