Ring is renewing its Indoor Cam indoor camera with a new generation, almost identical to the old one, except for the addition of a security shutter to protect your privacy. Here is our test to discover the few minor improvements, particularly in terms of mechanism and assembly.
When it comes to protecting your home, it is essential to choose a reliable, but also secure, solution, whether it is an alarm or a surveillance camera. By wanting to keep an eye on your home, however, you could inadvertently expose your private life to the eyes of ill-intentioned people, having the opposite effect to that desired. Fortunately, more and more surveillance cameras are equipped with additional features, responsible for ensuring the protection of user privacy and confidentiality.
This is particularly the case of the new second generation Ring Indoor Cam, which takes most of the features of its big sister, adding a blackout shutter, which physically obstructs the lens, preventing anyone from looking at the video stream. The Amazon brand is working hard on privacy, but let’s see what it’s worth on a daily basis, both in use alone, but also in addition to a Ring security system.
Design and ergonomics: the game of differences
The 2nd generation Ring Indoor Cam looks exactly like the old generation, even going so far as to use the same colors, namely white and black. It retains its cylindrical shape, despite noticeable differences on closer inspection. Indeed, the new generation gains very slightly in thickness and height, but above all has a new articulated foot as well as a sliding cover, allowing the lens to be hidden.
It can also pivot on both sides, which makes it easier to open, but the operation can only be carried out manually. You must therefore think carefully about the cache before leaving, since it is not motorized. However, a sensor is integrated into the camera, notifying you instantly if the cover is closed.
In terms of design, Ring likes to keep it simple and the look of the camera therefore remains clean. On the front, a black vertical strip houses the camera lens, the various sensors, as well as the microphone and the light diode. Under this strip, a perforated grille hides the speakers, which are used in particular for audio conversations, but also for the integrated siren. As for the back of the product, there is a QR code to facilitate installation, as well as a micro-USB port, located in a fairly deep notch.
The cable supplied in the box plugs into it, preventing the connector from protruding. However, we regret that Ring did not prefer a USB-C port, which has become the industry standard.
Let’s finish with the manufacturing quality which is very good, no surprise from Ring. However, we regret the cover closing mechanism which seems fragile and could break in the long run. Fortunately, this can be removed and replaced in seconds.
Very simple installation and start-up
Camera installation is done using the Ring app. All you have to do is scan the QR code on the back and let yourself be guided by the process to connect it to the Wi-Fi network and finish by customizing certain settings. The Ring Indoor Cam 2nd gen can be placed flat on a piece of furniture, or fixed to the wall using the screws provided in the box, unlike the dowels which you have to buy yourself.
Source: Hagop Kavafian for Frandroid
Source: Hagop Kavafian for Frandroid
Source: Hagop Kavafian for Frandroid
Unlike the previous version, the new iteration simplifies this step, since the rotating stand allows you to attach the base to the wall and then orient the camera according to your needs. However, you will have to carefully conceal the cable, since a cable grommet is not provided in the foot and the camera only works on the mains.
Features to remember
The Ring app is quite easy to use and allows you to adjust your preferences in just a few clicks. The application’s home page notably displays a snapshot, which can be automatically refreshed every 30 seconds, 1 minute or 3 minutes.
It is of course possible to access live video, also opening the controls to activate the sound or your microphone and also to activate the integrated siren, practical in the event of an intrusion. Although it has the merit of existing, it is far from deafening and only sounds for 30 seconds, simply signaling to an intruder that he has been spotted, even if simply unplugging the camera deactivates it .
The camera has many advanced features, including zone-definable motion detection, two-way audio communication, and privacy zones. These allow you to digitally obscure part of the lens, avoiding filming and recording it, which can be useful for not filming your neighbors through the window, for example.
With a Ring Protect subscription (from 4 euros per month), you can receive and record your videos for up to 180 days. This subscription also allows you to receive enhanced notifications, that is, to have a video preview directly in the notification, thus saving you from having to open the application in case of movement. Finally, Ring Protect includes people notifications, which means you’ll typically only be notified if a human is present and not if branches are moving through the window.
Unfortunately, this last feature is not up to par, since the application confuses animals with humans far too often. This means that you will receive notifications every time your dog goes drinking, while no one is home. Worse still, some people notifications are wrongly triggered by shadows, which shows that recognition still lacks finesse. We are not far from the level proposed by Nest, which is capable of distinguishing animals from humans. It’s hard to realize what you’re losing without a subscription, since a 30-day free trial is automatically offered upon activation, encouraging you to take advantage of all the camera’s features.
The Ring Indoor Cam 2nd gen integrates with the rest of the Ring ecosystem, for example by taking over the modes of your security system. This means that once armed in outdoor mode, all cameras can activate, while only those outside film when the system is armed in indoor mode. Likewise, if an outdoor camera detects motion, those indoor counterparts can start recording.
Finally, if your Ring products have built-in lights, like the Floodlight or Spotlight Cam Pro, you can program them so that motion detected by your Indoor Cam 2nd gen turns them on.
Source: Left: the second generation. On the right, the first
Source: Left: the second generation. On the right, the first
Finally, let’s finish with the integration with third-party services, which is unfortunately limited. Indeed, despite perfect integration with Alexa, allowing you to arm the system by voice and even watch the live video stream on an Echo Show, no compatibility is offered with Google Assistant or HomeKit.
A timid integration with IFTTT, however, allows actions to be triggered in the event of motion detection, without going further into automation.
1080p image quality
The Ring Indoor Cam offers 1080p HD video quality, which is enough to monitor your interior without consuming too much bandwidth. Some cameras offer a 2K or even 4K image, useful for seeing more details, but at the expense of more intensive use of the network. In everyday life, the image is sufficiently clear and allows you to see what is happening in your home without difficulty, in particular thanks to the wide field of vision (143º diagonal, 115º horizontal, 59º vertical). You can even mount the camera on the ceiling to maximize the viewing angle and flip the image in the Ring app.
The camera also features infrared night vision, allowing you to see clearly in the dark, as well as color night vision. This last feature is less useful, since it simply artificially colors an image in shades of gray, without achieving this completely, resulting in an overly artificial image which has little interest, other than identifying the color of the T-shirt of the thief who broke into your home.
In addition to the image, the Ring Indoor Cam offers faithful audio quality, without artifice, which allows you to have a real conversation, with your children for example, both for those in front of the camera and the person using the application.
Price and availability of the Ring Indoor Cam 2nd gen
The Ring Indoor Cam 2nd gen is sold for around 60 euros on the Ring website, on Amazon and at Boulanger. It is relatively expensive given the performance, especially knowing that it is not motorized and that video storage requires a subscription.
It is probably more judicious to buy it on sale, for example during Black Friday or Prime Days, where the price can become more attractive.