Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro review: 3 things I liked, 3 things I didn’t

The Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro sits at the top of the company’s outdoor security camera offerings, boasting the company’s top-tier features, a 1080p camera, and two LEDs that pump out a combined 2,000 lumens, bright enough to show you everything going on in your yard at night. 

But before you go spending $249, you’ll want to check out the rest of this Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro review to see how it compares to the best outdoor security cameras, and if it’s the best option for your property. 

Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro review: Price and availability

The Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro first went on sale in May 2021. Its list price is $249, but you can regularly find it for less on Amazon and other online retailers. It’s available in white, black, bronze, and graphite. You can also purchase it as a plug-in model — you plug it into an outlet — or as a wired model, which replaces a traditional flood- or spotlight. 

For about $100 less, Ring also offers the Floodlight Cam Wired Plus, which has the same resolution camera, but lacks HDR, 3D motion detection with Birds-Eye zones, 5.0Ghz Wi-Fi, and an array microphone that helps you hear sounds better.

Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro review: What I liked

Great image quality
While the Floodlight Cam Pro doesn’t have the highest resolution among outdoor security cameras — Eufy has a 2K camera, and Arlo has both 2K and 4K cameras — Ring’s 1080p resolution was plenty crisp and clear both day and night. It was easy to make out details in people and objects, though it was harder to discern those who were about 30 or more feet from the camera. 

Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro: Daytime sample - YouTube

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Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro: Night sample - YouTube

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A good feature set
Apart from its eye-searing LEDs, the Floodlight Cam Pro has a 110-decibel siren that will definitely get your neighbor’s attention if you set it off. In addition to movement, it can also listen for glass breaking, car alarms, and dogs barking, and start recording if it hears any of those sounds.

Ring also does a good job of integrating its various products to work well together. For instance, if you have Ring motion detectors, you can program the Floodlight Cam Pro to start recording if they sense movement, and turn on Ring smart lights. Because Ring is owned by Amazon, it also works very well within the Alexa ecosystem.

Two features in particular separate the Floodlight Cam Pro from the Floodlight Cam Plus: 3D Motion Detection and Bird’s Eye View. Bird’s Eye View gives you an overhead look at where someone walked in front of the camera, though it’s limited to a 30-foot range. They’re both nice-to-have features, but I’ve found it hasn’t added a lot to my overall experience using the camera.

Easy installation
While it might seem intimidating to install a device into an electric box, Ring makes it very easy. After turning off the power, it was a simple matter of connecting three wires — all color-coded — and securing a few screws. In all, I was up and running in 30 minutes, which included the amount of time I had to climb up a ladder. 

For those less electrically-inclined, the plug-in version of the Floodlight Cam Pro makes things even easier — provided you have an outlet nearby.

Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro review: What I didn’t like

You need a Ring subscription
As with all of Ring’s security cameras and video doorbells, you need to sign up for a subscription to use all of the Floodlight Cam Pro’s features. Most importantly, you can’t save any video. Granted, Ring’s fees — which start at $4/month — are among the most competitive among security camera storage subscriptions (you get to save 180 days of footage, for instance). However, other companies, such as Eufy, offer security cameras that don’t require subscriptions.

Lack of filters
While you can set up smart alerts for people or “other motion,” you can’t set up alerts specifically for animals or vehicles, as you can with cameras from Arlo, for instance. Nor is there a familiar faces feature (found on Nest cameras) which can notify you when the camera recognizes someone from a pre-set list of images. Given Ring’s long history in the market, it’s surprising it hasn’t released a feature like this yet.

No local storage
Unlike many of its competitors, Ring’s cameras have no local storage option, so if your camera loses its internet connection, there’s no way for it to record video. That could be problematic in the event your router loses power. 

Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro review: The competition

If you’re not invested in the Ring ecosystem, you fortunately have a number of other companies from which to choose among the best security cameras. 

Our top pick among floodlights is the Nest Cam Floodlight, which has a camera with the same resolution and 2,400-lumen floodlights. The Nest gets the nod, though, because you get person, package, and vehicle detection without a subscription, and has a three-hour local backup in case your power or internet connection goes down.

On the budget side of things, the Wyze Cam Floodlight v2 costs less than $100, yet has a higher resolution, brighter 2800-lumen lights, local storage, and a cheaper subscription plan.

Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro review: Verdict

On its own, the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro is a very good device, offering excellent video and audio, bright lights, and plenty of great features. However, among the best home security cameras, it doesn’t quite measure up to our top picks in the category, which offer even more features — like local storage — for the same or less. 

Among Ring’s own floodlight cameras, most homeowners will find the $199 Floodlight Cam Plus more than sufficient for their needs; unless you have some obscured area of your yard, the Floodlight Cam Pro’s 3D Motion detection and Bird’s Eye View didn’t really add all that much to my experience using the camera. If you’re invested in Ring’s ecosystem, its floodlight is a great addition if you want to keep tabs on your entire property. But if you’re just building out your smart home, it’s worth shopping around.