Ring Outdoor Cam Plus review - This camera let me watch my boyfriend trimming my bush

Bish bash bosh! My boyfriend put this cam up with just four screws, though he did need to trim my bush in order for us to get the best view of the garden. After that, setting up the Ring Outdoor Cam Plus was as easy as Donald Trump finds IQ tests (or so he'd have us believe). It'll be even easier for you if, like me, you're already fully initiated into the Ring ecosystem. This was my fifth Ring cam, so the set-up was even more intuitive and I didn't have to type in my WiFi password. The app just added it to the long list of cam views I could see at a glance.

As Ring cams go, the Outdoor Cam Plus boasts everything you'd expect, plus in some cases more: clear 2K resolution (higher than its predecessor, the Ring Stick Up Cam, which only offered 1080p); person, vehicle and package alerts (though sadly not animals; I enjoy watching random cats and foxes enter my garden); and, of course, an expansive field of view. It's definitely one of the best outdoor security cameras on offer.

Amazon's Ring range is reputable and has proved ultra-reliable over the past five years I've been using the cams - and I've also found that they accept free returns if for some reason you decide a cam isn't for you (though I should state that I've only returned unopened cams after buying too many one Black Friday). There's also their budget Blink range to consider if money is an issue, while dedicated Apple lovers might prefer to look at the best HomeKit cameras.

This cam is for anyone who wants a clear and reliable view of their home's exterior without having to run a cable out of their house. You pop the battery in the bottom, so stick the cam up somewhere you can reach (either with or without a stepladder) and it'll be easy to replace every few months.

Specs

Price and Availability

The RRP is USD$100 (or GBP£99.99 or AUS$119.00), which is definitely a fair price for the features the cam offers. 2K resolution doesn't come cheap. The Blink Outdoor 4 cam costs two-thirds the price and only offers 1080p to the Ring's 2K resolution. Of course, both require a subscription plan, so do factor this in when making decisions on price.

Build and handling

The Ring Outdoor Cam Plus is made of the same high-quality plastics as most of the Ring cameras, and looks of a piece with them - stylish and functional and sleek, it would definitely have a deterrent effect on potential burglars but won't make your home's exterior look ugly. The box includes a USB-A (you know, the normal old-style big USB) to micro-USB cable to charge the battery, and the battery has a built-in micro-USB socket, in common with other Ring battery cameras. This is great for cross-brand compatibility, but feels a bit old-fashioned.

The cam feels fine and sturdy in the hand, but bear in mind that you won't be holding it much if at all except during the installation, where it's easy (yet not too easy) to angle and point in your direction of choice and have it stay fixed. The design is such that you can have it sitting on its circular base and have it lying around the home on a table or other flat surface - or you can use the base as the wall mount. Because it's an upright cylinder, it's big enough to see and deter potential intruders without occupying as much space as a traditional CCTV camera.

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Performance

The Ring Outdoor Cam Plus impresses on many fronts. It gets a signal through the wall via a battery, which is no mean feat. After three weeks of use, it was still at 41%, so with people and animals wandering in and out of the back door I reckon it'd last six weeks between changes, whatever the packaging claims. If anything, the cam's Person detection is a bit too good, noticing neighbours in the adjoining garden, though that's a function of where it's placed rather than a design flaw.

It also allows you to set up Privacy Zones, but this wasn't especially helpful as we got a lot of alerts for the neighbours using their garden despite this.

Something to bear in mind is that, as the primary owner of the Ring system, you can share access - however, I gave my boyfriend access and he couldn't access half the same settings I could.

I would personally love it to have a dedicated Animal detection capability, because I enjoy watching cats and foxes prowl around the garden, so maybe Ring could read this review and install it in its next iteration?

Overall verdict

The Ring Outdoor Camera Plus is a capable addition to the company's line. The app makes things easy most of the time (especially once you work out that only the primary user gets access to all the features).

Being battery-operated makes the camera easy to install, though I do wonder why Ring persists in using its built-in Micro-USB charging sockets. It feels like USB-C would be a bit more up-to-date? At least it has the virtue of being interchangeable with the rest of the Ring system.

One positive is that it wasn't set off by the branches of my bush moving in the wind – you might even need to turn motion sensitivity up a notch. That said, this will risk your battery. On the other hand the AI person detection was even triggered by people in my neighbor's garden, a little of which was right on the edge of shot.

Alternative

The Arlo Essential 2nd Gen outdoor also offer 2K cameras in their range of security cameras, and built-in spotlights. Better still, the smart features include animal detection which is handy for pets or unwanted animal visitors. I found it easier to set up, but the system does lack quite the same Field of View.

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How I tested it

I tested the camera by setting it up and fitting it to my home (or, if I'm honest, persuading my boyfriend to do the bit with the drilling and the ladder), then using it in situ for several weeks. This gave me a good chance to see how it performed in different kinds of weather, as well as whether the battery really was up to the job.