Amazon-owned company Ring may be best known for their internet-connected Ring video doorbell devices, but that’s not the only type of camera in their line of products. They also offer a few smart home security camera options, such as the Ring Spotlight cams.
Yes, that is ‘cams’ with an ‘s’ – as of this writing, there are at least three different types of Ring Spotlight cameras out there on the market!
This includes the original Ring Spotlight Cam, the Plus, and the Pro. And that’s not even to mention that each camera is available in a plug-in or battery-powered version. With all these different options, how are you supposed to know which one is right for you?
Well, let us help you out!
In this article, we will compare the Ring Spotlight Cam, the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus, and the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro to help shed some light (or perhaps even a spotlight?) on their differences. By the time you’re done reading this, you should have a better idea of which Ring Spotlight camera best fits your needs.
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A Note About the Ring Spotlight Cam vs Ring Spotlight Cam Plus
Before we throw the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro into the mix, you may notice something about our comparisons of the Ring Spotlight Cam and the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus. It comes down to this: there isn’t much difference between these two models.
The Ring Spotlight Cam Plus is a direct replacement for the original Cam. They offer the same features, so you’re not getting anything special in that department by going with the Plus. Their differences lie in two key areas: the spotlights and the power supply design.
You’re still getting the spotlights with both security system cameras (they are called ‘Spotlight Cams’ after all!); they’re just going to look a little different. The Plus spotlights are now in a 3000K warmer white temperature, as opposed to the 4000K whiter light of the original Cam.
The most significant difference between the Ring Security Camera and Cam Plus, though, is in the design of the power supply. See, the original Cam was designed differently depending on its power supply. This means that the creation of the Ring Spotlight Cam Wired version was different from the battery version.
However, this is no longer true with the Cam Plus and Pro. The newer Cam models follow roughly the same design as the Ring Spotlight Cam battery-powered version, regardless of your power supply. And since the procedure is the same, the software reflects that.
With the new Cams, you can choose between two power modes: battery and wired. This is a nice feature, as it will allow you to use backup battery power if you lose electricity.
And there you have it! The spotlights and the power supply design are the main differences between the Ring Spotlight Cam and the Cam Plus. You can think of the Plus as little more than a Ring camera simply ‘refreshing’ its original Cam. So, now that we’ve cleared that up let’s move ahead with our comparisons of all three Spotlight Cams.
Video Resolution
Mostly, the video resolution is the same between the Spotlight cameras. All of the models feature a video resolution of 1080p HD video, as well as color night vision. This means you’ll be able to keep your eye on everything around your property in vivid HD – and in almost any weather to boot!
The only real difference is that the Pro includes HDR, which may make little difference to some people. However, HDR is supposed to help provide more detail in brightly lit images and videos, so it certainly doesn’t hurt!
While this will result in good-quality video recordings, it’s a bit strange that Ring didn’t upgrade to at least 2K for its newest Pro model to be more competitive in the home security camera market. But that said, the 1080p HDR will undoubtedly do the job.
Video Resolution Winner: Ring Spotlight Cam Pro
Motion Detection
This is the thing about the Ring Spotlight cameras: they all share many of the same details. They all have 1080p HD, color night vision, weather resistance (-5 degrees F to 120 degrees F, for the record), and almost the same field of view (140 degrees horizontal and 78 degrees vertical for the Plus, and 140 degrees horizontal and 80 degrees vertical for the Pro).
The Pro builds on the features that the Plus already has, and one of the best examples is its motion detection. While the Plus includes advanced motion detection and customizable motion zones, the Pro takes this further and adds an advanced feature: radar-powered 3D motion detection.
This radar sensor allows for more specific motion detection alerts, as it measures the distance and angles of objects appearing in front of the camera. This means it can significantly reduce the number of false alerts you sometimes get with these Ring video cameras.
And when you use it with the Ring App, you can even customize where you want the camera to begin recording when something crosses a specific point on your property. Giving your camera an idea of where it can ignore motion decreases the number of false alarms even further.
And if that’s not enough, this 3D motion detection powers another exciting feature exclusive to the Pro: Bird’s Eye View.
With Bird’s Eye View enabled, you can see an aerial map of what caused the camera to turn on its spotlights or capture an event. This means you can see a person’s actual path around your property while in the range of your camera’s motion detector.
While some people may find this feature helpful, others may not see it as compelling for one key reason: you can’t use it simultaneously with the Pre-Roll feature, which we’ll get into in a minute. But as it stands, the Pro has a more advanced motion detection system than the Plus, giving it a clear edge in this category.
Motion Detection Winner: Ring Spotlight Cam Pro
Pre-Roll
As promised, we’ll now get into the Pre-Roll feature. Like the 3D motion detection and Bird’s Eye View, this feature is exclusive to the Pro. And it is perhaps even cooler than Bird’s Eye View.
Pre-Roll – which is in color, by the way – allows you to see what triggered a motion alert from your camera by giving you up to an extra six seconds of video. It does this by grabbing the stop motion-type images that the camera is continuously recording before it sends you a push notification, which it then displays in a picture-in-picture view along with your live feed.
And this is the problem with the Bird’s Eye View and the Pre-Roll: they both use the picture-in-picture mode. This means you will have to choose whether you want to enable the Bird’s Eye View mode OR the Pre-Roll feature, which isn’t ideal.
However, the fact that the Pro at least has this Pre-Roll option still gives it an edge over the Plus. That extra video could make all the difference if you need to identify a prowler around your property.
Pre-Roll Winner (by default): Ring Spotlight Cam Pro
Audio and Wifi
We’re down to the two last significant differences between the Plus and the Pro: their audio and wifi capabilities. No, they’re not related, but we’re grouping them anyway!
Let’s begin with the audio. Both cameras feature two-way talk and a built-in siren, but the Pro offers advanced noise cancellation. You’ll get a higher-quality audio experience with the Pro and echo cancellation. And if you’ve had an intelligent camera like this before, you know that the echo can get annoying, so this is a nice touch.
As for the Wi-Fi, you’re again getting an upgrade with the Pro. The Plus only works with single-band wifi, which allows it to connect to a 2.4 GHz signal.
On the other hand, the Pro will also let you connect to dual-band wifi. This will give you a 5.0 GHz signal and a faster, more stable overall connection. So, if you want to help avoid interruptions to your recordings, then the Pro will be a good investment.
Audio and WiFi Winner: Ring Spotlight Camera Pro
Ring Spotlight Cam vs. Ring Spotlight Cam Plus vs. Ring Spotlight Cam Pro: Which Should I Choose?
Regarding the differences between these products, the choice is clear: the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro is the better model overall. It has better video quality (albeit slightly), an upgraded motion detection system, a pre-roll feature, and improved audio and wifi capabilities compared to the other two products in the Spotlight Cam line.
However, whether you should buy the Pro over the others is debatable. Is the upgrade from HD to HDR worth it? Will you use the Bird’s Eye View and Pre-Roll features? And could you benefit from an improved audio and wifi connection?
If the answer is no, then you should save the extra money. The Plus and the Pro are still very similar. They come with live view, two-way talk, color night vision, advanced motion detection, 1080p video resolution, customizable motion zones, and privacy settings.
And then the Plus and the original Cam are so similar, excluding the spotlights and design, that you may even want to stick with the original! This is especially true if you can find the original Spotlight Cam at a significant discount.
If you want a Ring Spotlight Cam, you’d probably be happy with any of these models. But if you’re looking for something different from the Ring line of products, you may want to look into the Ring Floodlight Cam Pro or Plus.
Whichever you choose, you can be confident that you’re investing in a quality security camera for your home. And at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about!
