Ring Spotlight Cam Plus vs Pro: 5 Key Aspects to Compare
By Naila Syifa
Updated August 2023
Both released in 2022, the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus Battery and Ring Spotlight Cam Pro Battery are Ring's popular offerings in the home security camera market.
The Ring Spotlight Cam Plus is designed as an essential outdoor spotlight camera with basic features, while the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro is a more advanced security camera with additional features.
If you're wondering which one to choose, you should consider these 5 key aspects before making a decision. Let's dive in and compare the two models!
Specs | Ring Spotlight Cam Plus | Ring Spotlight Cam Pro |
---|---|---|
Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon | |
Price | $169.99 | $229.99 |
Power Source | Quick Release Battery Pack | Quick Release Battery Pack |
Wi-Fi Connectivity | 2.4 GHz | 2.4 and 5 GHz |
Resolution | 1080p | 1080p |
HDR | No | Yes |
Field of View | 140° horizontal | 140° horizontal |
Color Night Vision | Yes | Yes |
Motion Detection | Yes | Yes, with 3D Motion Detection |
Bird’s Eye View | No | Yes |
Color Pre-Roll Video | No | Yes |
Two-Way Talk | Yes | Yes, with Audio+ |
Built-In Siren | Yes | Yes |
Smart Home Compatibility | Alexa | Alexa |
Key Takeaways
Ring Spotlight Cam Pro is better than the Plus model with more advanced features like 3D Motion Detection, Bird's Eye View, and Pre-Roll Video Previews. However, both have a 1080p resolution, 140° field of view, and some essential features for home monitoring and security.
Ring Spotlight Cam Plus Battery
Basic Home Monitoring & Security
✓ 1080p with Color Night Vision
✓ Live View, Motion Alerts, Two-Way Talk, Siren
✓ 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi
✓ Works with Alexa
Ring Spotlight Cam Pro Battery
Advanced Home Monitoring & Security
✓ 1080p with HDR and Color Night Vision
✓ Live View, Motion Alerts, Two-Way Talk, Siren, 3D Motion Detection, Bird’s Eye View, Color Pre-Roll, Audio+
✓ 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi
✓ Works with Alexa
#1 Price
Ring Spotlight Cam Pro
The Ring Spotlight Cam Plus is priced at $169.99, while the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro is more expensive at $229.99. With a $60 price difference, the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus is a more budget-friendly option for those who want a reliable outdoor spotlight camera for basic home monitoring and security.
#2 Design
Ring Spotlight Cam Plus
Similarities
The Ring Spotlight Cam Plus and Pro look visually similar. They have two LED spotlights on the left and right sides of the camera. These motion-activated spotlights will turn on automatically when motion is detected, useful for deterring potential intruders.
Both models are available in black and white, and are weather-resistant, being able to withstand temperatures ranging from -20.5°C to 48.5°C.
Differences
The Ring Spotlight Cam Pro is a bit larger with dimensions of 3.1 in x 3.2 in x 5.7 in. The Ring Spotlight Cam Plus, on the other hand, is smaller with dimensions of 3.0 in x 3.2 in x 5.0 in
#3 Video Quality
HDR in Ring Spotlight Cam Pro
Similarities
Both the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus and Pro offer great video quality with a maximum resolution of 1080p HD video and a 140° field of view. Color Night Vision is also available in both models, allowing you to see what's happening in full color, even in low-light conditions.
Differences
One major difference between the two models is that the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro has an additional feature called HDR (High Dynamic Range), which helps to improve daytime video quality by increasing clarity and details in brightly lit areas. HDR is not available in the Cam Plus.
#4 Smart Features
Similarities
Customizable Motion Zones in Ring Spotlight Cam Plus and Pro
With the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus, you can see a Live View of your camera feed, receive motion-activated notifications, and use two-way talk to communicate with people near your camera. Customizable Motion Zones allow you to choose which areas to monitor and ignore, while Privacy Zones can block the camera from seeing certain areas, such as to protect your neighbors' privacy.
You can also link the camera to your Alexa devices, such as Echo speakers that will illuminate and make announcements, and Echo Show that will show you the live feed when the Ring camera detects motion.
Alexa Compatibility in Ring Spotlight Cam Plus and Pro
In terms of security features, the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus has a built-in security siren that can be activated from the mobile app, allowing you to remotely scare away potential intruders when you're away from home. Safety Alerts feature is also available on the Ring app, which sends you real-time crime and safety alerts from your neighbors and local public safety agencies.
With a subscription to Ring Protect, you can also receive Person Alerts, record and save footage for up to 180 days, receive rich notifications with a photo preview, and set Home and Away Modes to automatically turn on and off your cameras based on your location.
Ring Spotlight Cam Pro has all the features of the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus, plus a few additional ones.
Differences
Bird's Eye View in Ring Spotlight Cam Pro
One additional sophisticated feature that the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro offers is 3D Motion Detection, which uses radar technology to pinpoint motion and distance to know exactly when and where someone’s stepped onto your property. This is an exclusive Ring technology that allows for more specific motion detection alerts. From the Ring App, you can customize where exactly you want the camera to start recording when an object crosses a threshold.
Once 3D Motion Detection is set up, you can enjoy the Bird's Eye View feature, which provides an aerial map view of motion events and clearly shows the path that visitors take when visiting your property. This is an advanced home monitoring feature for people who want to get a better understanding of how people are moving around the property.
Color Pre-Roll in Ring Spotlight Cam Pro
The Ring Spotlight Cam Pro also features Color Pre-Roll Video Previews, which records a colored 4-second video preview of the motion event before it was triggered, so you can see what happened before the motion event occurred. This provides a better context for the motion event and helps you understand what's happening around your property.
Another difference between the two is that the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro has an advanced Audio+ feature that allows you to hear and speak to visitors with enhanced noise cancellation and echo reduction, providing clearer audio communication.
#5 Installation
Ring Spotlight Cam Plus
Similarities
Both the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus and Pro are powered by a Quick Release Battery Pack, allowing for easy and quick installation by simply mounting the camera on your desired location and connecting it to your Wi-Fi network.
The batteries are easy to remove, so you can take them out easily for recharge without messing with your setup. Other than batteries, both camera models can also be powered with an optional Solar Panel, Plug-in Adapter, or Hardwired Kit (all sold separately).
Differences
One difference between the two models is that the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro offers dual-band connectivity, which means it can connect to both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks. Connecting to a 5 GHz network will give you a faster and more reliable connection, especially if you have a lot of devices connected to your network.
On the other hand, the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus only supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks.
Ring Spotlight Cam Plus vs Pro
Final Thoughts
Ring Spotlight Cam Plus
Being $60 cheaper, the Ring Spotlight Cam Plus is suitable for budget-conscious consumers who want only basic home monitoring and security features. It is smaller and provides all the essential features including Live View, Motion Alerts, Customizable Motion Zones, built-in siren, and Safety Alerts.
If you're willing to pay more for more advanced home monitoring features for better security, the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro is a better option for you. It has dual-band connectivity, HDR, 3D Motion Detection, Bird's Eye View, Audio+, and Color Pre-Roll.
If you like to read more about Smart Home Cameras, check out our other relevant guides here:
The Best Smart Home Camera 2023
Arlo Ultra 2 vs Pro 4: Smart Home Cameras Comparison
Arlo Essential vs Pro 4: Do you really need the more expensive one?
Ring Floodlight Cam Plus vs Pro
Ring Stick Up Cam vs Stick Up Cam Pro
Ring Stick Up Cam vs Indoor Cam
Ring Stick Up Cam vs Spotlight Cam
Ring Indoor Cam vs Wyze Cam v3
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