Pat PilcherSummary
Ring Indoor Camera (Gen 2) Review
What would the dog get up to while PAT PILCHER was out of the house? Find out in his review of a spiffing new indoor security camera.
$119
Outdoor surveillance cameras seem to have been getting all the attention recently. So much so that their indoor counterparts seem to have faded from view. This was very much on my mind when the Ring Indoor Camera arrived at Witchdoctor towers.
As a greyhound owner, I was curious to know what Blaze (our hound), got up to when we were out. It was a perfect scenario for putting Ring’s latest indoor wireless camera to the test.
The Ring Indoor Camera (2nd gen) is a petite device, being only marginally larger than a salt shaker and mounted on a base that can twist to adjust camera angles should it be needed, handily making it super easy to install either as a freestanding or wall mounted widget thanks to the bundled screws and bomb-proof instructions.
It also comes with a bundled power adaptor, so you don’t need to fart about recharging batteries like with its outdoor siblings. A really nifty design feature that I rated is a built-in privacy cover. It can rotate to cover the camera lens, which stops recorded video and audio. If privacy is an issue for you, this simple design element is a killer feature. A quick twist of the cover can mean surveillance starts, while a quick twist can just as easily turn it off. The other benefit is that you can tell if it is recording at a glance too.
The Ring Indoor Camera has a 115-degree field of view. While a wider field of view would be nice, it is ample when using from the corner of a room. Video is captured at 1080p, and it has night vision too. This was more than enough to see what Blaze got up to when we went out (usually sleeping or engaging in dog bickie chomping).
If that were it, it’d be fine, but there’s more. During setup I could specify areas in the camera’s view to generate alerts if people or other motion was detected. This handily meant that tree branches moving outside the room’s windows could be excluded from generating alerts.
The video and audio captured were generally excellent. Even at dusk or dawn, when light levels were low, the video was still detailed enough that I could make out the features of people in the room, which from a security standpoint, is very useful. The video is recorded and stored on a cloud-based server if you’re prepared to shell out for a premium ring subscription. This is a good idea as it means that even if a burglar was to steal the camera, you’d still have footage that police can use to (hopefully) identify and arrest them.
My only grizzle lies with the power adaptor cable. In the box, I got a 1.9m cable. While this isn’t as stingy as some brands, it made locating the camera on top of a bookshelf when the power outlet is at floor level a mission impossible. While not exactly a deal breaker, it is frustrating.
Would you like to support our mission to bring intelligence, insight and great writing to entertainment journalism? Help to pay for the coffee that keeps our brains working and fingers typing just for you. Witchdoctor, entertainment for grownups. Riveting writing on music, tech, hi-fi, music, film, TV and other cool stuff. Your one-off (or monthly) $5 or $10 donation will support Witchdoctor.co.nz. and help us keep producing quality content. It’s really easy to donate, just click the ‘Become a supporter’ button below.
I particularly liked that AI-based people detection is baked in. When combined with configurable alert areas, false positive alerts were practically non-existent, greatly adding to the camera’s charm.
The other really nifty feature that existing Ring doorbell and camera users will like is that the Ring Indoor Camera can link with other Ring camera products, so if an outdoor camera or doorbell detects someone entering your property or at the front door, the Indoor Camera can start recording. Add to this integrated Alexa support. Saying, “Alexa, show me the library camera”, to my Echo Show 5, it brought up a live video feed from the camera. Last (but by no means least), the camera uses the same excellent Ring app as the doorbell, which makes keeping an eye on things dead easy.
Given its $119 price, ease of set up and the features on offer, there is plenty to like with the Ring Indoor Camera. The limitations I found were minor and easily outweighed by the quality of recorded video and audio, accessible using the super intuitive Ring app (Android/iOS). If keeping an eye on the inside of your home is as important as outdoor surveillance, then the Ring Indoor Camera is a no-brainer.
