Ring Indoor Cam Review: It comes up short

By Alina Bradford Published November 18, 2019

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The Ring Indoor Cam is one of the tiniest smart security cameras on the market at only 1.81 in. x 1.81 in. x 2.95 in. (46 mm x 46 mm x 75 mm). That’s smaller than a can of soda. It almost looks like a toy, but don’t let its appearance fool you. There’s some great stuff crammed into that small package. Let’s take a look at what the Ring Indoor Cam has to offer.

The Ring Indoor Cam instantly surprised me with its size. Its compact design allows it to blend in with the rest of the room. It’s hard to notice the first time you enter a room, and that’s exactly what you want if you’re using it for security reasons. It also won’t distract from your decor, which is nice.

I was wowed by the size, but just how tiny is it when compared to its competitors? It’s just a fraction of an inch smaller than its main competitor, the Wyze Cam v2.

When compared to our pick for the best indoor security camera of 2019, the Nest Cam IQ Indoor, there was a more substantial difference. It’s almost 2 inches taller and 1 inch wider than the Ring Indoor Cam. I don’t know if I’d consider an inch or two a big difference in most situations, but when you’re talking about cameras this small, an inch or two is important.

When it comes to features, the Ring Indoor Cam has just about everything its competitors have. It comes with night vision, the ability to peak in on a room using your phone, two-way talk, motion detection, and voice command controls. It shoots 1080p HD video.

Also, similar to other indoor smart cameras, it can connect to other smart devices in your home. The Ring Indoor Cam works specifically with Alexa enabled devices, though. If you’re an Alexa device user, that won’t be a problem. If you use more than one assistant, the Wyze Cam may be a better choice because it can be used with Alexa, Google, and IFTTT devices.

With a 140 degree view diagonally, it beats it competitors that come in at 110 and 130 degrees.

One of its advantages is its wide field of view. With a 140 degree view diagonally, it beats it competitors that come in at 110 and 130 degrees. A wider view means that it can see more of your room, giving you a better view, too.

One big area where it’s lacking is in the intelligence department. While it has all of the basic features, it really doesn’t go above and beyond. Most importantly, other cameras incorporate smart features that the Ring Indoor Camera doesn’t provide. For example, the Nest Cam IQ can recognize the faces of strangers and will alert you if one is seen by the camera. You won’t find any of that extra smart technology in this camera.

When it comes to cost, the Ring Indoor Cam is a middle-of-the road choice. The Ring Indoor Cam comes in at $59.99, and you’ll need to include an additional fee of $3 per month per device or $10 per month per household for Protect (a service that lets you save and share videos from your cam). That is more than twice the cost of the Wyze Cam v2 which is $19.99 (with free AWS cloud storage). On the other hand, it’s much more affordable than the Nest Cam IG, which is $299 (plus a monthly free for Nest Aware).

This camera left us feeling a little, well, eh. While the Ring Indoor Cam can be set up all over your house without being too distracting, it isn’t the best tiny camera we’ve seen. It only works with Alexa and lacks the smart features of its nearest competitors. If you already have other Ring products in your home, though, the purchase of this camera is a good addition to your security system.

The Ring Indoor Cam seems to be constructed pretty solidly. If you have any problems, though, it comes with a 1-year limited warranty with service included. This isn’t as good as the two year warranty that comes with the Nest Cam IQ, though.

Yep. For those on a budget, choose the Wyze Cam v2. For those who want a lot of high-tech features, choose the Nest Cam IQ.

Want more options? Check out our best smart home cameras of 2019.

If you love Ring products, then it’s a good addition to your system. Otherwise, there are better choices.