Ring Stick Up Cam
Cool factor 5/5
Usability 4½/5
Value for money 5/5
Amazon-owned Ring has brought a range of home security gadgets to SA. It includes cameras and smart doorbells — like the popular Ring Video Doorbell — and they are all designed to work with a Ring app, as well as tie in with smart home platforms Alexa and Google Assistant.
We’ve tested the Ring Stick Up Cam, a cord-free home security system that is activated by motion. It works either indoors or outdoors and is powered by both a battery and plug-in power.
This is a nifty camera that took just 15 minutes to set up. It captures 1080p HD video, has night vision, two-way talk, live streaming and a wide-angle view.
And using the software is just as simple. The Ring app has a clean easy-to-use interface. Switch between status easily at the top: disarmed, home or away.
Its main feed shows history, cameras connected and a discover tab. If you have multiple cameras installed, you can easily get a snapshot view of all of them here.
Once you tap into a camera, you have the option to tune in to a live feed. This feature is particularly handy if you’re not based at the same location.
Beneath the live feed is a timeline of events, with motion tabs highlighted so you can go straight to any movement detected. You have the option to share footage via e-mail, socially or download it locally. Settings allow for recording motion or being notified of motion. It also has a snooze feature, device health monitoring, shared user access (enable or disable control modes for users) and advanced settings.
Advanced options include defining an area in a motion zone by simply dragging your finger on screen to select the area. For example, a busy street or areas with frequent movement can be ignored. There’s also a "people only" mode for detecting humans, motion sensitivity levels, and motion schedule. The latter has been useful for days when people are around, and helps avoid getting a ton of notifications.
The Ring interface is cleaner than the Logi Circle, a security camera that I use indoors. The Logi app takes you straight into the live video feed whereas Ring is more streamlined, with a landing page that is easier to navigate.
The Ring Stick Up Cam is an excellent home security system that is feature-rich and requires no technical knowledge to set up. At R2,499 (and R490 a year for additional features), it is not a lot to pay for peace of mind.
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