Ring's security cameras are getting a huge free upgrade — what you need to know

Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro attached to garage
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Ring's devices have long been on our list of the best home security cameras and best outdoor security cameras, but they've been eclipsed in recent years by competitors who have offered devices with better features and higher resolutions.

That's changing — somewhat.

Today, Ring announced that two of its cameras, the Ring Floodlight Cam Pro and the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro, will receive an update to boost their resolution to 2K. This update will roll out starting on January 8, 2025, and will be offered at no extra cost to Ring customers.

This is a small, but important step for one of the major players in the security camera space. Other companies, such as Arlo and Eufy, have offered cameras that can record 2K and even 4K video for several years now.

The Floodlight Cam Pro and the Spotlight Cam Pro are at the top of Ring's offerings among its security cameras, and cost $249 and $229, respectively. Hopefully, this will be the first step towards Ring offering similar capabilities with its top-end video doorbells, too.

Of course, a sharper picture is just one aspect of today's best security cameras.

In recent months, Ring has also rolled out an AI-powered Smart Video Search feature, though it's only available to those users who subscribe to its Ring Home Premium subscription, which costs $19.99 per month. Other companies, such as Wyze and Eufy, have also begun incorporating AI into their security cameras in order to make it easier for camera owners to identify people, pets, and other objects in their footage.

Higher-resolution cameras have become more practical in security cameras owing to the greater throughput offered in the best Wi-Fi 6 and newer routers, as well as the advent of 5G phones, which make it easier to see 2K and 4K streams without lag.

Granted, a 1080p camera will be more than sufficient for most homeowners, but higher resolution feeds do let you see objects in greater detail, and make it more practical to use digital zoom without losing too much in the way of video quality.

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Mike Prospero
U.S. Editor-in-Chief, Tom's Guide

Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.