Ring Smart Lighting Spotlight Review
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Ring has introduced an entire line up of smart lighting to complement their smart doorbells, smart cameras and smart security system, and the Ring Smart Lighting Spotlight is one of their latest additions to the lineup.
The Ring Spotlight is designed to provide motion activated high intensity light right where you need it and is completely battery powered. The Ring Spotlight is part of their smart home lighting lineup and is designed to provide completely wire free lighting with built in motion detection to light up when armed.
The Ring Spotlight is fully sealed and is intended for outdoor and can be mounted almost anywhere because it is completely battery powered. You don’t need to worry about paying an electrician to wire and install a new light because these smart spotlights are designed around simple DIY installation.
The Ring Spotlight is great for the corner of a house, outside a sliding door or first floor bedroom window to enhance security if you want to “light up” an possible intruder or trespasser and discourage them from further advances once illuminated.
It’s also great for just lighting up places that you might need a little bit more light walking around at night like a back deck, steps or pathway to your garage.
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Ring Spotlight Review : How It Works
The Ring Spotlights are completely wireless and are powered by 4 D-Cell batteries that will last typically up to 1 year with normal use. Ring defines normal use as 8-10 triggers per night at with a 20 second light duration. The use of ultra high efficiency LED lights on the Ring Spotlight help to extend the battery life and allow you to get the most out of your Ring Smart Lighting System.
You can replace the batteries with standard D-Cell batteries, or rechargeable D-Cell batteries can be used, but they will most likely have a shorter time between recharges than standard D-Cell batteries.
The Ring Spotlight has a built in motion sensor that can detect motion up to 15 feet and they can also be controlled to turn on or off using the Ring App on your phone. The built in motion sensor on the Ring Spotlight can also be used to connect to and alert you on the Ring Alarm System when tripped just like a standard motion sensor that’s part of the security system on the Ring Alarm System.
The Ring Spotlights are wireless but connect to your home network through the Ring Bridge which is a wireless network designed to work with Ring Smart Lighting to optimize battery life and communication. The Ring Spotlights require a Ring Bridge to work so you can either buy a bridge separately or buy a package system like the Ring Pathlights that come with a Bridge. Once you have the Ring Bridge you can add on multiple Ring Spotlights, Ring Steplights and other Ring Smart lights to expand the system with your existing Ring Bridge to create a complete outdoor smart lighting system.
Ring Spotlight Review: Best Uses
The Ring Spotlight has a very specific use case and it’s not for everyone but it does what it’s intended to do well. The Spotlight is meant to light up a specific area when motion is detected. It’s not a floodlight so it won’t light up your whole yard but it’s great for illuminating and protecting areas like windows, sliding doors or entrances to your home that don’t already have a motion activated light or don’t have outdoor lighting.
It’s a great way to increase security at a door or window because, a bright shining light is typically enough to drive the average criminal or intruder away. It’s also bright enough that you’ll notice when it’s lit up and with the Ring Security system you will see the alerts on your phone that the motion sensor has been tripped if you have the settings enabled.
It’s a great solution for where you don’t have an existing outdoor light or power, and want to quickly increase the security without a lot of work or wiring. You put the batteries in, set it up on the app and screw it to the wall and you’re ready to go in just a few minutes.
But if you have existing outdoor lights, hardwired power or want smart camera functionality there are other Ring Smart Light options that might be a better fit for you. If you have existing outdoor lighting the hardwired Ring Floodlight Cam and hardwired Ring Spotlight Cam offer exceptional versatility because they combine a smart camera with the smart motion sensing lights and don’t require battery replacement because they are hardwired.
However if you don’t have an existing power source nearby where you want to place extra motion lighting the Ring Spotlights are the perfect option. I also see these as being a great option for homeowners renovating or with houses under construction because they are so simple to set up and could be deployed to protect your home while it’s being renovated.
The Ring Spotlight also has good use case with renters that need something temporary to light up a dark entry, stairwell or back door. I would have loved these at my old apartment because the back door wasn’t well lit and if I had had these the probably would have warded off a bike thief that stole a locked bike from the dark back porch area.
The spotlight provides a large amount of focused illumination and it almost startling if you’re not expecting it which is great for deterring trespassers.
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Not only do they provide good lighting to provide to illuminate the exterior of your home but they also integrate with the Ring App and can integrate with your Ring Security System and Ring Doorbells to enhance the security at your home.
When the Ring Spotlight is are paired with the Ring app they can alert you when motion is detected or they can work with your Ring Doorbell to start recording when motion is detected by the Ring Spotlight. The Ring Spotlight creates a smart device network that can extend the motion detection capabilities of smart doorbells or smart cameras like the Ring Doorbell or Ring Stick Up Cams.
Ring Spotlight Review Features:
Battery Powered - 4 D Batteries
1 Year Battery Powered
Wireless
Brightness 400 Lumens
Motion Detection Range 30FT
Smart Home Control With Ring App
Motion Detection Alerts On Ring App
Works with Ring Cameras & Ring Doorbells to trigger recording when motion is detected.
Works With Alexa
Made to be placed outside in the elements.
Customizable motion and brightness settings.
Ring Spotlight Review: In App Lighting Control
Ring Smart Lighting Spotlight Review : Value
The Ring Smart Light Spotlight typically offers a better value than what it would cost you to hire an electrician to install a hardwired light fixture or run new wiring for a new light fixture to illuminate your home. The key advantage of the Ring Spotlight is how easy it is to install and that it doesn’t require any wiring and is 100% battery powered. The integration of the built in motion detectors with the Ring Security System and being able to turn these lights on with your phone are two features that most standard motion activated lights don’t have. However the Ring Spotlight requires you to replace the batteries after a year so there is an ongoing maintenance cost with these smart lights. D-Cell batteries typically cost under $1 in bulk so even after 10 years these smart lights will only cost you $40 in operating costs which is less than the typical $120 an electrician would charge to install a hardwired light fixture.
If you already have a built in hardwired landscape lighting or outdoor lighting system and want to add smart home control to your existing hardwired landscape lighting system the Ring Transformer is probably a better fit for you. You can connect the Ring Smart transformer to your existing hardwired low voltage landscape lighting that will allow you to have smart control of your existing landscape lighting from your phone or using Alexa.
Ring Spotlight Review : Installation
The Ring Spotlight offers incredibly easy installation. All you need to do is setup the Ring Bridge and connect it your home network, follow the instructions in the app to connect your Ring Spotlights. Load the batteries, power them on and place them where you want. The bracket uses small screws to attach to the outside of your house. They don’t require any wiring so once you connect them through the Ring App they are ready to be placed.
Ring Spotlight Review Summary:
What we like about the Ring Spotlight is that it offers easy installation and works with your existing Ring products like the Ring Doorbell and Ring Cameras to expand the motion detection capabilities of your existing Ring System through the App. We also like that the Ring Spotlight has customizable brightness and motion detection settings that can all be changed through the Ring App. You can also turn the Ring Spotlight on or off from the app or control them with Alexa.
The one drawback we see to these lights is that they are battery powered so that means you will either need to replace the batteries or use rechargeable batteries to power them. The battery power makes them easy to install but typically you will need to replace or recharge the batteries once per year. The lights don’t come with rechargeable batteries so this is something you would need to upgrade too in the future.
Overall it’s an easy to install smart light designed to work with rest of the Ring Smart Home Ecosystem and could be a great addition to your home if you want to increase security or lighting around your home and increase the motion detection capabilities of your existing Ring Doorbell or Cameras. It also can add safety to your home by illuminating steps to preventing falls and trips. In the winter we see how they could be helpful to shine light on icy steps or walkways to prevent you from slipping.
