Ring are known for their video doorbell but are now adding to their product lineup with the Ring Floodlight Cam. The product was announced at CES but it’ll be April before its available. Not content with adding a video camera to the doorbell, the floodlight is now also getting a long overdue upgrade with a full HD video camera of its own.
Typically flood lights are added to households as a security deterrent, imagining that bad guys will be scared off by the light initiated by a basic motion sensor. The reality is, it does little to actually stop criminals. With a video camea that leverages Ring’s cloud recording and remote access features, you can actually see if someone is down the side or out the back of your house. In the worst case if they were to go on and break into your home, you could provide the footage to the police.
The Ring Floodlight Cam is designed for outdoor use and is weather resistant and features a loud speaker. Its doubtful any criminals would engage in a conversation should you open the mic and talk to them, but you could use it to scare them off. Of course Ring’s not done there with features. There’s a 110dB siren included, which for those playing at home is bloody loud and if the lights don’t scare them off, this neighbour awakening noise certainly will.
That camera also features facial recognition which is easy to imagine some potential uses for, however Ring hasn’t yet detailed how this will be used so we’ve reached out to them for an answer. Hopefully this feature could come to their doorbell and with a connection to other IoT devices like the August door lock, you could actually walk up to your door, be recognised and have the door unlock for you.
Placement security is always a little tricky to ensure maximum coverage, but Ring’s wide lens captures a generous 270-degrees of motion which of course is configurable through the app. There’s also smart LED lights and IR for night vision, making your home secure 24 hours of the day.
Founder of Ring, Jamie Siminoff, said,
“With learnings from Ring Video Doorbell combined with our mission of reducing crime in neighborhoods, the team and I invented the next layer of easy-to-use, DIY, proactive outdoor home security. We are now able to deliver the full Ring of Security to every corner of your home, giving you preventive, 24-hour monitoring in one, integrated solution. Floodlight Cam enhances Ring’s mission of reducing crime in neighborhoods and when used with the Ring Doorbell, provides a complete proactive, preventative home security system.”
Floodlight Cam is easy to install using a home’s existing floodlight wiring and is 128 x 69 x 89 mm in size. As someone building a home, with a floodlight down the side and another out the back, the Floodlight cam sounds like a welcome upgrade.
Motion does not need to be detected to turn on the floodlight or video feed, something that arrives as a result of user feedback from the doorbell. Tapping into the live stream at any time could also let you check in on pets while you’re away and ensuring they’re not eating your furniture or digging under the fence.
In terms of automation, you can create a schedule for the floodlight to turn on and off automatically, much like interior smart lighting by Hue and LIFX. With IFTTT support of Ring products, you could actually have internal and external lights flashing, along with the siren when motion is detected outside expected hours.
All Ring devices are controlled through the same Ring app, available on iOS, OS X, Android and Windows 10 devices.
You can pre-order the Ring Floodlight Cam for A$379.00 or US$249.00 at ring.com now.