If you’re looking to protect your home, you can’t do better than installing outdoor cameras. Entry sensors and indoor cameras are good, but they don’t detect home invasions until someone’s already inside your house. And the only thing more effective than an outdoor camera is an outdoor camera that includes lighting options. There’s nothing like shining a light on a potential burglar to make them think twice about breaking in.
Outdoor cameras play a key role in your home’s security. With eyes on the perimeter of your property, you have a better chance of catching problems before they escalate. Add lighting to your outdoor cameras, and you have even more options for protecting your home.
Enter Ring security cameras. Ring built its reputation on its video doorbells, but it now offers entire security systems, including a wide range of camera options. Among its several models are outdoor cameras with lighting features.
The Ring Floodlight Cam
In fact, Ring offers not just one outdoor camera with lighting but two: the Floodlight Cam and the Spotlight Cam. While both make it easier to see at night, they’re actually designed to serve very different functions.
- The Floodlight Cam illuminates large spaces with bright light. That makes it great for protecting wide, open areas like entire yards.
- In contrast, the Spotlight Cam provides softer, focused illumination, great for lighting up specific areas of your property, such as a pathway or a set of stairs.
In simple terms, do you want a blinding spotlight that’ll stop burglars in their tracks, or do you prefer the wider illumination of a floodlight to help you carry in groceries at night?
Beyond this basic question, there are a host of other factors to consider. Are you looking for a hardwired model, or is wireless your thing? How are you planning to power your device? Battery? Outlet? Ring now offers solar panels. And how many of these devices does your property need?
That’s a lot of questions, but keep reading. You’ll find we have a lot of answers.
Ring Floodlight vs Ring Spotlight: Similarities
Despite their different functions, these cameras have some important similarities. After all, they’re both made by Ring, so they share a number of basic components. To start with, they have similar recording components. No surprise, then, that both offer the same basic video quality you’ll find in all Ring cameras (read our full roundup of Ring Cameras and pricing if you want to know more).
Both cameras feature two-way communication. Through the Ring app, both provide real-time alerts and live views of your property. For a nominal fee, both allow you to store video in the cloud for later playback. Both are available in multiple power options. And finally, both come in either “Plus” or “Pro” models.
It’s also noteworthy that both cameras offer color night vision — a perk of having integrated lights. You can set lights to activate when cameras detect motion. That’s a great way to catch burglars on the wrong foot without having to worry about false alerts. Or, turn this feature off and use the Ring app to control the lights.
Ring Spotlight Cam at Twilight
Ring Spotlight vs Ring Floodlight: Differences
We’re going to get into the nitty gritty of the technical differences between these cameras in the features section, but first we want to step back and look at them holistically.
Pro Tip: Regardless of which product you choose, you can’t go wrong with adding additional lighting to your property. Security lights are one of the best ways to fend off burglars, after all.
The Spotlight is the more universal of these two products. Its onboard lighting is intended for you, to help you do things like get from the car to the door when you come home at night with groceries. It’s for making visitors more comfortable and lighting up your front porch so you can see it’s just the neighbors’ dog that’s snooping around outside. Would it startle a potential intruder? Probably. Intruders prefer darkness, and any light is going to frustrate their plans. Startling people isn’t the spotlight’s first job, though.
The floodlight, on the other hand, is all about security. When those 2000 lumens kick on, they light up your backyard like the Vegas strip. And the 105 dB siren sounds like a jet landing at Harry Reid International. You really wouldn’t want to install this piece of equipment on your front porch, unless for some reason you want to be blinded while bringing in the groceries. This is a camera you put in your backyard because, after all, no one has any business back there but you.
As important as the lights are to both of these cameras, they have plenty of other features as well. Let’s turn to those next.
Features
Each of these cameras comes with a distinct set of features. Some overlap, and some are unique. Here's the breakdown, and we included information on both Plus and Pro models to help with comparison.
Spotlight Cam Plus
- Color Night Vision
- Customizable Motion Detection
- Two-Way Talk
- Motion Activated Notifications
- Built In Siren
Spotlight Cam Pro
- 3D Motion Detection
- Enhanced Audio
- Dual-Band WiFi
- Two-Way Talk
- Built-In Siren
Floodlight Cam Plus
- Color Night Vision
- 2000 Lumen Floodlight
- 105 dB Siren
- Motion Activated Notifications
- Two-Way Talk
Floodlight Cam Pro
- Color Night Vision
- 3D Motion Detection
- Dual-Band WiFi
- Enhanced Audio
- 105 dB Siren
Besides those variants, both the Spotlight and Floodlight Cams offer different power options, from battery to hardwiring. However, the Spotlight Cam is more flexible. It has battery, solar, and plug-in options, while all Floodlight Cams require some type of wiring. It’s available only in plug-in (plugged into a power outlet) and hardwired (wired into a junction box in lieu of a traditional floodlight). That may limit your placement for the Floodlight Cam, but again, it’s not as universal as the Spotlight Cam anyway.
Pricing
As you’d expect, the pricing on these devices differs based on which model you select and which power source you want to use. Here’s a quick breakdown of what that looks like:
| Camera | Battery | Hardwired | Plug In | Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotlight Cam Plus | $169.99 | $199.99 | $169.99 | $199.99 |
| Spotlight Cam Pro | $229.99 | $249.99 | $229.99 | $249.99 |
| Floodlight Cam Plus | N/A | $199.99 | $219.98 | N/A |
| Floodlight Cam Pro | N/A | $249.99 | $269.98 | N/A |
You should know that Ring has developed a reputation for running frequent sales. Right now, for instance, almost all of Ring’s lighted cameras can be had at deep discounts. The Spotlight Cam Plus, for example, is a full $60 off the regular price, just $109.99. The Floodlight Cam Plus is $80 cheaper than usual, at $119.99. Who knows how long these prices will last, but to keep up with future deals, you can always bookmark our guide to Ring’s sales and discounts; there, you’ll find all the most up-to-date information on Ring’s sales, all in one place.
What We Think
When it comes to home security, it’s tough to go wrong with Ring. They offer some of the best security cameras on the market today, and some of the most affordable as well. If you’re looking specifically for a security camera with an illumination option, both the Spotlight and Floodlight camera are great choices, depending on how you’re going to use them.
If you need straight up security, go with the Floodlight Cam. Its extra bright lights and super loud siren are perfect for warding off would-be intruders. If you’re looking for something a little less severe and a little more universal, the Spotlight Cam might be the better option.
