This is a review of Ring's Floodlight Cam that was a Today's Special Value (TSV) at QVC on the 24th of October. It normally sells for $249.00, but the TSV price dropped to $219.95, a $29.05 savings. Currently it's selling for $239.92 on QVC's website. It also came with a three year warranty instead of a one year warranty. In addition, it comes with a lifetime theft warranty, if stolen they will replace it. It has screws that can only be removed with a special tool that comes with all of Ring's security cameras. We purchased the Ring Video Doorbell earlier in the year when it was a TSV, see my review for more information. We loved it so much that we were anxious to purchase the Floodlight version, but the price made us put it on the back burner waiting for a lower price. So as soon as I saw it was available to order as a TSV, I ordered it. Not to mention the five easy payments make it budget friendly.
I'm in love with it! It has solved several problems that we've had for years now. The garage area of our house is a blind spot. I either have to open the garage door to see what's going on or go upstairs and look out two different rooms' windows. Now I am delighted that I can see all the way down our one hundred foot driveway and see all that is going on from home or while out on the town! The information online doesn't really explain how much the camera will show and there wasn't any indication that one could move the camera to point in other directions. Even during the on air presentation, this information wasn't given. So I was thrilled to see that the camera is adjustable which is so important when you have a side load garage. Looking straight out from our garage wouldn't have worked for us. As you can see in the photo below, Hubby turned the camera so we could see all the way down our driveway, awesome!
View from Camera
It gives a fisheye view, so some things are a bit distorted. For instance, on the left side there is a parking spot, but in the camera view shown above it looks much smaller than it really is. It also makes the driveway appear shorter than it really is. Without the fisheye view we wouldn't be able to see all the way down our driveway. The nighttime view is also awesome, it's night vision is fantastic.
The only issue we have with they system is that our wi-fi is located on the other side of the house on the 2nd floor, so we don't have the best connection all of the time. Even so, it works pretty good. Our plan is to move the wi-fi closer to the center of the house or get a wi-fi booster. Anyone have any recommendations on a booster?
Installation is easy, if you have some experience with electrical connections. It only took about fifteen minutes for Hubby to install it including the adjustments to the camera to make sure it was showing the area we wanted to see. Make sure you turn off the power to that light fixture prior to starting the installation. If you are inexperienced, but not too nervous about it, give it a try on your own with the instructions that come with the system and online. If that doesn't work, you could always call an electrican or a friend or family member with experience. I will miss our old light fixture since it was attractive, but security is more important than looks. It comes in black or white, I chose the white color since our trim on the house is white.
The Ring app is easy to use, you can see photos of it in the App Store. When a person or animal steps inside the camera's view it sends a ring tone and a notification on your phone. If you click on that, it will take you to the app and open up the live camera view. If the app gives you false alarms, all you need to do is reduce the area that sets the alarm off. For instance, we had to bring the alarm area a bit off the street because cars that were going by were setting it off. We have learned that a cat comes by our house everyday at 8:30 to 9:30 pm. It will also go off, if a squirrel is walking by. But it hasn't gone off because of moving trees or any other false alarms like that. Once the alarm goes off the app will start recording and it stores the video on your app. To keep those videos, you'll need to pay $3 a month or $30 a year. If you have more than two devices, get the plan that is $100 a year for multiple devices. They just came out with a security system that I would have bought if we hadn't just signed up with another company. You'll need those videos, if something happens and you need to submit the evidence to the police. You can also share videos with other Ring Security Camera owners in your area. Plus, something cute might appear like a bird sitting on the doorbell looking at the camera. Here's our nightly visting cat:
Nightime View
You can also control the lights by turning them on and off on the app from anywhere. Forgot to turn on the lights and you're in Hawaii enjoying the sunshine? No problem, open the app on your phone and turn them on, voila! Awesome! It also has the ability in the settings to set it to come on and off automatically at the times you specify. I went online and looked up the sunrise and sunset times and used them. I wish it had settings to go on automatically when the sun sets and off when the sun rises, but unfortunately it doesn't have a light sensor. I'll have to adjust the times it turns on and off seasonally and when the time changes twice a year.
It also has an alarm, so if you see someone that looks like they are about to commit a crime, you'll want to turn on the alarm. Having recently had criminals in our neighborhood breaking into cars, this gives us some power. Hubby tried it out and it is very loud. You can also talk to the person standing in your driveway and you can hear what's going on. So you have the option to tell the person to get off of your property. That alone will probably scare the crap out of them not expecting to hear a voice and no one standing there. The alarm comes with a sticker that says "do not switch off" to put on your light switch since you may need to be reminded not to turn off the system. Just remember to turn on and off the lights with the app instead.
I highly recommend this product for the security of you and your family and the peace of mind it gives. Now you can instantly see what's going on in your driveway without risk. You may even see wildlife that you don't normally see. It gives you the ability to know when someone visits your home, whether it be the delivery person or service personnel. You'll know when they were there and for how long. Now that's powerful. Now what are you waiting for? Get yours today, you won't regret it!
Bargain Alert:
$10 off - ten dollar credit for those who download the neighbor app! No ring device required.
Bargain Alert:
$10 off - ten dollar credit for those who download the neighbor app! No ring device required.
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Have a PEACEful Day!
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