Ring Indoor Cam review: Priced right and full of features

I've been a big fan of the things Ring is doing since I installed the first video doorbell on my front door. Since then, the company has branched out beyond just doorbells, and while I have tried almost every product, none of them felt like something I needed to have, until I got the new Ring Indoor Cam.

Back when the second-gen Stick Up Cam was introduced, I tried to use it as an indoor camera and didn't have the greatest of experiences, so I tempered my expectations for this dedicated indoor camera, and I'm happy to see Ring has really stepped it up in all the right places — including the price tag.

Ring Indoor Camera What I like

I've been waiting years for Ring to make a more affordable indoor camera. I've tried out a bunch of different options while waiting, and was always annoyed to have to deal with two different apps, interfaces, settings, and all that. After having a mediocre experience using the Stick Up Cam inside I was a bit reserved on this one, but was quickly impressed.

Ring has really made the process of adding devices to your account as streamlined as possible. Once in the app, you just tap the "add a device" icon, then scan the QR code on the back of the camera, then select the Wi-Fi network you want to add it to, and it does the rest. Within just a minute or two the camera was set up and ready to go. No hassle involved, which is key for smart home stuff.

Since it's a wired version, Ring allows you more granular control over motion zones and schedules, which is great. I was able to set the areas on the screen that I wanted to be notified when there was motion, and exclude the areas that were less important. If you want, you can always select the whole field of view, which is how I have many of my cameras set up.

The alerts are very accurate for this one, which is something I worried about. I have my schedule set to only alert me of motions between 9pm and 6pm, because that's when we are most all upstairs and there shouldn't be much motion downstairs. Even in the pitch black, the camera is able to detect motion without an issue, which is something the Stick Up Camera doesn't do well. We have our robot vacuum set to run every morning at 5am, and every morning I get an alert from the Indoor Camera that motion is detected. That's pretty impressive, considering it's pitch black and the robot vacuum is black, too.

I've used a number of other indoor security camera options from brands like Wyze, Ubiquiti, Blink, and more. While I really do like a lot of what Wyze is doing, the Ring Indoor Camera still feels like a better fit in my house than any other has. The app is more reliable, live view connects far more often, and the hardware looks nicer than other options. Sure, it's missing some features like always-recording and local storage, but my experience with Ring's cloud option has been a positive one for many years.

Of course, other benefits like being able to interact with people when you aren't actually there and reviewing the footage later still applies here. I really like that Ring has been able to take all of its best features and bring them into something that is so much more affordable than its previous offerings, all of which were designed for outdoor use. Normally, we see big sacrifices to introduce devices at lower price points, but I actually feel as though this is a step up from the previous Stick Up Camera for indoor usage.

Ring Indoor Camera What I don't like

With all the good comes some bad, too. While I appreciate that the camera is wired because then I don't have to deal with charging or changing batteries, this does limit where you can install it. I've found places that work, but had I lived in my old house that had far fewer electrical outlets around, I would have been severely limited. It's also worth mentioning that the camera comes with a Micro-USB charger, which feels a little dated at this point. Luckily, you just plug it in once and kind of forget it, so it's not as big of a deal but it would still be nice to see more adoption of USB-C.

Unlike with its other camera options, Ring is only offering this Indoor Camera in white, which oddly bothers me. For outdoors, I prefer the white cameras because most of them are mounted to the siding of my house where the white flashing is anyway, so they match the best. A white camera inside sticks out, even in my nearly all-white kitchen where we have it placed. It would be great to see the camera available in black, or even better yet have removable faceplates that people can swap out just like Ring offers for its doorbells.

One thing that has always annoyed me about Ring, and isn't specific to this camera, is the fact that the devices are not recording all the time. Recordings only start when motion is detected, and depending on the camera only lasts for up to a minute. Most of the time this is fine, but in a bunch of situations there are things that happened outside of the motion zone or after the motion stopped recording where I would have liked to see the footage. Ring has said that it is considering allowing wired cameras to record 24/7, but there's no timeline for the feature release at this point.

Ring Indoor Camera Should you buy one?

If you already have a Ring camera or the alarm system at home, this is a no-brainer addition to your system. The price no longer makes it cost-prohibitive to add a few of them around the house to see what happens when you aren't there, and the features are there to match. Since the camera is on the small side, you can make them pretty inconspicuous so people won't be constantly commenting and wondering what they are.

4.5 out of 5

Unlike many other connected cameras at this price point, the Indoor Camera is far more accurate at detecting motion in the dark, and it's even been able to see my robot vacuum crawling around the floors at 4am without an issue.

You do need to consider that each camera comes with an additional yearly cost, unless you're already on the Ring Protect plan for $10 a month or $100 a year. This includes an unlimited amount of cameras, so you can add one in your office, loft, basement, or anywhere else you may want one without worrying about the added costs.