Amazon-owned Ring has announced a new version of its wired device indoor security camera. The $79.99 Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Camera adds a motorized pan-tilt base to the Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen), which otherwise retains the same features as before: 1080p HD video, two-way talk, motion alerts, built-in siren and a manual privacy shutter that blocks all sound and video. Now you can point your camera up, down and around using the Ring app.
The camera also has a new look – Ring offers three new colors for the first time on any of its devices. Well, only one has actual color; the pink version is a nice dark pink. In addition to the existing white and black, charcoal and cream white are available.
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The new Pan-Tilt indoor camera is available in five shades. Image: Ring
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The new Pan-Tilt indoor camera is available in five shades. Image: Ring
These new shades will also be available on the current Static Indoor Camera (2nd Gen) ($59.99), which is quite an upgrade. The colors add a bit of style, and while no one has designed a really good-looking camera for indoors (Google Nest isn’t bad), it’s nice to see some attention being paid to what they actually look like in the home.
Ring says its new indoor camera pan and tilt capabilities provide 360-degree coverage. The set includes two different mounts – ceiling and wall – and a 3-meter cable for reaching electrical sockets.
The Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam is available to order now, with the black and white version available on May 30, and new colors for both models available soon.
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Using the Ring app, you can pan-tilt the indoor camera a full 360 degrees. Image: Ring
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Using the Ring app, you can pan-tilt the indoor camera a full 360 degrees. Image: Ring
While Ring offers a separate $45 pan and tilt mount for its larger StickUp camera for indoor and outdoor applications, this is the company’s first integrated pan/tilt camera.
I have tested many indoor cameras with pan and tilt capabilities. Eufy, Aqara and TP-Link all have versions and I find them useful for downsizing number of cameras needed at home to see wherever you want.
In my house, one pan/tilt camera can show me whether I’ve left the stove on in the kitchen and whether the porch door is closed. I currently use Aqara G3 which also has privacy protection but can be activated remotely. If you forget to open the manual Ring cover when leaving home, you will not be able to check in remotely.
Of course, the only camera that sees everything is the Ring Always Home Cam, an autonomous indoor surveillance drone designed to fly around your home when you’re away. The company has been promising to release it for years, and even showed it off at CES 2023. Then former Ring CEO Jamie Siminoff told me that 2024 is the earliest we can expect it to arrive in our homes. I am still waiting.
Ring internal camera that streams live picture-in-picture video on iPhone. Screenshot: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy/The Verge
As with all Ring cameras, the new home pan/tilt camera requires a Ring Protect subscription (starting at $4.99 per month) for each video recorded. Without it, you will only receive traffic notifications and a live feed preview. The subscription also adds people alerts and advanced notifications.
Ring recently added two new features to its Ring Protect subscription: Multi-Camera Live View, which allows you to play four live views simultaneously in each location via the Ring web portal, and Live View in Image, which allows you to play back the preview on live in pop -up mode even if you switch to another app.
This feature was introduced in February and has proven very useful for streaming Taylor Swift’s new album while keeping an eye on my chicks.
Update, May 1: An earlier version of this article stated that the new colors would ship on June 12. Ring says they’ll be coming soon.
Credit : www.theverge.com
