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Ring Spotlight Cam Pro vs. Ring Floodlight Pro

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Ring Spotlight Cam Pro is the newest edition to the Ring catalog. Available in four different configurations, this 1080p camera is one of the most versatile products offered by Ring, although it’s remarkably similar to the preexisting Ring Floodlight Cam Pro. If you’re looking to install a premium security camera on your property, here’s a closer look at the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro and Ring Floodlight Pro to help you determine which is the best fit for your smart home.

Resolution and night video

Ring Spotlight Cam Pro on a wall.
Ring

Both the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro and Ring Floodlight Pro are designed around a premium camera. In fact, you won’t notice much difference in their performance, as both capture 1080p HD video and color night vision. They also support 3D Motion Detection and Bird’s Eye View — high-tech features that ensure you’re capturing everything that walks into range. These also help pinpoint exactly where motion is coming from and can highlight location on a top-down map of your property.

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Winner: Consider this category a tie — both Ring products capture 1080p video and offer color night vision.

Feature and spec list

Ring Floodlight Cam Pro installed on the outside of a home.
Erika Rawes/Digital Trends

While much of the Spotlight Cam Pro and Floodlight Pro spec lists are the same, there are a few key differences. The most notable difference is how these cameras are installed and powered.

For the Spotlight Cam Pro, you’ll get to choose from four different models: battery, plug-in, solar, and wired. For the Floodlight Cam Pro, you’ll only get the plug-in and wired options.

It’s worth noting that the built-in lights are much more powerful on the Floodlight Cam Pro. These can reach a maximum of 2,000 lumens, which is bright enough to illuminate a large portion of your yard (and could startle unsuspecting intruders). The Spotlight Cam Pro, meanwhile, is designed to light up a smaller area and is best used to illuminate patios, porches, or your front door.

Beyond specs, the two products look very different from each other. The Spotlight Cam Pro is a rather diminutive security camera that has its spotlights built into the chassis that also houses the camera. This design element gives it a smaller profile than the Floodlight Cam Pro, which features two massive floodlights that protrude from the top of the installation base.

If you’re looking to be discrete, the Spotlight Cam Pro is the way to go. If you’re looking to make it obvious that the area is under surveillance, then consider the Floodlight Cam Pro.

Winner: While both offer great specs and are designed to perform different tasks, the Spotlight Cam Pro wins this category thanks to its variety of available models.

Monthly fees and what you get

Package delivery as seen on Ring app.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Since both products are manufactured by Ring, they share the exact same subscription plans. You’ll almost certainly want to pick up the Basic plan for $4/month, which offers 180 days of video history, video saving and sharing, snapshot capture, person alerts, and a few other perks.

Step up to the Plus plan ($10/month), and you’ll get extended warranties for your cameras. Things max out with the Pro plan, which is listed for $20/month and offers a variety of data backups along with a possible home insurance discount.

Winner: Once again, this category is an even fight — making it a tie between the Spotlight Cam Pro and Floodlight Cam Pro.

Ease of use

Woman replacing Ring Spotlight Cam battery.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Both products are operated through the Ring smartphone app. This connectivity makes it simple to view a live feed, review old footage, or set up alerts for when someone (or something) triggers your camera’s sensors.

Since both are Ring products, there’s very little difference when it comes to using them. The installation process, however, is another story. Because the Spotlight Cam Pro is offered in four different formats, you can pick up whichever version is the easiest to use with your current setup. This makes it easy to get your security system up and running without too much technical know-how or rewiring.

Winner: The Spotlight Cam Pro narrowly edges out the Floodlight Cam Pro in this category.

Apps and monitoring

Screenshot of Ring App.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

You guessed it: Apps and monitoring are practically identical across the two devices. They share the same Ring app, and they both offer the same monitoring technology (such as the ability to pinpoint motion using radar and highlight them on a top-down map of your property). You can also customize your alerts to only receive a notification when your Ring camera spots a person, removing any unwanted messages for when your friendly neighborhood rabbit scurries through your yard.

Winner: It’s another tie.

Integration with other smart home systems

Photo of a puppy on Echo Show 8.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Both the Floodlight Cam Pro and Spotlight Cam Pro work with HomeKit and Amazon Alexa devices. They’re also only partially functional with Google Home, so certain features (like live feeds) might not be compatible with your Google Home smart devices.

Winner: It’s another tie.

Ring Spotlight Cam Pro is the better product

Ring Spotlight Cam pro on watch.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Because the Spotlight Cam Pro and Floodlight Cam Pro were designed with slightly different uses in mind (the former is ideal for small areas and the latter is for high-end security needs), it’s difficult to definitively say one product is better than the other. The Ring Spotlight Cam Pro starts at $229 for the battery model, while the Floodlight Cam Pro costs $269, making it the more expensive option.

However, most smart home shoppers will probably find the Spotlight Cam Pro to be the superior option. Not only is it much more discrete than the Floodlight Cam Pro, but it offers many of the same features and comes in a variety of models.

If you’re trying to protect a massive backyard or want significant illumination abilities, the Floodlight Cam Pro is without a doubt the better choice. But if you’re looking for something that is easy to install, offers impressive performance, and comes with its own set of built-in spotlights, then the Spotlight Cam Pro is a hard product to beat.

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Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner is a writer covering consumer electronics, technology, and gaming. His work has been published on various websites…
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