Today, we are going to do a comparison video between the Ring’s Spotlight cam and the Floodlight camera. I decided to do a comparison between these 2 security cameras from Ring when the Spotlight Cam mount version came out. So, now these 2 cameras have the same mounting option…which is on a junction box…either a wall mount or a ceiling mount. The spotlight cam has 3 types… we have the “wired” version that needs to be plugged in an electrical outlet…next, we have the battery powered one that also has the solar panel option and the new one that came out…the “mount” version. So, I’ll be comparing the “mount” version and the floodlight cam just because it is the same type of hook up…BTW, I have reviewed all these cameras separately and also has compared the spotlight cam wired and the battery versions in the past and I’ll include all those video links in the description down below…
To have an accurate comparison between the 2 security cameras, I have to install them side by side so that we can compare their light output which is basically the only difference. The camera unit itself and the features are the same..so we don’t have to compare them..I’ll show you the app and the interface on the 2 cameras and you will see that there is only 1 difference that I saw which I’ll tell you later on…
So, both of the cameras will be installed in the soffit area in my back porch…which you will see how these cameras look when mounted horizontally or in a ceiling… Ring has always showed in their advertising pictures and videos that the cameras are mounted vertically or in a wall…
Excuse the exposed wires..I have to piggyback on the wiring so that it can power both cameras. I have to install another junction box for the spotlight cam.
So, now here it is both cameras installed in a ceiling…
and now with both lights turned on…the floodlight is a softer yellow light 3000 kelvin and it has 1800 lumens.
While the spotlight has a whiter light…4000 kelvin and only has 700 lumens…
Before I’ll show you the night time footage…Let’s check out some daytime footage first..
Let’s now compare the light output between the 2 cameras…
Ring Security Camera Reviews:
Ring Spotlight Cam Mount – youtu.be/9ZKZ8hURMRE
Ring Spotlight Cam Battery – youtu.be/LDHs6PfzA90
Ring Spotlight Cam Wired – youtu.be/vS-QFG5VPhc
Ring Floodlight Camera – youtu.be/r6eOyC0RH-Y
Ring Security Camera Night Vision Issue: youtu.be/jfu3snsgC-c
Ring Spotlight and Floodlight Cameras Night Vision Hack – youtu.be/cTqZp92qB18
Ring Products at Amazon:
amzn.to/2GeRlUD
Ring Floodlight Camera – amzn.to/2C8YSBA
Ring Spotlight Camera – amzn.to/2Ca8zQo
Also guys, what you will see is not a true representation of the light output because the camera will adjust and compensate…This is the floodlight…you will see that the light reaches the fence.
Now, for the spotlight cam….you will see that the light doesn’t reach the fence which is around 40 feet…also, with the floodlight cam, you can adjust the angle of the 2 lights..for the light output…the floodlight cam wins hands down..
Let’s see how it looks through the Ring camera themselves..
Floodlight camera night vision on and lights on…this one at 10 feet..
…20 feet and 30 feet…Then with the floodlights off…so purely night vision…which we already knew…night vision only in Ring sucks…at 30 feet..you could barely see me..at 20 feet..I look more like a ghost than anything else..and at 10 feet…you know that there is somebody but will not able to tell anything…like the color of my clothes or my facial features…
Now, with the spotlight cam..night vision only and with the spotlights off…at 10 feet..the same thing…just a grayish person standing…now, with spotlights on…hardly any better…now walking…to 20 feet..just a ghostly silhouette…
and just forget 30 feet…
The lights doesn’t really matter in the current setup of the Ring security cameras…The night vision is just bad..when the lights turn on it helps a bit but not much…I made a video about this issue with Ring if you haven’t seen it..I’ll linked it below..I know they are working on this update..comment below guys if your cameras and firmware has been fixed already…as you can see, mine is still the same…So, while still waiting, I also did a hack last month which I will also link down below…this basically will turn off night vision when the lights turns on…so the footage will be in color…and as you know there is a big difference…I’m just showing you guys how I made this little hack out of fiber optic from my Christmas tree…So, I reinstalled them here on my floodlight and made one for the spotlight cam…
Now, let’s see how the footage in color looks like when the lights turn on…
Now, you are able to see there are orange cones in my yard…these are my markers for the distance…so this is the floodlight cam with the floodlights on…
Here at 10 feet…20 feet…and 30 feet..With color…you will know that I have a dark sleeved shirt and wearing blue jeans…at 10 feet you will know that I’m wearing a grey cap and grey shirt or jacket with maroon sleeves and also wearing grey shoes..
Now, for the spotlight cam…lights on…you will see that the lights are whiter…and dimmer than the floodlight..you are not able to see the fence at 40 feet……
Me at 10 feet…20 feet…and 30 feet…With the spotlight cam, the footage is not as clear as the floodlight and at 30 feet..you are not able to see me…you will also see a lot of pixelation…
Before we assume that the pixelation and blurriness is camera related, what I’ll do now is turn on the floodlights instead of the spotlights but with the spotlight cam recording…at 10 feet..20 feet…and 30 feet…
So, now we know that it is not the cameras but the lights…The 700 lumen LED lights on the Spotlight cam will give you only around 10 feet of decent footage…20 feet is pushing it…
Also, let’s do a quick comparison on both camera’s interface on the app and see if there are any differences…As to camera features, everything is the same..even the layout is the same…
There are a couple of new updates that Ring has made…
There is now a motion snooze tab..which you can set a timer from 15 minutes to 2 hours where you will not recieve motion alerts… please note…any motion triggered will still be recorded in the cloud that you can watch and review later….you will just not receive alerts..
Everything else is the same except for the light schedule for the floodlight and light brightness for the spotlight…so with the floodlight, you will not be able to dim the brightness of the floodlights…while on the spotlight…the 700 lumens LED strip can be lowered down some more… I have no idea who will want to dim their spotlights..it is already dimmed in the first place… I actually want more light from it…Now, with the floodlight, you can schedule when the lights turn on if you want..I dontwhy the spotlight cam doesn’t have this option..
Another new feature which I think is useful is the app alert tones… You now have choices for your alert tones so that you can differentiate which camera was triggered…and also there is one with a voice.
Now, I’ll give my personal thoughts here between these 2 cameras…
If you have a small area to monitor like my back patio, or a 10 foot square area..then the Spotlight cam will work for you…remember it has more hook up options…they have the plugged in..the battery powered one…which has lag and freezing issues at the moment – it will be another video on that one…and now the mount option…which try as it may..it cannot compete with the floodlight cam…By the way, the floodlight cam and the Spotlight mount are the same in pricing…but I think Ring needs to lower that price down just like the other spotlight cams which is $200..Also, the Spotlight cam mount version has another feature that I will show you on another video…it basically can be installed to an existing floodlight with motion detection and basically be like a floodlight cam…
Overall, both cameras are good in daytime video quality..they have pretty accurate motion detection and almost eliminates false motion alarms…both have sirens and 2 way communication and the main difference between the 2 are the lights…Rings night vision video quality is just not up to par comparing to other cameras with the same price point…Turning night vision off when the lights are on will help these cameras a lot at night time…So, I’m still waiting for that toggle switch to give us an option to turn on or off night vision or put it on automatic…all the other brand cameras I have has that option and they don’t even have a security light.