Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam: hands-on review in my home

If you need a video monitoring solution that takes you a step further than a standard static camera, Ring has just brought out a brand new option, meet the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam.
In this review I’ll take a look at what you’re getting with this dedicated moveable camera, what it’s now designed to do, and how it’s changed drastically from the original version, plus how well the Pan-Tilt mechanism works to help it see into more places or if it has limitations. I’ll wrap things up by going over the pros and the cons and let you know if I think I can recommend this set up for you.

Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam – What you get

Ring’s indoor home security cameras, whether battery powered or plug in, have been massively popular. Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam is the replacement for what used to be a two part camera. While the original consisted of a Ring camera and separate pan-tilt mount, this version is a single unit where the camera is already connected to a sturdy motorized base that allows the camera to pan 360° around the room, as well as tilt 169° from floor to ceiling. With 1080 HD video and night vision, the camera requires an AC plug for all of its power.

It can sit on a table or piece of furniture or be mounted to a wall or ceiling.

Also new with this version is a manual audio on off switch as well as a privacy cover that allows you to ensure even if someone could perhaps hack into your system, you have a way to completely shutter the camera.

Helpfully, Ring now offers this camera in five different colours so it can blend in a little better with your space.

Ring does not seem to declare an IP rating for this camera, saying only its maximum operating temperatures are -4°F to 113°F (-20°C to 45°C). Since this is billed as an indoor camera, temperature and water shouldn’t really be an issue.

Watch my full hands-on review of Ring Pan-Tilt Cam

Set up & Installation

Setting up all Ring devices is incredibly simple, even for novices. I’ve reviewed literally dozens of Ring products over the years and can count on one or two fingers the number of times I’ve had trouble. With this camera it was as simple as plugging it into the wall outlet and letting it power up. You’ll sign into or sign up for a Ring account using the Ring app. Then you’ll just follow the steps in the app to connect your camera to your home Wi-Fi network. I was ready to go in about five minutes.

Once your camera is ready you can create your own default or Home position where the camera will rest and do most of its observations.

Control with joystick

I can definitely say the camera is easy to maneuver using the 4-way virtual joystick inside the Ring app. The movement also responds quite quickly.

The motion of the camera is completely silent; it makes a very subtle humming sound as it is changing positions, but it’s barely perceptible.

At any time you can take a live look through the camera and pan it around your space or tilt it up and down to see anything you need. Having this type of motion is incredibly helpful particularly if you can place it in a central area of your home. It would allow you to do things like check whether or not you’ve left the door unlocked, the stove on, or your important papers on the counter.

Once you have finished with your live look, if you exit the Ring app the camera will return to its default home position on its own.

Limitations

I should mention that the camera won’t spin in a complete 360° circle endlessly; it will only go to the edge of its field of 360-view before you will have to pan it back all the way around to get to the other side.

One of the features I was really hoping for with this camera was automatic motion tracking. Sadly while the camera has seen a few feature upgrades, this is not one of them. That means that if something moves through the field of view, you would have to get the motion alert, then open the app and manually use the controls in the app to follow it around the room; the camera can’t do that on its own.

Some other similar devices, such as the Echo Show 10 can do this.

I will say I am a bit surprised by that. Ring, through its partnership with Amazon is clearly using this technology in other places, so I’m a bit surprised to find Ring still has no dedicated motion tracking home security camera… despite having just refreshed this version.

Ring Protect Plan

I don’t want us to get too much further into this review without touching on an important point. To get the most out of this camera and really the entire Ring system expect to pay a monthly fee. Ring has monthly cloud recording and storage plans known as Ring Protect plans. If you don’t opt for one of these plans you really only get the ability to take a live look at your cameras. While the Basic protect plan costs just about $5USD per month, it only allows you to operate one camera or doorbell. Any more than that and you will need to upgrade to a more robust plan (Plus gives you unlimited cameras for $10USD/month).

I have had a Plus plan for years and I think it’s been worth it. Before you hit add to cart, I do recommend going to Ring’s website and checking out the options before you commit.

Video

Most of the Ring’s camera lineup uses 1080 HD resolution cameras, and this is common across most of the home security spectrum. HD video pales in comparison to 4K video which many of us now have the ability to record on our phones and watch on TV. But using HD video is actually a good balance of clear image quality and efficient bandwidth usage, and if you typically look at this footage on your phone screen, it works just fine, but identifying faces beyond about 5 feet away might be a little difficult because of the limited resolution.

Ring cameras use Advanced Motion Detection with Customizable Motion Zones to alert you to any motion within range of the camera. You can set your camera to alert you to any motion or just at certain times of day or certain types of motion. These alerts will come as push notifications to your phone depending on which type of notifications you have enabled or prefer. Once you receive a motion notification you can go in and take a live view and use the camera to pan or tilt across the space.

Plus, the camera has Color Night Vision to help you see better in all types of spaces.

My primary use for this camera was for watching my dogs, and it was more than enough for me to keep an eye on them.

Two-way talk

For an entry-level security camera, the two-way audio of the Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam is a welcome feature. You can turn on the microphone or speaker and talk or listen.
The audio from the camera is surprisingly good. It’s not going to replace your phone anytime soon, but it’s entirely capable of giving a few ‘good girls’ to the pups.

Adjustable motion zones

A cool feature of many of these Ring cameras are the adjustable motion zones. What these let you do is essentially tell the camera that certain parts that are visible in the frame don’t need to trigger alerts.

With an indoor camera, this would be helpful if you want alerts only when someone appears in the doorway, and not when they walk across the living room.

You can combine Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam with Alexa so that when anyone triggers Ring’s built-in motion zones, your Echo device will jingle and make an announcement, and your Echo Show will let you see, hear and speak to anyone captured on camera.

Real time alerts

I will say the alerts from Ring cameras come to my phone fairly quickly. While they are sometimes delayed a couple of seconds, it’s not usually a problem. And of course if you’re subscribed to one of the Ring protect plans you’re going to get recorded video footage of that stuff anyway so you’ll have a chance to review it after the fact. Yet another good reason to subscribe to the plan.

Overall review

Overall I’m glad Ring has created a dedicated pan-tilt camera, but I’m also a little bit surprised that it didn’t give it as much functionality as I think it could have. Let’s go over the pros and the cons so you can understand what you might be getting and if it’s right for you.

Like all the Ring devices I have reviewed this one is easy to set up and integrates perfectly into my Ring and Alexa enabled home. The resolution is standard for home security cameras of this type and includes night vision. Being able to move the camera to view any direction goes a long way to increasing the available view. Using the joystick in the Ring app it’s easy to move the camera around, and even with all that motion, you’ve got a couple of options for mounting it. I also appreciate that the electronic motor that moves the camera operates silently. I also think the addition of the physical privacy shutter adds peace of mind, and the new colour options will help these devices stick out less like sore thumbs.

When it comes to the downsides, on its own merits the camera delivers on exactly what it promises. I do have to admit that I am quite surprised there is no integrated automatic motion tracking in this device. I do think that may limit its usefulness for some users since it can literally only alert you to what happens directly in front of the lens while it’s in its home position. Otherwise, the other limitation might be that you do need to have it connected to AC power at all times, and the 6 foot cord may not be not long enough for many installation applications.

As long as you understand what you’re getting with this camera and know that you will have a roll to play in helping the camera access all 360° of your space, this camera will probably work just fine. If you are looking for more of a fully automated, smart, home security solution, you might find this option rather limiting.

I will however give kudos to Ring for pricing this all-in-one unit lower than the previous version which required the purchase of both the mount and the camera separately. Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam for about $79 US or $109 Canadian and you can get them from a variety of electronic stores or from Amazon.

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