Ring Floodlight Cam Review

Ring Alarm's new Floodlight Cam Plus improves on the Ring Floodlight Cam by offering color night vision, incredibly bright floodlights, and even more motion activity zones. But it only comes in a hardwired version, and its video quality is just okay. Ring’s latest release—the Floodlight Cam Pro—offers better sound quality and connects to dual-band Wi-Fi, but doesn’t offer upgraded video quality.

We like the utility of the free Ring app. You don’t have to pay to get push notifications whenever motion is detected. Many brands don’t offer that. With Ring, it’s truly possible to self-monitor your camera for free.

The main downside to the free version is that you can't record any videos. With the Ring Protect Basic plan, you can only record from one device. If you love your Ring Floodlight Cam and want to try other Ring products with video recording, you’ll have to upgrade to the $10/mo. Plus plan. 

• Floodlight Cam Plus or Floodlight Cam Pro
• Mounting bracket
• Screwdriver handle
• Phillips bit
• Socket bit
• 5 bracket screws
• 3 wire nuts
• 2 cap nuts
• Installation hook
• Installation guide

Both Ring Floodlight Cams feature two motion sensors: one for the floodlights and one for the camera. This makes the Floodlight Cam super customizable.

From the Ring app, you can draw motion activity zones for the camera to make sure you get notifications only when it counts. For example, if your neighbor’s yard ends up in the camera frame, you can make sure the camera ignores motion in that area.

The floodlight’s motion sensor is already split into three 90° zones. You can adjust the sensitivity of each zone or turn them off entirely, but you can’t draw a unique activity zone for the lights.

The floodlight motion sensor also has a wider field of view (270°) than the camera (140°). Depending on how you customize the activity zones, the floodlights might kick on before the camera catches any movement.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You could set it up to illuminate an area of your backyard that’s accessible only from the house—lighting things up while cutting down on notifications. On the other hand, it would be frustrating to not know what’s triggering the lights if the movement always stays out of frame.

We like that the floodlights on this Ring cam are bright enough for startling a trespasser or illuminating the driveway for a late-night trash run.

They shine at 2,000 lumens. For perspective, the Ring Spotlight Cam’s light is just 300 to 375 lumens, and our favorite motion detector light tops out at 1,800 lumens.

The floodlights automatically turn on when motion is detected but only at night. They also automatically turn off about 30 seconds after sensing motion, and you can adjust this time from the Ring app.

The app also features an on/off toggle for the lights, and you can set up light schedules to keep the floodlights on throughout the night.

Although the latest version of the Ring app features geofencing, it doesn’t currently support floodlight automations. This means you can’t schedule the lights to turn on/off when you (and your phone) enter or exit the geofence perimeter. But Ring works with IFTTT, so you can set up an applet to perform this function instead.

We think Ring missed out on a great customization opportunity with the Floodlight Cam siren. First of all, we’re glad the 105 dB siren exists since it’s a great way to send a trespasser skedaddlin’.  We also like that you can decide to turn on the siren after checking the live feed.

But what about those times when you can’t check the live feed? Ring should have added an “arm/disarm” function with the siren to make this an even better outdoor security camera.

Perhaps Ring wants you to purchase the Ring alarm system for that level of protection.

The Ring Floodlight Cam Plus records in 1080p at 15 fps. That’s sufficient for many people, but not anything to write home about.

There’s also no ability to adjust the resolution, frame rate, or bit rate to improve streaming over slow internet connections.

If you want crystal-clear video quality, Ring’s outdoor cameras might disappoint you. We recommend the Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera instead.

The Ring Floodlight Cam is only available as a hardwired unit. That means you’ll have to cut into a wall or ceiling, access existing electrical wires, and splice in the unit—while following all electrical safety protocols, of course.

If you’re a seasoned DIYer, maybe that’s no sweat. Ring provides instructions to help you get it right. But if you’re not confident about tackling this yourself, you’ll have to call an electrician, and that’s an extra expense.

We’re hopeful that Ring will release battery- and solar-powered versions of the Floodlight Cam like they did with their Spotlight Cam.

For about $70 more, the new Ring Floodlight Wired Pro has a few extra features:

• Dual-band Wi-Fi
• Bird’s-eye-view motion tracking
• 3D motion detection
• Advanced noise cancellation
• A slightly louder siren (110 dB)

The coolest feature in this upgraded version is “bird’s eye view,” which shows an aerial view of your home in the corner of the main screen. Yellow dots appear wherever motion was detected, letting you see how someone entered the motion activity zone and where they went.

You might be able to spot some pitfalls in your home’s security by seeing how people get in or where they go. But the aerial images aren’t always high quality. (They’re borrowed from third-party sources.)

This radar technology also pinpoints how far away someone is from your home, allowing you to fine-tune motion activity zones and reduce the number of notifications lighting up your phone.

We like the Ring Floodlight Cam Plus for its motion-sensing capabilities, customization, and bright lights.

But this isn’t the best camera choice if video quality is your number-one concern or if you need free video storage. We’re also looking forward to a battery-powered, solar-powered, or plug-in option for a more DIY-friendly experience.

Read answers to more Ring FAQs.

To review Ring Floodlight Cams, we compared the specs of each model (Plus and Pro). We also stacked those specs against other floodlight cameras and outdoor security lights on the market. We read reviews, viewed third-party footage, read the user manuals and customer support documentation, and got our hands on the Floodlight Cam Plus. Read more about how we review products on our methodology page.

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