Ring announces 2K resolution for its security cameras – but is there any point?
In a new announcement, Ring upgrades two of its security cameras to 2K resolution and adds vehicle detection for a handful more
Ring is one of the biggest names in home security, with a wide array of products suited to all budgets and use cases. Between pricey subscription fees and an army of rivals like Nest and Eufy, however, we’ve been less impressed with Ring’s output in recent years – at the time of writing, in fact, we don’t recommend any Ring products on our best security camera roundup, mainly due to the fact that a subscription is a must.
This latest announcement is unlikely to change our minds about Ring anytime soon but, for those who are already entangled in the ecosystem, your cameras may be in line to get 2K resolution and/or vehicle detection this month.
As of the announcement, only two members of Ring’s lineup are set to receive the 2K resolution update: the Floodlight Cam Wired Pro and the Spotlight Cam Pro. If you own either of these security cameras, you’ll be able to initiate the update via the Ring app from 8 January onwards for no additional cost.
If you don’t own either of these cameras already, however, make no mistake – this upgrade is no reason to rush out and buy one. Ring claims this update will deliver “more clarity and colour” to the footage but, realistically, the difference between FHD and 2K resolution will be negligible at best for most uses of a home security camera. Even if you want higher resolution so you can identify fine details like a license plate at a greater distance, you’ll want to fully commit and opt for a 4K camera instead.
We don’t have a review of the Ring Floodlight Cam Pro but, looking at our three-star verdict on the Spotlight Cam Pro, I’m confident that it having 2K resolution from the get-go wouldn’t have moved the needle in the slightest. Our concerns over the lack of an official IP rating for weatherproofing, the limited lights-on time and the fact that the alarm has to be activated manually would, for my money, have been more imperative to address.
Announced alongside this update is the more universal addition of a vehicle detection notification, coming to the above-mentioned Floodlight and Spotlight Pro, as well as their cheaper Plus variants, the Indoor Cam and its pan-tilt sibling and all flavours of the Ring Video Doorbell.
This new smart alert begins rolling out today and is available to anyone who has an eligible device and a Ring Home Subscription plan. Again, this is useful enough if that description matches your situation but, for anyone else who is thinking about dabbling in the home security game, this upgrade is far from enough of a reason to join the Ring family.
If you fancy a video doorbell that can identify vehicles, the TP-Link Tapo D230S1 is our current favourite and can be operated without a subscription, making it a more cost-effective choice than a Ring doorbell. Or, if you’re after something more like the Spotlight Cam Pro, Google’s Nest Cam with Floodlight has excellent Full HD resolution, brighter lights than the Ring and the multi-device subscription is cheaper (£6/mth instead of £8/mth).
