Ring Stick Up Cam Plug-in vs. Ring Indoor Cam: Which should you buy?
Ring Stick Up Cam Plug-in
The all-new Ring Stick Up Cam Plug-in fills a needed niche in the Ring cam product line. It sits right in the middle in terms of price, and it is flexible enough to be used indoors or outdoors.
Ring Stick Up Cam Plug-in
Versatile viewer
Ring Indoor Cam
The Ring Indoor Cam is a fan favorite for good reason. It's dead simple to set up and use, and can be easily placed anywhere around the house. Plus, its Ring's most affordable camera!
Ring Indoor Cam
Hall monitor
Amazon acquired Ring in early 2018 and has worked diligently to expand the popular line of home security products and improve on their integration with the Echo and Alexa ecosystem. With the introduction of the all-new Stick Up Cam and the update to the Indoor Cam, Ring is well-positioned to be your de-facto home monitoring system.
All eyes on me
As versitile as the line of Ring cameras is, it can be quite difficult to tell them apart. For starters, they all look very similar. They also share the same software and many similar specs. Let's take a moment to consider their similarlities and differences before we dive in and pick our favorite.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Ring Stick Up Cam Plug-in | Ring Indoor Cam |
---|---|---|
Indoor/Outdoor | Indoor/Outdoor | Indoor |
Dimensions | 2.36" x 2.36" x 3.82" | 1.81" x 1.81" x 2.95" |
Field of view | 110° horizontal, 57° vertical | 115° horizontal, 60° vertical |
Average install time | 5-10 minutes | 5 minutes |
Wi-Fi Connectivity | 2.4 GHz | 2.4 GHz |
Live video | Yes | Yes |
Two-way talk | Yes | Yes |
Night vision | Yes | Yes |
Motion notifications | Yes | Yes |
Power source | Plug into standard power outlet | Plug into standard power outlet |
Color options | White, black (coming soon) | White |
Stick 'em up!
At its Fall 2019 event, Amazon announced an all-new Ring Stick Up Cam in both plug-in and battery-powered configurations. The plug-in version is particularly interesting since it means you don't have to worry about changing the batteries. On the flip side, if you have a prolonged power outage you will lose coverage from that camera.
This Stick Up Cam allows you to communicate with folks in frame from your phone, tablet, Fire TV, or Echo device, and it comes enabled with a Live View that lets you continually monitor the feed. You'll be notified of any detected motion, and you can also pair it with your Alexa Guard system and create a security routine for your home. The camera records in 1080p, and you can see, save, and store videos with the Ring Protect subscription service (prices vary per number of camera devices or you can pay a flat fee per household).
There is some minimal assembly required to mount the camera, but it shouldn't take you more than a few minutes to install. From there you just download the Ring app and finish the setup. You can also download the Ring Alexa skill and begin setting up security routines with your Alexa devices. If you decide that you want to move this camera from the outdoors to indoors, or back again, you can! It is weatherproof for outdoor usage, but it can be just as easily utilized inside the home as well.
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Inside job
As the name suggests, the Ring Indoor Cam is positioned as the company's only true indoor camera. The device is quite petite and can easily be placed anywhere in the home (well, anywhere in reach of an outlet) for excellent indoor coverage.
Speaking of that indoor coverage, the Ring Indoor Cam has the widest field of view of any of the Ring cameras at 115 degrees horizontal and 60 degrees vertical, compared to 110 degrees horizontal and 57 degrees vertical for the Stick Up cameras. Since this device is just plug and play, installation takes literally no time.
You still get all of the great software features and integration with the Ring app and Ring Alexa skill, so you can also set up security routines to your heart's content. Amazon also touted a new feature that will be coming soon — a "home mode" that'll turn off the cameras when you are in the house in an effort to respect your privacy and personal space. We are particularly looking forward to this feature.
The Ring Indoor Cam is the company's most affordable camera ever, and is also available in multipacks of two, three, or four cameras. At that price, you could almost get two Indoor cams for the price of one Stick Up Cam, or three for the price of one Stick Up Cam Solar. Not a bad deal!
Camera champion
While both of these cameras from Ring are functional and affordable, we pick the Ring Stick Up Cam Plug-in as our favorite. It comes in at a reasonable price and is able to be used as an indoor or outdoor camera, so you can move it wherever you need coverage. The version we discussed here is a plug-in camera, but you could also opt for a battery-powered one at the same price. Like the Indoor Cam, you can purchase these in packs up to four.
The Indoor Cam is still a great option, and we have no doubt that our readers will find many useful spots around the house for these mini cameras. Put one in the kitchen to make sure the little ones aren't sneaking cookies, or perhaps put one by the doggie door to see what the cat dragged in.
Same great features, considerably lower price.
The new Ring Stick Up Cam is the kind of upgrade we like. It has all of the same great features of its predecessor, like 1080p HD video, two-way talk, and real-time notifications. The best part? It's 30% cheaper than before, making it even more accessible.
Jeramy was the Editor-in-Chief of Android Central. He is proud to help *Keep Austin Weird* and loves hiking in the hill country of central Texas with a breakfast taco in each hand.