While Ring is widely known for its lineup of video doorbells, the brand is also responsible for an excellent catalog of security cameras and spotlights. Two of its most popular options are the Spotlight Cam Plus and the new Outdoor Cam Plus. Both feature premium designs, impressive motion detection skills, and highly adjustable settings — making them ideal for most properties.
But is the Outdoor Cam Plus or Spotlight Cam Plus better for your home? From pricing and resolution to monthly fees and installation, here’s a closer look at how these two compare.
The Outdoor Cam Plus costs $100, while the Spotlight Cam Plus is slightly more expensive at $150. That’s not all you’ll have to worry about, however, as both products are better when you’re a Ring Home member. This monthly subscription starts at $5 per month or $50 per year and unlocks useful features like 180-day video history, person and package alerts, and more. It’s highly recommended that you sign up for Ring Home if you add either camera to your property. Without the premium plan, you’ll be left with a barebones experience.
Installation is simple regardless of your choice, as both are wireless models that don’t require any sort of advanced wiring or DIY abilities. The most challenging part is figuring out where you’d like to mount the camera, but their wireless nature gives you plenty of freedom to move it anywhere you’d like.
Their designs stick closely to Ring’s usual white-and-black color palette. Both are housed inside a white chassis and feature a black front panel (where you’ll find the camera lens). The main difference is in shape.
While the Outdoor Cam Plus looks like many of the other cylindrical stick-up models in the Ring catalog, the Spotlight Cam Plus is rectangular with a slight taper at its bottom. It also has two built-in spotlights on either side of its black front panel.
Despite the design differences, both look premium and neither appears more impressive than the other.
This is where the Outdoor Cam Plus starts to shine. Offering Ring’s best image quality yet, it captures 2K footage compared to just 1080p on the Spotlight Cam Plus. It also comes with Low-Light Sight technology for improved color night vision. As long as there is a little bit of ambient light nearby, it can capture surprisingly crisp images in the dark.
Both devices share a 140-degree horizontal viewing angle, which should be enough to capture large portions of your home without leaving any blind spots.
Aside from the enhanced resolution of the Outdoor Cam Plus, many features are shared across these two devices. This includes the ability to watch a live view of your home, set up motion detection and alerts, activate a siren, sync with Alexa, and withstand inclement weather thanks to a weatherproof chassis.
However, the Outdoor Cam Plus supports Advanced Pre-Roll when relying on wired power instead of its usual battery power source. This feature allows it to capture a few extra seconds at the beginning of a motion event, giving you a more complete picture of what’s happening on your property.
Meanwhile, the Spotlight Cam Plus comes with two built-in spotlights, making it useful for incredibly dark portions of your home that don’t offer other external light sources.
The Outdoor Cam Plus is likely the better choice for most homeowners. Not only does it offer a wonderful 2K resolution, but it’s $50 cheaper than the Spotlight Cam Plus. Combined with its ability to capture additional footage with Advanced Pre-Roll (when wired), it’s a better option for capturing all activity around your property. The Low-Light Sight technology is also a huge win — so long as there is a bit of ambient light in the area, it’ll capture robust color footage in the dark.
However, don’t write off the Spotlight Cam Plus just yet. If your home is secluded and doesn’t have much ambient light, the Spotlight Cam Plus might be a better choice. Along with capturing solid 1080p footage, it will light up your property when motion is detected. So if you live out in the mountains or deep in the forest where secondary light sources aren’t as common as in the suburbs, it could bring you added peace of mind.
For more options, be sure to consider our roundup of the best security cameras. This includes alternatives from Arlo, Google, Wyze, Eufy, and other popular brands.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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