Ring cameras are a popular choice for many people. To get started, just visit Ring’s website and choose from the several options available. FOURTEEN cameras are available from this company? What’s the point of having FOURTEEN cameras in your home?
If you’ve ever felt this way, don’t be alarmed. To assist you in making an informed purchase, we’ve put together this video tutorial.
With the Ring Indoor Cam, Stick-Up Cam, Spotlight and Floodlight Cams, I explain why each of these cameras may have four or five different models (such as battery, solar, Power over Ethernet and plug-in options).
This is the transcript of the video
Tristan introduces himself. My first YouTube video, which explains the differences between every Ring camera and doorbell, was completed last year. To save time and headaches, I made a video that covers all of Ring’s doorbells instead. Now that my migraine is gone, I can make a video explaining the differences between the FOURTEEN Ring cameras. They do, in fact, have fourteen.
As far as the number of items goes, it’s just four, but each of them has four or five versions. There is a good chance that instead of buying a Ring camera, you decided to go for a drive on Swindon’s Magic Roundabout. In fairness to Ring, it’s a lot simpler to use than the company’s other offerings.
As previously said, there are a total of four different models of camera offered by Ring: the Ring Stick-up Camera, Ring Spotlight Camera, and Ring Floodlight Camera, to name a few. Instead of focusing on their differences, it’s preferable to talk on their shared ones. I’ll get there in the end. Each of Ring’s fourteen cameras records in “full HD” (and I discuss this point more in another video).
Whenever motion is detected, all of these cameras begin recording and sending alerts to your phone. With the notification settings available on all fourteen devices, you can choose whether or not to get alerts at certain times or just when a person is spotted. You may also use the Ring app to communicate with others who are in the vicinity of your Ring device, enabling you to chat to them in real-time. Using an Echo Show or an older generation of the Echo, you can monitor the video stream and get motion and doorbell alerts through Alexa.
All of the Ring’s basic features are available on each of the fourteen models. One of the most significant distinctions between these devices is in terms of where they may be installed. Indoor usage is only possible with Ring INDOOR Cam, the most basic type. Quite the surprise, isn’t it? No weather-proofing means that you can use it within your house or outbuilding, but you can’t put one outside. The Ring Stick-up Cam, on the other hand, is weatherproof and can be used outside, but it lacks built-in lighting, so you’ll have to depend only on night vision to see people. Even while the Stick-up Cam is weatherproof, it also costs $40 (or £40) more than the Indoor Cam, making it a waste of money if you just want to use it inside. The Ring Spotlight Cam and Ring Floodlight Cam, on the other hand, are only intended to be used outside. It’s not a good idea to use them inside because of the built-in lights that turn on when someone passes by. For one thing, they don’t come with a stand so that you may set them on a shelf.
To begin, one must consider the installation site. The presence of built-in lighting is the second major factor to consider. Spotlight and Floodlight feature built-in lights for outdoor use. It’s no surprise that the Floodlight Cam’s light is bright, but the Ring Spotlight’s light output is less than 400 lumens. This is compared to the Ring Stick-up Cam, which may be mounted outside but does not have a light. Finally, there is no motion-activated lighting on the Ring Indoor Cam.
The siren is the last functional distinction. You can activate the built-in hardware sirens of the Ring Spotlight and Floodlight Cams through your smartphone app and they blast out 110 decibels (this is a lot of noise; the sound of an approaching train is around 85 dB). And as of December 2020, you can now connect this siren to your Ring alarm system so that when your Ring Alarm goes off, so does the siren on your Ring outdoor cameras. Sirens are “kind of” present on the Ring Indoor and Stick-up Cam models. Simply a “siren” button in Live View mode will play the loudest sound possible; nevertheless, this is still considerably quieter than the real hardware sirens in Spot and Floodlight cameras. Live View mode.
Moving on, I’d want to talk about how the power approach impacts your Ring camera before I get into the precise distinctions between all of the types. Due to Ring cameras only recording when motion is detected, your Ring device has to be continually alert (in other words, to start recording when motion is detected). However, every battery-powered gadget must preserve power; it would be a waste to have to recharge your Ring camera every few days or even weeks. As a consequence, battery-powered Ring cameras fall short of their plugged-in or hardwired counterparts in terms of quality. In other words, you may only catch the back of someone as they leave because they start filming late or fail to capture motion at all. If you don’t have the ability to run electricity to a certain site, you may still utilize Ring’s battery-powered cameras if you can’t have any other way to monitor the area.
In the end, I’ll be comparing models side-by-side. To use the Ring Indoor Cam, all you have to do is plug it into a wall socket. It includes all the capabilities I listed above and only requires one power mode. Simple. My garage is equipped with an Indoor Cam, which performs well. A shelf or a wall mount are also options for the bracket on the Indoor Cam. It’s also reasonably priced at $60 (or £50 in the UK), but Amazon deals regularly make it much less expensive.
Following that, there comes the Ring Stick-up Cam. In addition to being waterproof, this may be installed outside if desired. For added convenience, the bracket may be mounted on a shelf or the wall. It may be powered by battery (which lasts 6-12 months), plug-in (through a power outlet), solar, or Power over Ethernet (PoE). What about solar and PoE as alternatives to batteries and plug-ins? But the Stick-up Cam Solar has a $50 solar panel which attaches to the battery and keeps the battery topped up. In most cases, you won’t need to recharge the battery unless you place the Stick-up Cam in direct sunlight.
The Stick-up Cam Elite is a different model. Devices may be powered and connected to the internet via the use of PoE (power over Ethernet). Even if you disregard the Elite’s price tag, this is an excellent product since Ring cameras utilize Wi-Fi, which is prone to blips and Wi-Fi jamming attacks, which may knock your Ring camera out of commission. This is not a problem with the Ring Stick-up Cam Elite! It’s always a good idea to have a PoE security camera placed someplace in your home in case your Wi-Fi goes down, even if you don’t utilize Ring (or is jammed).
Ring Spotlight Cams are the next in line. It’s a waste of money, so don’t get it. On to the Ring Floodlight Camera, then! What am I supposed to do if I can’t simply say it? [sighs] FIIINNEE. There is no need for the Ring Spotlight Cam. Double the price of the Ring Stick-up Cam, this camera costs $199 (or £179) Yes, there’s a light and a siren, but here’s the thing: To get a much BRIGHTER LIGHT with a siren for just $20 less, choose the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Plus. A flush-mounting bracket that can be attached to an electrical junction box makes the Ring Spotlight Cam Mount the only practical choice here since it’s more adaptable than the Ring Stick-up Cam’s brackets. Even if the Ring Spotlight Cam is on sale for an excellent price, do not bother.
Now that my rant is done, I’m going to focus on the Ring Floodlight Cam. This can be done FIVE different ways… kind of. With its 1,800 lumens of brightness, a loud siren, and all the standard smart features, the Floodlight Cam was one of the first smart cameras to be released in 2018. The product is excellent, and I had one installed in my yard. For the Wired Plus and Pro in 2021, Ring replaced this with the Wired Plus and Pro. There is an additional $20 charge for plug-in versions, although the plug-in version was not available in the UK when this was filmed.
I’m really rather pleased with Ring’s work from last year. By making it brighter and allowing for dimming, Ring really enhanced the original Floodlight Cam, which is now available for $180 (or £180) as the Floodlight Cam Wired Plus. Ring, many thanks for your kind words! With the exception of better illumination and a more attractive look, the Wired Plus is almost identical to the original Floodlight. At $250 (or £220), the Wired Pro, on the other hand, DOES come with a few pleasant additional additions. Motion detection is improved thanks to built-in radar technology, which is identical to the Ring Doorbell Pro 2’s. Additionally, you have additional choices for motion detection. The Ring Floodlight Pro can also create a “bird’s eye view” map of where individuals have walked using this technology, which might be valuable if a possible thief is scouting out your house.
Finally, dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) is available on the Floodlight Pro. Because 5 GHz Wi-Fi may be quicker and the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi channel might be overcrowded, this COULD be advantageous. Wi-Fi range on 5 GHz networks is smaller and weaker than on 2.4 GHz networks, and the signal decreases significantly through walls. As a result, you may not need 5 GHz Wi-Fi on an exterior camera.
And with that, I conclude. Phew. To cut through the noise, the Ring Spotlight Cam (did I mention it’s pointless?! ), an indoor-only camera, a less expensive outdoor camera with a variety of power sources (but no light), and the Ring Floodlight line are the only alternatives that really stand out in the Ring camera line-up.. All FOURTEEN of these cameras include many of the typical Ring functions, but how you choose to install and power it is generally the most important consideration in your purchasing decision.
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