Editors’ Observe: That is the latest model of the Ring Highlight Cam Professional (Plug-In). Learn our unique evaluation from November 29, 2022 beneath.
Once we reviewed the Ring Highlight Cam Battery again in 2018, it earned excessive marks for its straightforward set up course of, sharp video high quality, and third-party integrations. The brand new Ring Highlight Cam Professional (Plug-In) brings a bunch of recent options to the desk together with shade night time imaginative and prescient with pre-roll, HDR video, dual-band Wi-Fi, and 3D movement detection. At $229.99, it’s a stable alternative as a standalone digicam or when you’re including to an present Ring safety answer, however you may get extra options with our prime choose for out of doors safety cameras, the $229.99 Lorex 4K Highlight Indoor/Outside Wi-Fi 6 Safety Digital camera.
Ring Highlight Cam Professional: Wired or Wi-fi?
The Ring Highlight Cam Professional reviewed here’s a plug-in digicam, however Ring additionally sells a hardwired model for $249.99, a photo voltaic model for $249.99, and a wi-fi battery-powered model for $229.99. The weatherproof digicam comes with a white or black end and measures 5.7 by 3.1 by 3.2 inches (HWD). It has two 375-lumen LED spotlights on both facet of the shiny black digicam meeting and a speaker on the underside. A USB-C energy port is situated on the again of the digicam behind a rubber cowl. Included within the field are the digicam, a 20-foot energy cable with a hardwired adapter, a mounting plate, mounting screws, cable clips, and a person information.
The digicam captures 1080p video and makes use of HDR expertise for enhanced distinction and a extremely detailed picture. It has a 140-degree discipline of view and makes use of 4 infrared LEDS for black-and-white night time imaginative and prescient. The digicam can even ship shade night time imaginative and prescient (when enabled) utilizing no matter ambient mild is offered, and if there’s not sufficient mild it should default again to black and white. The spotlights could be turned on and off manually through the app. They can be configured to activate when movement is detected, and you may create a schedule to have them activate and switch off at particular instances.
New to this mannequin are a number of options beforehand solely provided with the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Professional together with Chicken’s Eye View and 3D movement detection. The 3D movement detection characteristic permits you to create customized movement zones with distance thresholds. When the sensor detects an object, it measures the space between the item and the digicam and sends an alert if that distance exceeds the edge. 3D movement detection additionally powers the Chicken’s Eye View characteristic that permits you to see the place guests have traveled whereas in your property. These occasions seem as dots on an aerial map and present the trail of the customer. Different new options embrace shade pre-roll, which reveals you what triggered a movement occasion with as much as six seconds of additional video, shade night time imaginative and prescient, and dual-band Wi-Fi. Observe that the spotlights right here aren’t practically as shiny because the floodlights on the Floodlight Cam Professional.
The Highlight Cam Professional works with Alexa voice instructions and helps IFTTT applets, nevertheless it doesn’t work with Apple HomeKit or Google voice instructions. You possibly can view stay video and obtain movement alerts without cost, however you’ll should subscribe to a Ring Shield plan to entry recorded video and to reap the benefits of a number of options. The Primary plan goes for $3.99 per thirty days or $39.99 per yr and will get you 180 days of recorded video historical past for a single digicam. It additionally permits you to save and share movies and offers you entry to options comparable to Wealthy Notifications, Particular person Alerts, Snapshot Seize, and the power to obtain as much as 50 movies all on the similar time. The Plus plan will value you $10 per thirty days or $100 per yr and offers you all the pieces from the Primary plan and offers prolonged warranties. The $20 per thirty days/$200 per yr Professional plan is geared towards Ring Alarm Professional customers and provides 24/7 skilled monitoring, Alexa Guard Plus (a hands-free emergency helpline), and different Ring Alarm Professional providers.
The digicam makes use of the identical Ring cellular app as all different Ring units and seems in a panel on the dashboard together with every other Ring units you could have put in. Faucet the panel to open the digicam’s house display screen after which faucet the play arrow to launch a stay video stream that may be considered in full-screen mode by turning your cellphone sideways. Right here you’ll discover buttons for initiating two-way discuss, muting the speaker, and ending the stream. On the backside of the display screen are buttons for turning the lights and the siren on or off, and there’s a Management button that opens a display screen the place you can too flip the lights and siren on and off.
On the prime of the display screen, within the right-hand nook, is a gear icon that takes you to the digicam’s management heart display screen. Right here you’ll discover buttons for enabling movement detection, movement alerts, and the lights, in addition to Siren and Reside View buttons. The underside portion of the display screen holds tiles for Occasion Historical past (recorded video), Mode Settings (Disarmed, House, Away, Geofencing), Machine Schedules, Movement Snooze, and 3D Movement Settings. The Machine Settings button opens a display screen the place you may configure Mild settings, Video settings, Privateness settings, Notification Settings, and Basic Settings, and the Machine Well being button permits you to examine sign power, change Wi-Fi settings, replace firmware, and troubleshoot notification points.
Ring Highlight Cam Professional Set up and Efficiency
As with each Ring digicam we’ve examined, the Highlight Cam Professional is simple to put in. You must obtain the Ring app and create an account to get began.
I opened the app, scrolled to the underside of the display screen, tapped Set Up a Machine, and chosen Safety Cams. I used my cellphone’s digicam to scan the QR code situated on the again of the digicam, chosen my house handle for the set up location, and gave the digicam a reputation. I chosen electrical socket as my energy supply, plugged within the digicam, and verified that it was powered up. When the LED started flashing blue I tapped Subsequent, chosen my Wi-Fi SSID, and entered my Wi-Fi password. Inside seconds the digicam was added to my community and to my Alexa system record, and after a fast firmware replace I used to be prepared to put in the digicam exterior.
I hooked up the mounting plate to a desk submit in my yard utilizing the included screws, snapped the digicam onto the plate, and plugged it into a close-by GFCI outlet. If you do not have a GFCI outlet close by, you’ll should snake the ability twine into your own home to make use of an inside outlet. I adjusted the digicam angle and the set up was full.
The Highlight Cam Professional delivered crisp 1080p video in our exams. Daytime video confirmed wealthy colours, good distinction, and sharp picture element with no hint of barrel or pincushion distortion. Nighttime video was additionally sharp, however colours weren’t fairly as vibrant as throughout the day. Nonetheless, black-and-white night time video was clear, sharp, and well-lit.
Movement detection labored fairly nicely. Alerts arrived immediately and particular person alerts have been accurately recognized. The Birds Eye View step-tracking characteristic labored as meant and the digicam at all times executed my Alexa voice instructions to stream video to an Amazon Echo Present show. Moreover, the digicam had no hassle adhering to my Alexa routine to activate a Wyze Bulb when an individual was detected.
A Extra Versatile Different to the Ring Floodlight
The Ring Highlight Cam Professional (Plug-In) is in the end fairly just like the Floodlight Cam Professional, however provides you the choice of a battery-powered mannequin for simpler set up. With the Highlight Cam Professional, you may monitor out of doors exercise and look at a breadcrumb path exhibiting the place guests have been whereas in your property. It really works with a number of third-party units and can file the exercise main as much as a movement occasion in addition to the precise occasion itself, however you’ll should subscribe to a Ring Shield plan to entry video and to unlock options comparable to Wealthy Notifications and Particular person Alerts. The Highlight Cam Professional is an efficient addition to an present Ring setup, however when you can stay with restricted integrations you’ll get extra options with our Editors’ Selection winner for out of doors safety cameras, the Lorex 4K Highlight Indoor/Outside Wi-Fi 6 Safety Digital camera, together with razor-sharp 4K video, free native video storage, shade night time imaginative and prescient, and free clever movement alerts.
