My Ring Stick Up Cam has finally arrived. I preordered it whenever Ring started accepting preorders and this is one of the other products that they promised to release this year. They also released their Ring Alarm which I also did a review and will link in the description down below. If you have been following my channel, you already know that I have been reviewing Ring products starting with their original Ring doorbell. I never did own their original stick up cam though and I thought at first that their spotlight cameras are the ones that replaced it.
-So, we have here the 2nd generation of the stick up camera which is way different than the original one. This is just one of another version that they are going to releas. This is the “wired” version and eventually they will release a battery version of this. I’ll start off by unboxing.
This is a 1080p HD with 2 way talk.
It has advanced motion detection.
It is power over ethernet enabled
or can be plugged in
and uses WiFi.
Uses the Ring app that can be used in your phone, tablet or desktop computer.
It has night vision
2 way talk
DIY installation and comes with everything that you need.
It has customizable zones.
High definition video
It has a 150° FOV
It comes with a free 30 day trial of Ring protect plan.
OK, for viewers that are new to Ring, here are some FYI’s:
Ring only records when there is motion and it uploads it to the cloud. To access 60 days worth of recordings , you need to subscribe to their plans:
There is a Protect basic plan, which is per camera and starts at $3 dollars a month or $30 bucks annually.
Then there is a Protect Plus Plan which is $10/month or $100 bucks a year and this is for all Ring devices which includes the professional monitoring of their alarm system and unlimited cameras at one address. I have said this before, this is the cheapest subscription that you can have as compared to the other brands.
Also, they have the free option which is basically every feature of the camera works except that you cannot review or watch recorded footage. You will still have instant notifications when there is motion, Can view the cameras using live view. Use 2 way audio and sound the siren.
Let’s open up the box.
We have the “say hello to Ring packet”
Which have the setup steps.
We have the setup guide.
Some Ring Protect subscription paperwork.
And we have the window sticker.
We have the installation tools.
which has the security and mounting screws and plastic anchors.
An 8 foot micro USB cable.
Outdoor power supply screws, plastic anchors and wire clips.
We have the good ol philips and torx driver.
Masonry drill bit.
A plug adapter for US power outlets.
And we have the plug…
to which the adpater clicks in.
Then, we have the camera.
This is nicely packaged and it looks well made.
It has the status light, lens, mic and speaker and the light and motion sensors in the front.
It is attached to the base and has a pivoting arms.
This is well designed and thought out because aside from being a desktop camera, the arms and base can be turned so as to the camera can be installed in a ceiling or a wall.
Lastly, we have the outdoor power cable which has 8 feet of micro USB to the power adapter and 15 feet of cable to the power outlet a total of around 23 feet of cable.
So the camera and all these accessories are included. Ring has always been generous and includes all the tools, screws and fasteners to install the camera in different types of applications. Unlike other brands where you have to purchase extra accessories…I’m not going to mention any names…cough–arlo.
To access and also to plug in the power supply or ethernet cable, you need to unscrew the bottom cover. Just slide it out.
Then, you will see the the reset button, ethernet or POE port and the micro USB port.
I have to thread the cable through the bottom cover before plugging it in. Then, just slide the bottom cover back in the camera.
And screw it back in.
Now, time to plug it in and set it up. BTW, Ring has updated their app and now you have thumbnails and a current snapshot of your cameras. You can also change it to 1 column if the thumbnails are too small for you.
You can access the camera’s settings by clicking the 3 dots on the upper right corner. You can Snooze or turn on the lights or go to the settings. Then you will see the traditional settings menu.
Let’s go back and setup this camera.
So, click on “setup device”, click security cams…
and scan the QR code at the back of the camera or in the setup steps paper.
Verify your address and click next.
Choose where you are going to install the camera. For me, it will be indoors.
Ring discourages placing the camera overlooking a glass window. The PIR sensor will not work and there will be glare on night vision.
Then you can name your camera. I’ll just choose living room for now.
Next, select how would you power the camera which I’ll choose USB.
Make sure the blue light is on and blinking. Then choose WiFi for my connection.
Click “Join” network.
Choose your Network. It can connect to 2.5 or 5 GHZ wifi.
Type in your password.
It is now connected.
I’ll skip this step. and will test it out.
It will ask on how you will install the camera and will guide you through it. For now, mine will just be placed in a shelf so there is no need.
Let’s go to live view and to test out the camera. Works pretty good.
Let’s check out the settings.
On the upper right corner, click on the gear icon to get to Device name, location and in-app notifications.
In the main window, we have record motion which is a new option, motion alerts, siren and live view.
When you toggle “record motion” to ON you will go to motion zones which needs to be setup. You can then assign motion zones up to 3 of them using the dots to customize the area you want monitored. Click save when done. In the motion settings, you can adjust sensitivity to all motion or to people only.
You can also schedule motion alert notifications which I will definitely do if this stick up cam will be in my living room. I don’t want to get multiple alerts when we are at home especially during breakfast and dinner time.
We have event history which will show the recorded events like motion and also when you click live view.
We have device health which will show your signal strength, Wifi information and device details.
We have linked chimes, which just toggle to on if you have an existing chime.
Then, we have app alert tones which Ring has updated to include Halloween sounds.
I said earlier that Ring has updated the app with new features but you need to turn it on. You can go to the main menu and click on New Features. So, we have the camera previews or the thumbnails and you need to enable it.
Click next and you have the “event history timeline” which is a neat feature and I’ll show you.
When, you click on the camera’s preview, it will open up the camera in live view but at the bottom you can scroll to the right and you will see the past recorded events and as you can see it is like the sightline on the nest app. You will be able to fast forward or rewind the footage.
This is a cool update.Now, time to test the camera on video quality, motion notification alert speed, cool off period, 2 way audio and the siren. And also I want to know if there is a difference in the video footage when the camera is connected to POE or power over ethernet. The main weakness of these types of cameras is WiFi because they have to deal with compression so as to to upload data quicker to the cloud. So, if the camera directly connects to the router via ethernet, theoretically, it can handle bigger data.
Ok, so what are the pros and cons…
Let’s go with the pros first. I like the build quality of the Ring stickup cam and the overall look of it and also the usual goodies that Ring adds to their cameras. Everything that you need are included whether you want to install it outside or inside, you have all the clips and screws that you need.
The usual alert notification speed and cool off period is the same and even with an inside setup, you can use the scheduling option to minimize the alerts that you receive or you can manually suppress it using the snooze option.
I like the flexibility of power options and the POE option is going to be a big help if you are planning to install it outside. You will not need to worry about WiFi speed, interference and needing to have an extender. You just need to be able to wire an ethernet cable in your attic. I wish this is an option on their existing outdoor security cameras.
The 2 way audio is pretty decent with this camera. No static or choppiness and it has a pretty decent volume on the camera’s side.
This is not specific to the stick up cam itself but to the updated app. I like the new updates. The thumbnail previews and also the time line is a definite improvement on their app.
Now, let’s go with the cons.
The fisheye effect. This is more apparent on this camera than their other cameras. I know some companies have a distortion lens correction. So, hopefully Ring can update this.
Video quality is the same as their other cameras. It is good but not great. They didn’t state the frames per second but by looking at the videos, it is still around 15-20 fps. I wish it can go to 30.
The “blue light”. Right now the blue status light which turns on when it is recording cannot be turned off. Ring should add a toggle switch for that. Not a biggie because it is not really that bright and you can easily cover it with a black tape.
Now, this one is a let down but hopefully they will update this. Right now, it doesn’t integrate with their alarm system. I wish, the motion sensing can be integrated using the camera as a motion sensor when the Ring alarm is active. Also, for the stick up cam to automatically record and for the siren to go off when the Alarm goes off.
Overall, it is a pretty good camera especially if you already have the Ring system at your house. I’ll be waiting for their battery version and will be checking that one out also.
Ring Spotlight Cam Wired – amzn.to/2wUzsGW
Ring Spotlight Cam Battery – amzn.to/2oUYNwK
Ring Spotlight Cam Mount – amzn.to/2wYieZeRing
Floodlight Cam – amzn.to/2JL5dI9