Ring Floodlight Cam Review: A Feature-Rich Outdoor Security Camera

The Ring Floodlight Cam is an all-in-one powerful light and motion-activated security camera that can both deter would-be burglars and light the way to your door on an icy, cold night. It’s a good get if you’re not ready to invest in a full-on home security system, but you still want to keep tabs on the front, sides, or back of your home.

While Ring’s floodlight camera works well on its own, it also excels when used alongside other Ring products. You can integrate the Ring Floodlight Cam with your Ring Video Doorbell Pro or link it up with Ring’s security system to boost your monitoring capabilities.

Ahead, we’re looking at the Ring Floodlight Cam, its best features, and how it compares to the competition.

The Ring Floodlight Cam is one of the best outdoor motion sensors on the market. But it’s much more than just a light: it’s also a high-definition camera with night vision up to 30 feet and a wide-angle 140° field of view.

That means you’ll know whether a potential intruder is scoping out your property or your sister is popping in for a surprise visit.

As far as the basics, the Ring Floodlight Cam has it covered: you’ll get crisp 1080p HD video, night vision up to 30 feet, and a remote-activated 110-decibel siren, which is about as loud as the car honking incessantly in the lane next to you.

Ultra-bright floodlights
The Floodlight Cam has two super-bright 1500-lumen lights that turn on when they detect motion at night. That’s pretty bright: the 60-watt incandescent bulb you’ve been using as your porch light is only about 800 lumens. That added visibility makes it easier to see the path to your front door, and it can also deter criminals.

Custom motion zones and scheduling
Your Floodlight Cam will send you a notification when it detects motion, but if it proves too sensitive—perhaps you don’t want as many notifications for the squirrels running across your lawn—you can adjust the camera’s sensitivity to ignore animals and cars.

You can also create custom motion zones, which is a good get if you want to keep an eye on your porch but not necessarily the foot traffic on the sidewalk.

If there are certain times of the day when you don’t want the camera to detect motion at all—like when the garbage collector comes—you set a schedule. That way, you won’t get bombarded with notifications every Tuesday between 8 and 8:30 a.m. regarding your recycling.

Digital zoom and panning
You’ll also be able to see much more with the Floodlight Cam. In addition to its wide-angle 140° field of view, the Ring Floodlight Cam also offers digital zooming, so you can zoom in on a specific area of interest, and panning, so you can get a wider view of your backyard.

Installing the Ring Floodlight Cam requires some basic wiring knowledge. You’ll also need an outdoor-rated junction box. If working with electrical wiring isn’t your thing, or if you don’t have an existing power source, hire a professional to do the work for you.

If you’re comfortable with the DIY approach, and if you’re replacing an existing light, installing the Floodlight Cam is pretty straightforward. Once you’ve set up your new device in the Ring app, you’ll be given the option of using step-by-step on-screen instructions or watching a series of videos to help with your installation.

Either way, here are your steps:

1. Turn off the power.
2. Unscrew your existing fixture and any brackets.
3. Remove any wiring.
4. Install the Ring mounting bracket.
5. Hang the Floodlight Cam with an included hook.
6. Secure the grounding black-and-white wires to their matching sets with the included wire nuts.
7. Remove the hook and screw in the Floodlight Cam.
8. Adjust the lights and camera to whichever angle works best.

The whole process should take about 15 minutes.

Although the Ring Floodlight Cam can be mounted on a wall, it can’t be mounted horizontally or upside-down, as it can affect the device’s motion-detection angle and weather resistance.

The Ring Floodlight Cam is priced at $249. And while it may seem a bit on the pricier side, you’re getting a lot of features—from customizable motion zones to digital zoom and panning—that other floodlight cameras don’t offer, so we think it’s worth it.

To get the most out of your Floodlight Cam, you’ll need a Ring Protect subscription. Starting at $3 a month, or $30 a year, Ring Protect lets you access videos of every live view and motion event for up to 60 days. You’ll also be able to review, share, and save any videos, which can come in handy in the event of a break-in.

The Ring app is where all of your motion notifications live. These notifications will tell you about any motion your Floodlight Cam detects, based on what you’ve named the camera—“Backyard” if the camera is in your backyard, or “Front Porch” if your camera lives there.

When an object or person sets off the camera’s motion sensors, you’ll get an alert that says “There is motion at your Front Porch.” You can turn motion alerts on and off within the app.

If you’re looking to integrate your Ring Floodlight Cam into your smart home, your options are limited. The Ring Floodlight Cam can be integrated into Ring’s own security system and with other Ring devices. It will also work with Amazon Alexa, so you’ll be able to stream the camera’s live feed to your Amazon Echo Show.

Still, you’ll get only limited integration with Google Home via voice commands, and there are a few useful IFTTT integrations: you can get a phone call or set your lights to turn on when your Ring Floodlight Cam detects motion, for example.

The Ring Floodlight Cam is pretty similar to the Ring Spotlight Cam with two main differences:

While the Ring Floodlight Cam offers two 1500-lumen LED bulbs, the Spotlight Cam Battery, Spotlight Cam Wired, and Spotlight Cam Mount all offer lighting via two 300-lumen LED light strips. A spotlight may not be as powerful, but it could still be a better option for your front door if the floodlight proves to be too bright.

The Spotlight Cams also lack the smart zoom and panning capabilities of the Floodlight Camera. If that’s not a dealbreaker, check out our Spotlight Cam review.

Sengled Snap Security Floodlight
The Sengled Snap Security Floodlight comes with unlimited video streaming and the ability to view footage from the past 24 hours without a subscription. But for must-haves like customizable motion zones and more advanced features like person detection, you’ll have to pay $3 per camera per month for a Sengled Snap subscription.

The Sengled Snap isn’t as bright as the Ring Floodlight Cam, and you won’t get any siren capabilities. But its floodlights are dimmable and it’s equipped with full-color night vision.

Annke Floodlight Camera
The Annke Floodlight Camera looks a lot like the Ring Floodlight Camera, but its field of view is much more narrow at 127° and you’ll get a limited number of customizable motion zones. And while you’ll get access to local storage for free, cloud access comes with a $5 monthly fee.

Bomoo Floodlight Camera
The Bomoo Floodlight Camera is equipped with a lot of the same perks as the Ring Floodlight Cam, from two-way audio to motion-activated alerts. But it doesn’t offer any cloud storage capabilities and its field of view is on the lower side at 120°.

The Ring Floodlight Cam is a versatile camera with robust features you won't find elsewhere, like a wide-angle field of view, customizable motion zones and scheduling, and ultra-bright LED floodlights.

If you’re looking to considerably brighten your outside space and up your security, the Ring Floodlight Camera should be on your list. You’ll get the best features of a motion-activated security camera and bright LED lights that will last for ten years.

>>Light it up. Get the Ring Floodlight Camera here.