Editors’ Note: This is the most recent version of the Ring Indoor Cam. Read our review from October 17, 2023 below.
Ring’s second-generation Indoor Cam ($59.99) is an affordable security camera that offers a handful of improvements over its predecessor. It still tops out at 1080p and requires a paid subscription to view motion-triggered video clips, but it adds color night vision and a privacy shutter. It delivered clear video and accurate motion detection in our tests, and remains an excellent camera for keeping an eye on the inside of your home, especially for existing Ring users. That said, you’ll get even sharper 2K quality as well as mechanical pan and tilt support with our slightly less expensive Editors’ Choice for indoor cameras, the $51.99 Eufy E220 Indoor Cam.
Privacy, Night Vision Upgrades
The second-gen Indoor Cam shares the same basic cylindrical design as the original model. It comes in white or black, measures 1.9 inches wide, and stands 3.8 inches high (including the stand). The round base offers manual tilt and swivel maneuverability and can be used as a desktop stand or mounted on a wall or ceiling using the included mounting hardware.
It offers a few improvements over its predecessor including a privacy cover and color night vision. The removable privacy cover manually slides into place, letting you quickly turn off the camera and microphone. The glossy black camera face holds the lens, a microphone, and a status LED, while a speaker resides just below. The status light shines solid blue when the camera is recording, slowly blinks blue during setup, pulses blue during two-way audio communications, and flashes blue and red when Wi-Fi is disconnected. A button on the top of the camera lets you reset the device, and around back is a micro USB power port. The camera comes with a 6.5-foot power cable, a USB power adapter, and a quick start guide.
(Credit: John R. Delaney)
The camera captures 1080p video with a 143-degree (diagonal) field of view. It uses infrared LEDs for black-and-white night vision and captures color night vision if there’s adequate ambient light. It records video when it detects motion and supports Ring’s Pre-Roll feature which allows you to see what happened in the six seconds preceding the motion trigger. Network connectivity comes by way of a built-in 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio. You can control the camera using Alexa voice commands and make it work with third-party devices using IFTTT applets, but it doesn’t support Apple HomeKit or Google Assistant.
As with every Ring camera, you have to subscribe to a Ring Protect plan to access recorded video and unlock certain features. The $3.99 per month/$39.99 per year Basic plan covers one camera and gives you 180 days of recorded video history, video saving and sharing capabilities, person alerts, snapshot capture, rich notifications (that include a photo preview so you don’t have to open the app), and support for automations with a Ring Alarm system. The $10.99 per month/$100 per year Plus plan gives you everything from the Basic plan with coverage and extended warranties for all of your Ring devices. Ring also offers a $20 per month/$200 per year Pro plan that is best suited for Ring Alarm Pro users. It adds 24/7 professional monitoring, Alexa Guard Plus, cellular backup, and other Ring Alarm Pro services.
The Indoor Cam uses the same mobile app (available for Android and iOS) as every other Ring device and appears on the dashboard in its own section along with a still image of the latest motion event. Tap into the camera’s section to open a screen with a video panel and a play arrow. Below the video panel is a scrolling timeline of recorded events.
(Credit: Ring)
Tapping the play arrow launches a live stream you can view in landscape mode by turning your phone sideways or by tapping the box in the lower right corner. In landscape mode, you’ll find buttons for two-way talk, muting the speaker, ending the stream, activating the siren, and launching a Quick Controls panel that lets you turn other Ring devices on and off.
Tap the gear icon in the upper right corner to access the camera’s settings screen, which offers toggles to quickly enable or disable motion detection, motion alerts, and motion warnings (that inform visitors when they are being recorded). Below that, you’ll find buttons for activating the siren and launching the live view. The bottom of the settings screen contains several tiles offering access to additional features and settings, including Event History (which displays thumbnails for all recorded events), Mode Settings (for Home, Away, and Disarmed modes), Linked Devices (to connect the camera to other Ring devices so it can interact with them), Alerts Snooze (to disable alerts for up to 12 hours), Linked Chimes (to sound a chime when motion is detected), and Device Health (for signal strength, network status, and MAC address).
(Credit: Ring)
Tap into the Motion Settings tile to configure smart alerts and motion sensitivity settings and to create motion schedules. The Device Settings tile opens a screen where you can configure Video Settings (including color night vision, and the recording length), Notification Settings (including rich notifications, linked chimes, and alert tones), Privacy Settings, and Snapshot Capture (which snaps still images at regular intervals so you can see what’s going on between motion events). Finally, you can visit the Accessories tile to purchase other Ring products such as solar panels, chimes, and power adapters.
Reliable Performance
Installation is a snap. I opened the app (if you don’t already have it, you’ll have to download the app and create an account to get started), scrolled to the bottom of the dashboard screen, and tapped Set up a Device. I selected Security Cams from the product category list and used my phone’s camera to scan the QR code on the back of the camera. I then selected my location (which is configured when you set up your account), gave the camera a name, and verified that the privacy cover was open.
Next, the app asked me to select whether the camera would be pointed inside the house or looking out through a window. I then followed the instructions to plug it in within 10 feet of my router. With the camera powered on, I tapped Next, verified that the LED was blinking blue, and selected my Wi-Fi SSID when prompted. I entered my Wi-Fi password, tapped Continue, and the camera connected within seconds. After a quick firmware update, the app gave me the option to link the Indoor Cam with other Ring devices (you can skip this step and do it later if you prefer). At this point, you can also view an installation tutorial, optimize motion detection, and create privacy zones (I skipped all three). Finally, I tapped I’m Done, unplugged the camera, and plugged it into an outlet in my living room to complete the installation.
(Credit: Ring)
The Indoor Cam delivered sharp 1080p video in my tests. Daytime video showed good color saturation, though nighttime colors appeared dull. On the other hand, black-and-white night video was well-lit with good contrast. Motion alerts arrived instantly and were correctly identified when a person triggered the event, and the camera followed my motion on/off schedules without issue. Alexa voice commands to stream video to an Amazon Echo Show smart display worked as intended and two-way talk was adequately loud and clear.
A Smart Choice for Ring Homes
The second-generation Ring Indoor Cam is easy to recommend, especially if you already use other Ring products to protect your home. While it isn’t dramatically different from its predecessor, it adds color night vision and a physical camera cover that also mutes the mic. With a Ring Protect subscription (starting at $3.99 a month), it offers 180 days of recorded video storage, the ability to download recorded clips, and notifications when a person is in view. At $59.99 it’s a good value, though if you aren’t already a Ring user, the $51.99 Eufy E220 Indoor Cam offers more for your money including 2K video, mechanical pan and tilt, and Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant support in addition to Amazon Alexa, making it our Editors’ Choice.
Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen)
The Bottom Line
The second-generation Ring Indoor Cam gains a privacy cover and color night vision while continuing to deliver sharp 1080p video, phone and voice controls, and robust third-party device support.
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About John R. Delaney
Contributing Editor
