Verdict
Nailing versatility with multiple electric battery and wired option , the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro is an excellent choice for anyone who want a security luminosity and camera in one . Using Ring ’s powerful microwave radar - power three-D Motion Detection , this camera should only send important qui vive and track record events in HDR .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
An upgrade to the subsist Ring Spotlight Cam , the new Ring Spotlight Cam Pro takes what was swell about the previous product and adds in microwave radar - based 3D Motion Detection to reduce the number of alerts the television camera generates .
Excellent picture quality , a neat app and full integration into the Ring ecosystem make this a bright pick for anyone who wants the benefits of a surety visible light and the option to record action .
Design
outwardly , the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro see like its predecessor , which has now been rename theRing Spotlight Cam Plus . The Cam Pro is available in several different version . I ’ve got the barrage fire - powered version for follow-up here , which ship with one Quick Release Battery Pack ( the same as used on the doorbells ) .
There ’s space for a 2d barrage coterie inside , with the camera switching from one battery to the other automatically . With two battery packs installed , it ’s easy to keep the Cam Pro run with no interruptions .
There ’s also a plug - in version of this photographic camera , which is physically the same gadget , only instead of a Quick Release Battery Pack , it ships with a USB - cytosine power adaptor . Note that this camera version can still be used with battery packs , and the tv camera will betray over to battery operation if main power is miss . The USB - C battery charger is also available separately , if you need to add together it later .
There ’s also a solar control board version available , which ships with one battery and a solar control board that keeps the camera topped up mechanically . instead , the solar control board can be bought singly at a belated date .
ultimately , there ’s the wired adaptation of the television camera , which must be hardwired into your mains supplying and does n’t have a barrage fire .
The Cam Pro is loose to install . Its ball mount screws to a rampart , bequeath plentitude of way to point the camera where you want it . It ’s then prompt to use the Ring app to instal the camera .
Features
As with other Ring camera , the Spotlight Cam Pro benefits from a Ring Protect subscription , to give some extra features and cloud transcription . Ring Protect starts at £ 3.49 a calendar month for one photographic camera , although Ring Protect Plus costs just £ 8 per calendar month , supports inexhaustible cameras and doorbells as well as giving surplus monitoring features for the Ring Alarm .
As with all cameras , the basic idea behind the Cam Pro is that it detect motion and then records it , ping you a notification into the mixing . Previous Ring barrage fire - power television camera have used a PIR motion sensor , but this model has 3D Motion Detection .
First take a shit its appearing on theRing Video Doorbell Pro 2 , and afterwards theRing Floodlight Cam Pro , 3D Motion Detection use radar to more accurately detect motion and compound this detection with Bird ’s Eye View .
When movement is picked up , the playback displays an overlayer with back breaker that show where the motion detection event start and the path that the object take . This is overlay on a satellite mental image of the local surface area . It ’s very utile , as you’re able to get a minute more context of use as to what caused an alert .
3D Motion Detection is more precise than a PIR sensing element and can be very well - tune up to only detect motion at a set range . Ring judge to make this easy with its Bird ’s Eye zone : using a satellite ikon , you ’re suppose to be able to set a motion sleuthing area that , say , only covers your garden .
It ’s a great idea in theory , but the Mapbox imagery that Ring use is of poor timbre where I live on , and my house appear as a green smudge with no point on it . If I survive in the US , I ’d be able to see garden buildings , fences and trees – the whole whole kit and caboodle .
For me , I had to fructify the zone manually , and then apply the test option as I walked around my garden to see if I ’d got thing right . That ’s a bit more elbow grease than I should have had to put in .
Still , properly aline , the Cam Pro is far less likely to break up up motion than any PIR camera . In a similar position to myArlo Floodlightcamera , the Cam Pro sent me fewer notifications .
To further slenderize notification , there ’s a people - only detection modality and , also , stock natural process zones . Combining these options , I found that this camera only sent me important alerts .
What ’s courteous about the Ring system is how devices can work together . I have aRing Alarmin my garden role , and when this is turn off , I can invalid the Cam Pro from recording in the garden . When the dismay goes back on , the tv camera also tack on .
All transcription are saved to the Ring swarm . The default way of viewing them is to plunge into the live horizon subdivision and scroll back through the timeline . This work well for very recent issue or to see what bump in a day , but render to determine a particular clip that ’s a few years former is n’t very easy – even when using the filtering option to take a day and event type .
There ’s the older effect view part of the app , but this just lists events with no thumbnails , with canonic escort and upshot character filtering . I say it in every review , but Ring needs to build a department to its app that just list events with thumbnails , in a similar way to Arlo .
The default alternative is to have the spot ferment on when it detects motion and it ’s dreary outside . It ’s potential to arrange the light to plough on and stay on using the schedule , but this is a feature I ’d only apply with a main - powered camera .
Performance
This camera has a 1080p sensing element and a 140 - level wide field of view , so it can take in a decent amount of outdoor place . There are higher - resolution tv camera , such as theArlo Pro 4 , but I make decent quality with the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro ’s HDR TV .
During the daylight , I found that the camera took well - exposed video , with lots of item , even with the photographic camera pointing into the sun .
At night , the photographic camera defaults to black - and - white video using its IR lights , which can be a touch sonant .
However , the camera swop to colour when the dual bright LED kick into life . As a result , the full - color night television is exceptional , only lose a small amount of detail compared with the day footage .
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Should you buy it?
If you want a security light that doubles as a camera , this one is a great pick that will only post you significant notice .
If you do n’t have other Ring devices or do n’t require to buy into the Ring cloud , there are substitute camera that may suit you better .
Final Thoughts
Available for the same price as the original Ring Spotlight Cam sold for , the Cam Pro is bully value , debate the surplus features it offers : dependable look-alike quality and good motion detection via radar . If you require a eminent - timber camera that can double as a protection / public utility company illumination , then this is a great choice . If you do n’t have other Ring equipment or wo n’t purchase more , you may want an alternate tv camera from my list of thebest outdoor cameras .
Trusted Score
How We Test
Unlike other internet site , we try out every security camera we refresh thoroughly over an elongated period of time . We apply manufacture stock tryout to compare features properly . We ’ll always tell you what we receive . We never , ever , accept money to review a product .
notice out more about how we test in ourethics policy .
FAQs
The Pro variant has 3D Motion Detection , which uses radar ; the Plus exemplar uses PIR gesture detection .
The model on revaluation can take two batteries . It can be charged via solar , and it has an optional USB - C power pack . There ’s also a separate hardwired version .
