The 4K Surveillance Camera That Really Changes The Game

Priced at 199 euros in France, the Ring Outdoor Camera Pro aims at the high end with the promise of a hyper-detailed 4K image and intelligent alert functions. We installed and tested this camera at home for several days, in rain, wind, and even nighttime conditions, to see if Ring delivers on its promises.

I take advantage of the offer

An (almost) similar design but still just as robust

From the outset, the Outdoor Cam Pro impresses with its size and solid construction. Approximately 15 cm high, it has a sober design (white or black color) with an adjustable base which makes it easy to attach. Moreover, several supports and screws are provided, whether for placing it indoors, screwing it to the facade or fixing it to a ceiling light. The camera is IP65 certified, resistant to dust and jets of water, so no worries about letting it face bad weather (it held up valiantly in a heavy downpour during our test). Its wired operation requires connecting it to the mains, but Ring provides a long USB-C cable (around 5.5m) terminating in a somewhat cumbersome intermediate 20W mains adapter. This waterproof power supply can, however, be attached to the wall for greater discretion. Note that this is a 100% mains-powered camera, no internal battery or solar option is provided, a sign that 4K requires continuous power. For those who prefer direct electrical integration, Ring offers an optional kit to plug the camera into a standard junction box (230V), convenient for clean mounting under an eave, but installation then takes more time. For our part, we opted for connection to a classic socket, an operation carried out in only ten minutes!

A smooth start-up

Simply scan the camera’s QR code via the Ring app, connect it to your home Wi-Fi (it supports dual-band 2.4/5 GHz Wi-Fi 6 for better stability) and proceed with guided setup. Within moments, the Outdoor Cam Pro was connected and operational. We appreciated the many mounting options offered, all the accessories provided, and we were able to change its location easily during testing, including temporarily placing it on a piece of furniture to monitor the interior.

The Ring application, although a little austere, remains clear and complete. There is a dashboard with live view and access to settings. With just a few clicks, we were able to set custom detection zones so the camera ignored the street and focused on our garden. You can also adjust the sensitivity of the movement to prevent each stray cat or branch shaken by the wind from triggering an unwanted alert. The app finally offers privacy zones where the image will be hidden (practical if the camera is partially pointing towards the neighbor’s house). The whole thing is very configurable, which allowed us to finely adapt the monitoring to our needs without difficulty.

A 4K camera, a first for Ring

Ring has equipped the Outdoor Cam Pro with an Ultra HD video sensor (3840×2160 pixels) that it calls Retinal 4K, associated with a 140° horizontal / 85° vertical wide-angle lens. Concretely, the camera covers a large surveillance area, while capturing much more detail than a classic 1080p camera. In our daylight tests, the benefit is clear as the image is remarkably sharp, with faithful colors and an impressive level of detail. Even by digitally zooming (up to x10 possible in the app), we can read distant details like a license plate, or clearly recognize the face of a visitor.

This level of precision opens a new field for residential surveillance, we feel able to clearly identify what is happening, where 1080p would only show a blurry silhouette. Ring seems to have kept its word on “retinal vision” with 4K definition combined with processing algorithms which offer a very realistic image close to human perception. Furthermore, the video stream was fluid during our live consultations, without notable latency, thanks to a good Wi-Fi connection. Be careful, however, because 4K means significant bandwidth, Ring also recommends at least 15 Mb/s sending to exploit 4K, and automatically adapts the quality if your network is limited. In our case, with fiber, no stutter or drop in resolution to deplore, which was less the case when traveling.

What about night performances? Ring highlights a dual night vision system: Low-Light Sight for color vision in low light, and Adaptive Night Vision for intelligent infrared when it is completely dark. In fact, we found that the Outdoor Cam Pro actually offers a much better nighttime image than previous generations. As long as there is an ambient light source (street lamp, garden lighting), the camera manages to provide a color image at dusk and early night, where other cameras would already switch to black and white. The scene remains readable, with realistic hues thanks to Low-Light Sight optimization. On the other hand, in total darkness, it uses its infrared projector and we find a classic black and white image.

Adaptive Night Vision still brings a plus, the contrast is well managed, balancing whites and blacks so as not to miss anything important in the shadows. On our night recordings without additional light, the IR rendering is very clean and detailed (for example, we could clearly see a face several meters away). Obviously, the absence of an integrated spotlight means that the camera cannot flood the scene with white light like a camera with an LED spotlight would do (Spotlight Cam, Floodlight Cam, etc.). This is a choice made by Ring on this Pro model without lighting, a guarantee of discretion but also energy efficiency. In use, we did not miss this since our neighbors even appreciated that the camera no longer triggered an unwanted light beam at night, while maintaining good visibility thanks to its sensitive sensor. If you need color in complete darkness, you will however need to provide separate exterior lighting (or opt for the Spotlight version with its integrated LEDs).

AI has been there

The Ring Outdoor Cam Pro not only stands out for its video, it also brings a host of new advanced surveillance features. Firstly, motion detection relies on an integrated radar (3D Motion Detection technology) in addition to classic video analysis. This radar makes it possible to measure the distance and trajectory of moving objects.

In use, this results in much more precise and relevant alerts, no more notifications for a simple shadow or movement in the background of an area. We were able to precisely define how far the radar should monitor. As a result, the alerts focused on the real events (car in front of the door, person entering the garden) while ignoring unimportant passages on the sidewalk, for example. Better yet, the app offers an aerial view called Bird’s Eye View which traces the path taken by the intruder on a satellite map of your property.

It’s quite impressive because we see a small dot moving on the map, indicating where the person has passed. Beyond the gadget, this visualization provides valuable context to understand the scenario of an intrusion. By additionally adjusting the sensitivity and zones as mentioned above, we obtained monitoring with almost no false positives, a real comfort.

Of course, the camera offers all the classic functions that you would expect from a high-end model from Ring. Via the application, you can start a live stream at any time to see and hear in real time what’s happening, and even speak using the integrated speaker. Two-way audio communication is of good quality, the interlocutor’s voice comes out of the camera loud and clear, without crackling, and the microphone clearly picks up what he says in return.

Ring indicates that it uses the Audio+ function with advanced noise cancellation to improve exchanges, and in fact during our tests, even with background noise (rain and wind), our correspondent could hear us without difficulty. This is ideal for welcoming a visitor, talking to the delivery person or even verbally deterring a prowler. And if that’s not enough, the Outdoor Cam Pro also includes an alarm siren that can be activated remotely. With a simple button in the app, you trigger a shrill sound signal from the camera, powerful enough to scare away a curious person who gets too close! It is not a deafening domestic alarm siren, but in the silence of the night it can be heard and adds a means of active response in the event of a proven intrusion.

Price and availability

Finally, let’s talk about what’s a little annoying: the price and the subscriptions. Priced at €199.99, the Outdoor Cam Pro is clearly at the top of the consumer camera basket. For comparison, we find basic 1080p cameras for less than €50 or even 2K models for around €100. Here, Ring targets demanding users ready to invest for better quality.

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And we must not forget the cost of the services: without a Ring subscription, the camera loses much of its interest. In fact, without the Ring Home Basic plan, you will only have instant alerts and live vision. No recording is kept on the cloud in the event of detection, which means that if you miss an alert in the middle of the night, you will not be able to review what happened, a real lack, where some competitors offer at least a free 24-hour history. To take full advantage of Outdoor Cam Pro, you will therefore need to subscribe to at least this subscription (the cheapest) at €3.99 per month, which covers a camera and unlocks video recording (up to 180 days of history) as well as intelligent alerts (detection of people, packages, etc.). The higher plans (Ring Home Standard €9.99/month for several devices and a few additional functions, Ring Home Premium €19.99/month for 24/7 continuous recording and unlimited storage) further increase the bill.

I take advantage of the offer

Suffice to say that the real entry fee is high if you want to exploit this camera 100%. Note, however, that the purchase includes a 30-day trial of advanced functions, just to get you started. Furthermore, if you are already a subscriber for other Ring devices, the Cam Pro will be integrated into your existing plan at no extra cost (from the Standard plan covering all devices in a home). Last point to keep in mind, dependence on the cloud and confidentiality issues. Like any Ring device, videos are sent to Amazon‘s servers. Ring has made efforts to reassure (autonomy of encrypted data, two-factor authentication, etc.) and offers a privacy control panel in the application to manage access and sharing. But certain past controversies (sharing of videos to the authorities without consent, etc.) remain in the memory. It is therefore important to use these products knowingly and to secure your account.