I tested Ring’s new security cam. It's a lot like Ring's old security cam

Price When Reviewed

$99.99

Best Prices Today: Ring Outdoor Cam Plus (Plug-in)

$99.99

$99.99

Ring says its new Ring Outdoor Cam Plus delivers “brilliant 2K” video. But whereas there are many design enhancements right here, I simply don’t see a lot of a leap in picture high quality between this new mannequin and the third-generation Ring Stick Up Cam I reviewed 5 years in the past.

You’ll spot some design enhancements within the new digicam, and as you’ll see within the screenshots under, it captures barely extra element, however the enchancment in picture high quality is exceedingly minor, even at most zoom.

There are extra concrete enhancements in among the new digicam’s different specs. But in case you already personal a Ring Stick Up Cam (3^rd Gen), which has since been renamed the Ring Outdoor Cam, there’s little motive to switch it with this new mannequin.

If you’re looking for a new digicam, however, and also you need to be a part of or keep within the Ring ecosystem, it’s price spending the additional $20 to get this new mannequin for $100 in comparison with $80 for the non-plus Outdoor Cam.

Note: To scale back the potential for mannequin confusion, I’ll confer with the older digicam by its authentic title, the Ring Stick Up Cam (3^rd Gen), from right here on.

Specifications

Michael Brown/Foundry

Video decision ought to have been a very powerful enchancment within the new digicam’s specification, however as I’ve already stated, I’m having a tough time perceiving a lot of any distinction. I in all probability ought to have stored my expectations in verify, because the bounce from 1920 x 1080 (1080p) to 2560 x 1440 (2K) simply isn’t all that vital.

But when my mind sees 1080 vs 2K, it routinely thinks the development is 2X. It’s clearly not, however I think about producers are completely glad for customers to come back away with that notion. The actuality is a comparatively minor enhance of 360 horizontal pixels and 640 vertical pixels. You’ll see the distinction probably the most once you zoom in on an individual or object within the digicam’s subject of view.

Speaking of subject of view, the brand new digicam improves on that spec, too: 160 levels diagonal, 140 levels horizontal, and 80 levels vertical, in comparison with 143-, 115-, and 59 levels respectively for the digicam it replaces. You’ll additionally get coloration night time imaginative and prescient in low gentle environments.

When hardwired to energy, the digicam advantages from Ring’s Advanced Pre-roll function, which information as much as 6 seconds of video (in 1080p) and audio earlier than a movement alert is generated. This function is just not obtainable in battery-powered mode. If you’re in search of Ring’s radar-powered Birds Eye View function, you’ll have to step as much as one thing in Ring’s Pro-line cameras to get that.

The Ring Outdoor Cam Plus can function on AC energy—the Plug-In mannequin is reviewed right here—however it might additionally home a detachable rechargeable battery that you may purchase individually. You even have the choice of shopping for the digicam with a battery and with out an AC adapter for a similar worth. Finally, Ring additionally provides a SKU with a battery and a photo voltaic panel for $160 (discounted to $140 on the time of this assessment).

Michael Brown/Foundry

Ring has redesigned the brand new digicam’s energy provide for the higher, with an influence cable ending in a USB-C plug on the digicam finish, a wall-mountable energy provide in the course of the cable, and a two-prong plug on the outlet finish. The Stick Up Cam comes with two completely different energy cables: one with a wall wart energy provide for indoor installations and the second with a two-prong cable on the outlet finish that will get mated with the AC adapter after you take away its personal two-prong plug. That energy adapter will also be wall mounted.

The closing huge enchancment is the brand new digicam’s stand, which supplies an additional diploma of flexibility by way of mounting choices: You can function it on a desk, mounted to a wall, in a roof eave, and even on the ceiling. That final possibility requires a $20 accent for the Ring Stick Up Cam (though cheaper mounts can be found from third-party producers).

Michael Brown/Foundry

Installation and setup

Ring has digicam set up all the way down to a science as of late. The firm has at all times excelled at this, however now you want solely to scan the QR code on the again of the digicam to get issues began (assuming you have already got the Ring app put in). If you may have current Ring gadgets put in, you received’t even want to supply your Wi-Fi password. This new mannequin additionally options dual-band Wi-Fi help; you possibly can add it to both your 2.4- or 5GHz community.

The subsequent steps are to point the place the digicam might be put in—indoors or out—and to provide it a reputation (with the choice of selecting one from an inventory). Once these preliminary steps have been accomplished, the digicam will almost definitely pause for a firmware replace after which you possibly can proceed with the remainder of the bodily set up. If you’re putting in it outdoor, you would possibly need to mount it below an eave or tilted down a couple of levels in order that rainwater doesn’t drip down its face and over its lens.

Michael Brown/Foundry

As with different Ring cameras, the Outdoor Cam Plus has three motion-detection zones that allow you to fantastic tune the areas of the digicam’s subject of view that might be monitored for movement, so you possibly can block out swaying bushes, bushes, and different distractions. You can even modify the digicam’s sensitivity to movement and set up a schedule if there are occasions you need the digicam to disregard movement.

Ring’s Smart Alerts function allows you to customise the varieties of movement that may set off the digicam to report, and which varieties will produce alerts within the type of push notifications. For every sort of movement—an individual, a car, or every other movement—you possibly can have the digicam report a clip, ship you a push notification, do each, or do neither.

Device linking is among the greatest options of Ring’s residence safety ecosystem. You can arrange one Ring digicam’s movement detector to set off not simply every other Ring digicam to additionally report, however you can too have it set off Ring’s good lighting gadgets—in your landscaping, anyplace on your own home, or inside your own home—to activate.

Performance

Michael Brown/Foundry

As you’ve seen within the screenshots I took, the Ring Outdoor Cam Plus makes no nice leap in picture high quality in comparison with the Ring Stick Up Cam (3^rd Gen). That stated, if I used to be available in the market for a brand new outside Ring digicam, I’d nonetheless purchase this new one over the older mannequin—if for no different motive that it’ll get security-enhancing firmware updates longer. The producer ensures to supply these for a minimum of 4 years after the gadget is now not obtainable to buy instantly from Ring.

And for these unfamiliar with Ring’s subscription plans, know that you simply’ll have to buy one if you’d like greater than only a reside view from the digicam. Choosing the best Ring Home plan in your wants has grow to be extra sophisticated during the last 12 months or so, as the corporate has moved choices into completely different buckets, however you need to plan to spend a minimum of $5 monthly or $50 per 12 months for Ring Home Basic for a single digicam or doorbell.

If you may have multiple, you’ll want to enroll in a minimum of Ring Home Standard at $10 monthly or$100 per 12 months. This tier provides a number of options, together with a Live View Picture-in-Picture mode that permits you to watch a reside stream from the digicam in your telephone when you’re utilizing different apps, an Extended Live View function that permits you to stream reside video for as much as 30 minutes, and a Multi-Cam Live View that permits you to stream reside video from as much as 4 cameras concurrently (however solely from an internet browser pointed to Ring.com, not from inside the Ring app).

Ring’s costliest subscription service, Ring Home Premium, provides an AI-powered Smart Video Search function that will help you discover what you’re in search of in your digicam recordings (in beta on the time of this assessment), 24/7 video recording (retained for as much as 14 days), and—for Ring Alarm Pro customers—the power to retailer video recordings regionally on a microSD card inside that good residence hub. This service prices $20 monthly or $200 per 12 months. Ring Alarm Pro customers who additionally need skilled monitoring might want to pay an extra $10 monthly for that on high of their Standard or Premium plans.

Further studying: This assessment is a part of TechHive’s in-depth protection of the best home security cameras.

Should you purchase the Ring Outdoor Cam Plus?

When shopping for a safety digicam, you need to fastidiously consider the ecosystem it’s part of, as a result of it’s nearly inevitable that you simply’ll need to add extra cameras or different suitable gadgets, and also you received’t need to juggle multiple app to regulate every little thing. Ring provides probably the most full ecosystems—with every little thing from good lighting to sensors to total alarm programs—and its merchandise are a snap to arrange and use.

The Ring Outdoor Cam Plus isn’t the perfect indoor/outside safety digicam you should buy, neither is it the least costly. Nevertheless, it’s a good worth and earns my advice—particularly in case you’re already a Ring person.