Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Generation) Review

Editors Note: This is the most recent version of Ring Indoor Cam. Read our original review from October 17, 2023 below.

Ring’s second-generation indoor cam ($59.99) is an affordable security camera that offers a handful of improvements over its predecessor. It still tops out at 1080p and requires a paid subscription to view motion-triggered video clips, but it adds color night vision and a privacy shutter. It delivered clear video and accurate motion detection in our tests, and remains an excellent camera for keeping an eye on the inside of your home, especially for existing Ring users. That said, you’ll get sharper 2K quality as well as mechanical pan and tilt support in our slightly less expensive Editors’ Choice for indoor cameras, the $51.99 Eufy E220 Indoor Cam.

Privacy, night vision upgrade

The second generation indoor cam shares the same basic cylindrical design as the original model. It comes in white or black, is 1.9 inches wide and 3.8 inches high (including stand). The circular base offers manual tilt and swivel maneuverability and can be used as a desktop stand or mounted on a wall or ceiling using the included mounting hardware.

It offers some improvements over its predecessor including privacy cover and color night vision. The removable privacy cover slides into place manually, allowing you to quickly turn off the camera and microphone. The glossy black camera face houses the lens, a microphone and a status LED, while a speaker sits just below. The status light flashes solid blue when the camera is recording, slowly flashes blue during setup, pulses blue during two-way audio communication, and flashes blue and red when the Wi-Fi connection is disconnected. A button on the top of the camera lets you reset the device, and there’s a micro USB power port on the back. The camera includes a 6.5-foot power cable, a USB power adapter, and a quick start guide.

The camera captures 1080p video with a 143-degree (diagonal) field of view. It uses infrared LEDs for black-and-white night vision and captures color night vision when there is sufficient ambient light. It records video when it detects motion and supports the Ring’s pre-roll feature that lets you see what happened in the six seconds before the motion trigger. Network connectivity comes via a built-in 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio. You can control the camera using Alexa voice commands and make it work with third-party devices using the IFTTT applet, but it doesn’t support Apple HomeKit or Google Assistant.

As with every Ring camera, you’ll need to subscribe to a Ring protection plan to access recorded video and unlock certain features. The $3.99 per month/$39.99 per year basic plan covers one camera and gives you 180 days of recorded video history, the ability to save and share videos, person alerts, snapshot capture, rich notifications (which include a photo preview to let you won’t open the app) and support for automation with ring alarm system. For $10.99 per month/$100 per year Plus Plus gives you everything from a basic plan with coverage and extended warranty for all your Ring devices. Ring also offers a $20 per month/ $200 per year Pro plan that is best suited for Ring Alarm Pro users. It adds 24/7 professional monitoring, Alexa Guard Plus, cellular backup and other Ring Alarm Pro services.

Indoor Cam uses the same mobile app (available for Android and iOS) as every other Ring device and appears on the dashboard in its own section with a still image of the latest motion event. Tap the Camera section to open a screen with a video panel and a play arrow Below the video panel is a scrolling timeline of recorded events

Tapping the play arrow launches a live stream, which you can watch by rotating your phone to landscape mode or by tapping the box in the bottom right corner. In landscape mode, you’ll find buttons for two-way talk, muting speakers, ending streams, activating sirens, and launching a quick control panel that lets you turn other ring devices on and off.

Tap the gear icon in the top-right corner to access the camera’s settings screen, which offers toggles to enable or disable quick motion detection, motion alerts, and motion alerts (which notify viewers when they’re being recorded). Below that, you’ll find buttons to activate the siren and turn on Live View. Below the Settings screen are several tiles that offer access to additional features and settings, including Event History (which displays thumbnails of all recorded events), Mode settings (for Home, Away, and Disarmed modes), Linked Devices (to connect the camera). other Ring devices so it can interact with them), Alert Snooze (to disable alerts for up to 12 hours), Linked Chimes (to sound a chime when motion is detected), and Device Health (signal strength, network status, and MAC address).

Tap the Motion Settings tile to configure smart alert and motion sensitivity settings and create motion schedules The Device Settings tile opens a screen where you can configure video settings (including color night vision and recording length), notification settings (including rich notifications, linked chimes, and alert tones), privacy settings, and snapshot capture (which still snaps) at regular intervals. diagrams so you can see what is happening between motion events). Finally, you can view the accessories tile to purchase other Ring products such as solar panels, chimes, and power adapters.

Reliable performance

Installation is a snap. I opened the app (if you don’t already have it, you’ll need to download the app and create an account to get started), scrolled to the bottom of the dashboard screen, and tapped Set Up a Device. I selected the security cam from the product category list and used my phone’s camera to scan the QR code on the back of the camera. I then selected my location (which is configured when you set up your account), gave the camera a name, and verified that the privacy cover was open.

Next, the app asked me to select whether the camera should be pointed indoors or out the window. I then followed the instructions to plug it in within 10 feet of my router. With the camera powered on, I tapped Next, verified that the LED was flashing blue, and selected my Wi-Fi SSID when prompted. I entered my Wi-Fi password, tapped Continue, and within seconds the camera connected. After a quick firmware update, the app gave me the option to link the indoor cam to other Ring devices (you can skip this step and do it later if you want). At this point, you can watch an installation tutorial, optimize motion detection, and create privacy zones (I omitted all three). Finally, I tapped I’m done, unplugged the camera, and plugged it into an outlet in my living room to complete the installation.

The indoor cam delivered sharp 1080p video in my tests. Daytime videos show good color saturation, though nighttime colors look dull. On the other hand, the black-and-white night video was well-lit with good contrast. Motion alerts arrived immediately and accurately detected when a person triggered the event, and the camera followed my motion on/off schedule without issue. Alexa voice commands for streaming video to the Amazon Echo Show smart display worked as intended, and two-way talk was sufficiently loud and clear.

A smart choice for ring homes

The second generation Ring Indoor Cam is easy to recommend, especially if you already use other Ring products to protect your home While it’s not dramatically different from its predecessor, it adds color night vision and a physical camera cover that mutes the mic. With a Ring Protect subscription (starting at $3.99 per month), it offers 180 days of recorded video storage, the ability to download recorded clips, and notifications when a person is watching. At $59.99 it’s a good value, though if you’re not already a Ring user, the $51.99 Eufy E220 indoor cam offers a lot more for your money, including 2K video, mechanical pan and tilt, and Amazon Alexa plus Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant support. , which makes it our Editors’ Choice.