Ring Indoor Cam (1st Gen), Compact Plug-In HD security camera with two-way talk, Works with Alexa - White

Updated Review----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A criminal who had been released from jail on probation because COVID, robbed my garage 2 nights in a row. I got a crisp and clear video, posted to the Ring app, other neighbors checked their video and found the same man on their property, the police were involved immediately and the perp was taken back to jail.From the press release of our local PD:"On 5/11/20, [city] Police Department Patrol responded to a residential burglary that occurred the night before. The victim had left their garage door open and went for a walk around the neighborhood. During that time, from about 8 pm to 8:30 pm, an unknown subject later identified as [nam,e] entered the garage, rummaged through the cars and stole the victim’s mountain bike. While [name] was in the garage, the victim’s family was at home in the house....When the victim realized his bike had been stolen, he checked his Ring Camera video and saw that the suspect had been inside his garage. He posted the video onto the Ring Camera Neighborhood App, warning others in the area.Many community members had seen the video of the suspect and had been in contact with the [city] Police Street Crimes Unit (SCU). SCU and PROS (Post Release Offender Supervision) Detectives along with Patrol officers began looking for the suspect....This was an excellent example of the community working together to put a criminal back into jail....A review of the [city] Superior Court website shows that [name] has prior convictions for stealing a vehicle, robbery, using pepper spray to commit a violent felony, being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of narcotics. [name] is currently on PROS/AB109 and was in custody and had recently been released from jail on May 8th by Probation due to Covid-19 concerns."For a $60 camera, this was a great investment.Original Review----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I had 5 of the Amazon Cloud Cams, purchased about 18 months ago. Amazon then acquired Ring and Blink, and discontinued the Cloud Cams, although they still provide support (for now).I needed two new cameras, so I went with the Ring. Primarily because I heard nothing negative about the security, as opposed to Wyze. However, Ring has some real downsides relative to the Amazon Cloud Cams.1. More latency.I have great WiFi. I have multiple wi-fi mesh routers throughout the house with no dead spots. Still have to wait ~5-7 seconds to connect to live view. Cloud Cams was 3-5 seconds.2. No zoomI could tap and zoom on Cloud Cams. Can't do that with Ring.3. No live view via Web Browser.Apparently you can download an app on Windows 10, but I'm on a Mac and wonder why I can't view the video in a browser. I could go with Cloud Cams.4. I can't see multiple Cameras at once.With Cloud Cam, I could stream audio and video from all five cameras at once over the web. It was great. Having to switch between cameras, one at a time, and having to wait 5-7 seconds per camera, is a big downside.I get that Amazon needed to simplify its product portfolio after their two most recent acquisitions in this space, but it's a shame the Cloud Cam isn't sold anymore. It was a superior product offering in this space.Design, Packaging, Ease of Setup, and from what I can understand, Security is all excellent in Ring, and I have no complaints. The app, in spite of the one camera at a time limitation, is well-designed too.*** UPDATED 3-Jan-2020 ***I found the Rapid Ring app. It works in conjunction with the regular Ring app. Rapid Ring has limited functionality, but it does everything I need. Somehow, it manages to reduce latency to connect to the cameras. When I pull up the Rapid Ring app, I can connect to anyone of my cameras in <1 second. The app will also continuously reconnect to the camera after the 5 minute timeout period, so I can stream a camera indefinitely. I have upgraded my review to 4 stars. If Ring ever develops a generic web interface to view all cameras simultaneously, I will give 5 stars.

I have had these cameras set up for almost a year now. They've held up very well, video quality is pretty good for an affordable camera. Only complaints if I had to list some cons:You do have to pay a subscription to keep all of the recordings. Otherwise you only get a live feed. The subscription isn't too bad of a deal though in my opinion.The sound quality and pick up isn't the greatest when trying to communicate through the camera, but that's not the worst. Unless that feature is super important for you.Overall I have really found great use in these cameras and the app is easy to use.

I purchased the ring doorbell and two indoor camera one of which I actually turned outward to capture the driveway. I think functionality, resolution, and being able to access recorded video is all I could ask for. And all at a very reasonable price!Settings options are ample for things like motion zone adjustment , upside down camera placement with adjusted view on the receiver, and even a night glare adjustment if you choose to have an indoor camera face outward.Important to note that after a 30 day trial of free access to video recording, if you want continued access to recordings, it’s $3/month per camera for the basic plan or $10/month for all cameras - obviously makes sense to do if you have more than 3 cameras.I added two 10ft power cords in case either do the cameras placement was too far from an outlet for the cord that comes with the camera (I think it’s 6 or 7ft). Actually just moved one of the cameras and needed the longer cord which I had.Another great thing is that I can set up the app on multiple devices.https://smarthomestarter.com/can-you-install-ring-doorbell-without-turning-off-the-power/I decided on the Ring Doorbell Pro so I don’t have to deal with a battery powered device. The Pro model gets wired directly into where your doorbell is wired into so make sure to cut the power supply first! Also the Pro offers a chime you cam plug into a desired place to hear the doorbell