3D motion detection

The big change from the original camera to the new one is the addition of 3D motion detection. The set-up uses radar to measure the distance and angle of an object from the camera to create a much more accurate sense of what the camera is picking up and where it is.

The problem with many spotlight cameras is amply illustrated when your garden is lit up like a football pitch every time a fox crosses the lawn or a tree gets blown about in a storm.

3D means more accurate alerts. You can set up alert parameters that indicate distance from your home (plus, according to the Ring website, an object’s speed, size and trajectory). So, a cat sitting on your fence won’t cause your garden to explode into light at 3am but a person peering into your windows will.

Bird’s eye view

This feature builds on the 3D motion detection tech and should give people a bit more peace of mind about what’s going on in their garden – especially if they’re away from home.

Bird’s eye view provides a little aerial 3D map of your property and gives you context about the motion event – including where it began. Essentially, it will show the path travelled from the time a visitor crosses the designated threshold to the time of the alert.

(We haven’t seen this in action yet, but there’s a on the Ring site that gives you a bit more insight as to how this will look.)

Other features

You’ll also be able to set up customisable motion detection zones within the camera’s view, as well as privacy zones.

The latter will black out up to two areas of the camera view that then won’t feature in the live view or in alerts. It’s useful if, for example, a neighbour has a window or door within your camera’s field of vision.

The new camera will also have colour night vision and a siren. An array microphone with enhanced audio and echo cancellation should give improved sound quality.

The Cam Wired Pro connects to your Wi-Fi and, as the name suggests, should be hardwired to the side of your home.

The UK launch date hasn’t yet been announced but you can to be notified when it becomes available. You can still buy the original Ring Spotlight Cam from Amazon or Ring for £179.

Ring Video Doorbell 4

Ring will also be launching a new battery-powered doorbell.

The Ring Video Doorbell 4 will be upgraded to feature colour pre-roll. Pre-roll gives the user an additional 4 second preview of the moments leading up to the motion event. Previously, this was in black and white. Now it’s in colour.

This is really such a teeny, tiny upgrade that it’s hard to get too excited. It feels like the smallest change possible just to put a fresh product on the market. 

Ring Video Doorbell 4 will be available to buy on 5 May for £179 and Amazon. Previous doorbells will continue to be available for purchase.

To see what the latest currently available Ring doorbells have to offer, check out our reviews of the wired Ring Video Doorbell Pro or the battery operated Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus. For more options, have a look at out our round-up of the best smart doorbells we’ve tested.