Ring Outdoor Smart Plug Review

Editors Note: This is the most recent version of the Ring Outdoor Smart Plug. Read our original review from June 29, 2021 below.

With the Ring Outdoor Smart Plug ($29.99) it’s easy to use your phone to control the pool pump, lights, appliances and anything else outdoors. This weather-resistant connected plug offers two outlets that can be controlled independently of each other using the Ring mobile app or Alexa voice commands, and it works with other Ring smart home devices. That said, it needs a Ring Bridge to connect to your network, and unlike our Editors’ Choice in this category, the $10.99 Wise Plug Outdoor, it doesn’t support energy reporting or Google Assistant.

Bring your own bridge

The Ring Outdoor Plug costs $29.99 when purchased by itself, but it requires a Ring Bridge to be connected to your home network and controlled with the Ring Mobile app and Alexa voice commands. If you don’t already have a bridge (which is needed to group Ring Smart Lights together and help other Ring devices communicate with each other), you can purchase the Outdoor Smart Plug + Ring Bridge Bundle for $49.99.

The plug uses a black IP66 weather-resistant enclosure that measures 4.92 by 3.14 by 1.96 inches (HWD). It has two three-prong outlets with rubber protective caps on the bottom and a 7-inch three-prong cord on top, as well as two mounting holes. The front of the plug has a circular LED indicator that is solid blue when the plug is connected and flashes blue during setup. On either side of the LED are buttons that turn their respective outlets (left and right) on and off, and glow white when the outlet is on. The plug comes with a quick start guide and mounting screws.

As mentioned, the Ring Bridge is the same device used to control the Ring Smart Lighting System. You can only install one bridge per household, but it will control up to 50 devices, including motion sensors, lights and outdoor plugs. It’s a small white box that measures 2.34 by 2.46 by 0.79 inches and uses an RF radio to connect to the plug and a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio to connect to your network. It has a mini USB power port on the side and a pair of signal strength indicators on the face.

You can control the Plug with the same mobile app (for Android and iOS) used to control every other Ring device, and link it to other Ring products like the Ring Video Doorbell or Ring Floodlight Cam, and it can react to motion triggers. It can be turned on and off using Alexa voice commands and will work with other Alexa-compatible devices using Alexa routines, but it doesn’t support Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, or IFTTT. Additionally, it doesn’t offer the power usage reports you get with other outdoor plugs like the Wyze Plug Outdoor and iDevices Outdoor Switch.

The plug is added to the app’s light group and can be shown as two separate outlets that can be controlled independently of each other or as a single plug that controls both outlets at the same time. To access the plug, tap the Light panel that appears at the top of the screen alongside the Neighbors, History, and other accessory panels. Here you’ll see two outlets (Outlet A and Outlet B in this case) listed separately, each with a light bulb on/off button that’s blue when the outlet is on and white when it’s off. Tap an outlet to open a screen where you can view event history, turn on/off schedules, check device health (signal strength, online status, firmware version) and add the outlet to a group of Ring devices.

Installing and Using the Ring Outdoor Smart Plug

Ring outdoor plug is easy to install. I already had a Ring account, but if you don’t have one, you’ll need to download the app and create one. I tapped Set Up a Device in the main menu, selected Outdoor Smart Plug, and scanned the plug’s QR code. I selected the Ring Bridge as my connection device, scanned the bridge’s QR code and verified that the blue LED was flashing. I then selected my Wi-Fi SSID and waited a few seconds for the bridge to connect to my Wi-Fi network and returned to a device screen where I again selected Outdoor Smart Plug.

Following the on-screen instructions, I inserted the outdoor smart plug into a GFCI outlet, tapped continue, and waited a few seconds for the app to recognize it. After a quick firmware update, I gave each outlet a name and the installation was complete. The device is automatically added to the My Alexa Devices list and appears as two separate outlets in the Ring Light list.

The ring outdoor plug serves for testing purposes. It responds instantly to on/off commands using the mobile app and Alexa voice commands, and it follows my on/off schedule without issue. I created an Alexa routine to turn on an outlet when a Eufy Cam E outdoor camera detects motion and it works every time.

A good plug if you’re already a Ring user

The $29.99 Ring Outdoor Smart Plug makes sense for users who already have a Ring ecosystem in place, but it becomes an expensive choice if you need to buy a bridge. The dual-outlet plug performed well in our tests and is easy to install, and unlike Belkin’s Wemo Wi-Fi Smart Outdoor Plug, it offers independent outlet control. That said, it lacks the energy reporting and support for Google Assistant voice commands and IFTTT integration that you get with our Editors’ Choice winner, the Wyze Plug Outdoor, which costs just $10.99 less.