Ring Spotlight Cam Pro
Resolution: 1080p | Lumens: 375 | Power source: Battery | Field of view: 140 degrees | Video lag time: 1 second
Ring Spotlight Cam Pro Features
Over the course of approximately three months, I tested more than 20 different security cameras, including a healthy mix of indoor and outdoor cams, as well as wireless, battery-powered and wired options. This review is all about the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro, of course, but I mention all of the testing as a frame of reference. For example, let’s start with size:
The Ring Spotlight Cam Pro measures 5.1 x 3.2 x 3.1 inches, making it about the size of a standard softball. It uses a small mounting plate that’s less than 2 inches across. Long story short, this is a small camera that you can place just about anywhere, from a cramped entryway to a narrow side yard to a porch or patio. Where some home security cameras weigh several pounds and can span well over a foot with their lighting arrays, this is a little guy with big capabilities.
Physical installation of the Spotlight Cam Pro takes about five minutes, or maybe even less if you’re handy with a drill and screwdriver. You mount a little plate on the wall, noting the word “UP” and its accompanying arrow, you pop the ring onto its base stand, then you click the stand onto the mounted plate. And like that, your security camera is installed. (We’ll talk about the battery of it all later, but note that accessing the battery compartment is also very easy and does not require taking the camera down from the wall.)
Next, you pull up the Ring app and locate your new camera within it. Follow a few step-by-step instructions to connect the camera to Wi-Fi and then you can get cranking with the customization. Also, you can start using the camera, which will be completely ready for viewing by this point.
The Ring Spotlight Cam Pro won best security camera overall in my 2024 tests.
Now, you don’t have to set up customized motion zones, set a device schedule, set up alert snooze periods, or manage any of the other aspects of the camera that you can control, but if you want to, it’s wildly simple to do so via the app. For example, to set motion detection zones, the app displays a static image of the camera’s view and you simply draw on the screen where you want detection. The camera will then ignore motion outside of said zones, meaning a branch that always sets the camera off when it blows in the breeze will henceforth be ignored, for example. Or you can pause alerts at a time when you know you’ll be leaving the house in the morning and you don’t need your own exit to create an alert.
A few of the settings the Ring app lets you manage.
The Ring Spotlight Pro Cam is a 1080p HD camera, meaning it has 1,080 pixels of resolution vertically and 1,920 pixels horizontally. Sure, there are 2K and 4K cameras (and 8K TVs) that have, “better,” image clarity, but the clarity you get with this high-definition camera is quite good. And I put quotes around the word, “better,” because higher-resolution cameras create files that are much larger and more onerous to store or share.
In my testing, I found I could easily read vehicle license plates on the street near my house, I could read the lettering on boxes placed 20-plus feet away from the lens, and I could clearly distinguish one person from another on the far sidewalk. The 140-degree horizontal field of view takes in a broad swath that can cover a driveway and entryway or most of a yard, while the 80-degree vertical field of view is as much as you’d ever need.
As the name of the Ring Spotlight Pro Cam suggests, this camera has lighting built right in. In fact, it has a pair of spotlights, one on either side of the camera, that together are rated at 375 lumens with a color temperature of 3000 degrees Kelvin, which is a warm white glow.
This image was captured in a completely darkened room.
Now, 375 lumens isn’t going to blind anyone permanently, but the directed lights are plenty bright to light up a stoop, porch or driveway. In my tests conducted in a completely dark basement, its lights were enough to brighten the space so well that the camera’s color night vision sensor clearly made out each different color on a shelf stacked with sundries of all kinds. The spotlights can be programmed to kick on when motion is detected or can be toggled on and off via the app; and when the lights are not illuminated, the Spotlight Pro Cam has solid infrared night vision, too.
How Does The Ring Spotlight Cam Pro Compare?
I tested a lot of security cameras, and many of them are excellent and some even surpassed the Spotlight Cam Pro in some elements. I tried the Reolink Argus 3 Ultra, which has a wildly clear 4K resolution, for example, and the Eufy Security Floodlight Camera E34o, which can pan and tilt to track motion automatically. In short, I tried cameras that cost half as much as the Spotlight Cam Pro and packed greater features.
But I kept coming back to the trusty Ring camera, not because it did any one thing perfectly, but because it does everything well. It was easy to set up and so easy to use. The battery lasts for months. The siren is loud. The night vision is clear. The Wi-Fi connection is stable—and the list of useful features goes on. Many of the other cameras boasted similar qualities, but the Ring had them all with very few negatives to note.
The Few Drawbacks To Put On Your Radar
The single biggest issue I have with this Ring camera (and with Ring products in general) has nothing to do with the hardware, but with the fact that you need to have a paid subscription to make full use of its features, such as recorded video clips. The cheapest plan is only $3.99 per month (it’s really basic, and you need the $10 monthly plan to get everything you want) and while lots of other cameras also require paid subscriptions, it’s still an annoyance.
A smaller issue I often have with this camera is that the first one or two seconds of a recorded video will be blurry. The image becomes crisp quickly, but if there were a meaningful detail only visible in the first moments of a clip—a burglar’s face before a mask was pulled on, say—that could be an issue.
And finally, there’s the price tag: This is an expensive camera. I do think it’s worth the cost, but you would also be fine with a less-expensive camera from another brand if your budget is tight.
Ring Spotlight Cam Pro Verdict
The Ring Spotlight Cam Pro is expensive, but I recommend investing in this camera if it won’t be a budget strain—it’s just that easy to use. Whereas the apps that work with many security cameras can feel arcane and hard to navigate, the Ring’s app is largely visual and feels entirely intuitive. And the camera itself has clear optics and good night vision, a good microphone and bright lights.
And let’s not forget that battery life and the fact that you can swap batteries in and out. The Spotlight Pro is about as hands-off as a battery-powered camera can get, and that’s a beautiful thing.
My Expertise
I have been testing and reviewing products for well over 12 years now, as a freelance journalist with publications like Forbes, The Daily Beast, New York Magazine and Architectural Digest. I am also the founder and lead writer of my own gear review site, Dad Gear Review. My years of product testing experience had me well-positioned to put this security camera (and many other security devices, from outdoor security cameras to wireless security cameras) through the paces and to share my findings.
I also spoke to many experts in the home security field and picked their brains for both specific product recommendations and for general insights into security cameras for homes.
These security experts included David Ciccarelli, founder and CEO of the rental property company Lake, K. Campbell, security consultant and principal at Blue Glacier Security & Intelligence, Mark Buskuhl, founder and CEO of real estate firm Ninebird Properties, and James Koskela, founder of lock security specialty company Zero Day Gear. The Ring brand was mentioned many times in the course of out exchanges, and having tested it out myself over the course of many months, I fully understand why.
