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Ring Protect Go

Use additional Car Cam features when your car is away from your home wifi connection with a Ring Protect Go subscription, for $6/month or $60/year, per Ring Car Cam.

Learn more about Ring Protect Go.

Ring Car Cam – Vehicle security cam with dual-facing HD cameras, Live View, Two-Way Talk, and disturbance detection

3.4 out of 5 stars 2,177 ratings

Please note this product can only ship to address in the 50 US states (not territories)

This item cannot be shipped to your selected delivery location. Please choose a different delivery location.
  • Dual-facing HD cameras – Two wide-angle cameras, one road-facing to capture detailed driving footage, and one cabin-facing with Night Vision so that you have a security camera to protect against break-ins.
  • Disturbance alerts with real-time notifications - Receive real-time disturbance notifications when built-in sensors detect a physical disturbance. Connected to Wi-Fi or LTE is required.
  • Live View + Two-Way Talk – Have the ability to see inside and talk with anyone in your car from your smartphone through the Ring app when your car is parked and and connected to Wi-Fi or LTE.
  • Privacy cover – A built in privacy cover lets you block the cabin-facing camera which also electronically shuts off the microphone.
  • Traffic Stop – Ask Car Cam to record by using the command, “Alexa, record”, to save highlights to the cloud with an optional Ring Protect Go subscription (sold separately).
  • Ring Protect Go – When your car is away from your home wifi, get access to 180-day cloud storage, use Live View and Two-Way Talk wherever your car is, locate your car with built-in GPS, get rich notifications, real-time notifications and more.
  • Easy installation – Car Cam plugs into your vehicle’s OBD-II port. For safety, only use Car Cam in vehicles where the OBD-II port is located to the left side of the steering wheel.

Can I use Car Cam in my vehicle?

Please see our safe installation guide

We Want You to Know

Warning: Do not use this product if the port is located in a position that would potentially make it dangerous to use this product, such as to the right of the dash, where installation may create an entanglement risk.

Car Cam plugs into your vehicle’s OBD-II port. For safety, only use Car Cam in vehicles where the OBD-II port is located to the left side of the steering wheel.

For help locating the OBD-II port in your car, please check your vehicle’s owner’s manual or go to Ring.com.

Car Cam is also not compatible with certain electric and other vehicles; check here to review a list of known vehicles that are NOT compatible.

Some jurisdictions regulate or prohibit use of this device. You are solely responsible for complying with applicable laws.

Can I use Car Cam in my vehicle?

image alt text

Car Cam plugs into your vehicle’s OBD-II port. For safety, only use Car Cam in vehicles where the OBD-II port is located to the left side of the steering wheel.

Warning: Do not use this product if the port is located in a position that would potentially make it dangerous to use this product, such as to the right of the dash, where installation may create an entanglement risk.

Some jurisdictions regulate or prohibit use of this device. You are solely responsible for complying with applicable laws.

Top Brand: Ring

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Keep your car on the lookout

Car Cam can help keep your vehicle safe with real-time detection notifications, Live View, and GPS location in
the Ring app.¹ Subscribe to Ring Protect Go, sold separately, to access these features and more when the car is on
the go and away from your home wifi connection. 2GB of LTE data included per month.⁴

Can I use Car Cam?

Ring Car Cam

Ring Car Cam

• Watch over your car with wide-angle,
dual-facing HD vehicle security cameras.²

• Receive real-time notifications and
respond to activity when physicial disturbance is
detected in your parked car.³

• Keep your Ring Car Cam connected, so
you can see live video feed, download
recordings, and more, when your car is
away from your home wifi with a Ring
Protect Go subscription (sold separately).

Dual-facing HD cameras

Dual-facing
HD cameras2

Motion detection

Disturbance detection3

Real-time notifications

Real-time
notifications1

Live View + Two-Way Talk

Live View +
Two-Way Talk1

GPS location

GPS location1

Audio + video privacy cover

Audio + video
privacy cover

On the road or
in the driveway,
see it all

Two wide-angle HD cameras catch the action inside your car and out in front, helping to keep you in the know. Get detailed, HD footage even in the dark with Night Vision, and when your Car Cam detects movement, it’ll automatically begin recording. For an extra layer of privacy, flip the cover up to block the cabin-facing camera and electronically shut off the camera’s microphone.

On the road or in the driveway, see it all

Full protection on the go

Subscribe to Ring Protect Go to get full use of Car Cam when your vehicle is away from your home wifi for
$6/month, or $60/year per device. Start your 30-day trial.

Full protection wherever you go

On-The-Go LTE connectivity

Keep Car Cam connected
over LTE to access live video,
and more, when your car
is out and about. 2GB of LTE
data included per month.⁴

Cloud Highlights

Automatically upload
video highlights to the
cloud and store them for
up to 180 days.

Live View and
Two-Way Talk

See what your Car Cam
sees and speak to anyone
inside the vehicle from
anywhere when your car
is away from home.

Rich Notifications

Know what’s happening,
when it happens, with
picture alerts you can see at
a glance from the Ring app.

Compare plans

Car Cam without Protect Go

Included with Device

Car Cam with Protect Go

$6/month or $60/year

HD recordings

Yes

Yes

Security Beacon

Yes

Yes

Traffic Stop

Yes

Yes

Live View and Two-Way Talk

Over wifi only

Over wifi + LTE

Notifications

Over wifi only

Over wifi + LTE

GPS location

Over wifi only

Over wifi + LTE

Cloud Highlights (up to 180 days)

Yes

Cloud Highlights for Traffic Stop

Yes

Rich Notifications

Yes

Download and share videos

Yes

Know what’s happening in and around your car

Car Cam’s built-in sensors detect a physical disturbance in and around your ride when it’s parked. You’ll get a disturbance
alert in the Ring app and can see what triggered the alert with Live View when your car is connected
to your home wifi, or away from home with a Ring Protect Go subscription, sold separately.

The Ring app puts you in the driver’s seat

Receive real-time alerts when disturbance is detected in your parked vehicle; and check in on your car
with the Live View button when Car Cam is connected to your home wifi. See live video when your car is away
from your home wifi, and help find your car when it’s away from home with a Ring Protect Go subscription, sold
separately. Control Center allows you to view, control, and customize important security settings.

Real-time notifications
Live View
GPS location
Security & privacy control

Can you use Car Cam with your vehicle?

Car Cam plugs into your vehicle’s OBD-II port. For safety, only use Car Cam in vehicles where
the OBD-II port is located to the left side of the steering wheel. Click the link below and enter
the year, make, and model of your vehicle to make sure Car Cam can install safely in your car.

Can I use Car Cam?

Can you use Car Cam with your vehicle?

Car security you can confidently DIY

Simply plug Car Cam into your OBD-II port, run the cable up along the dashboard, and press
to securely stick the camera to your windshield. Tuck the cable out of sight along the dash with
the included tool.

Car security you can confidently DIY

Frequently asked questions


How is Car Cam powered?
Ring Car Cam connects to your vehicle’s OBD-II port and is powered by the car’s battery. Car Cam has a power management system which will turn itself off in advance of ever depleting the car's battery. For safety, only use Car Cam in vehicles where the OBD-II port is located to the left of the driver’s side dash. You can confirm your car’s OBD-II port location here. For help locating your car’s OBD-II port, please check your vehicle’s owner’s manual.

Does Car Cam work when the car is turned off?
Ring Car Cam remains vigilant while the car is parked, or off, and can continue to help keep your car secure to work in a low-power mode. Car Cam will “wake up” to record triggered events like disturbance detected.

Will Car Cam deplete my car battery?
Ring Car Cam has a power management system that will turn the device off in advance of depleting the vehicle’s battery. If a low battery level is detected and the vehicle is parked, Car Cam will shut itself off and you will receive a notification in the Ring App. Car Cam will power back up once your vehicle turns on again and its battery is sufficiently recharged.

When the vehicle is parked, Ring Car Cam goes into a low-power mode to draw even less power from the battery between uses. Although the device will monitor your car’s battery level and shut down when needed to help preserve the car battery, you should make sure your battery is healthy and not past its service life. To control how long Car Cam stays active between drives, you can change the Vehicle Battery Usage setting in the Ring App. This setting allows you to determine how soon Car Cam shuts off based on your driving behavior, battery age, and the environment.

Will I still be notified about activity in or around my car when Car Cam is not connected to my home wifi?
A Ring Protect Go subscription is required to stay notified about and check in on your car when it’s on the go. Otherwise, if events occur while your car is away from your home wifi, your notifications will be queued up and delivered to you once Car Cam re-connects to your home wifi. See here for more information on Ring Protect Go subscriptions.


Does Car Cam save my videos so I can view them later?
Car Cam can save videos locally to the device, which can be played back in the Ring app. To download or share these videos, or store video highlights in the cloud to access anytime for up to 180 days, subscription to Ring Protect Go is required, sold separately.

What privacy features are included with Car Cam?
For privacy inside the car, at any time, flip up the built-in privacy cover to turn off the mic and block the cabin-facing camera. You can also disable location sharing at any time through the Ring app.

How does Traffic Stop work?
To record a crucial moment with Traffic Stop, say “Alexa, record” and your Ring Car Cam will capture the scene for up to 20 minutes, even if you are parked with the car turned off. Additionally, with a Protect Go subscription, the beginning of the event will also be uploaded to the cloud.

Can I set a different home wifi for Car Cam than my other Ring devices?
Yes, Ring Car Cam wifi does not have to be on the same network as other Ring devices, but is limited to only one wifi network at a time. Wifi settings can be changed in the Ring app.

If I have an existing Ring Protect Plus or Pro subscription, do I still need to subscribe to Ring Protect Go?
Yes, Ring Protect Go is the only subscription plan that supports Ring Car Cam.

Technical details

Ring Car Cam

Disclaimers

¹ A Ring Protect Go subscription, sold separately, is required to use Live View, Two-Way Talk, Real-time notifications, and GPS locator over LTE when the Car Cam is away from home wifi, and to use the Cloud Highlights (including Cloud Highlights for Traffic Stop). Ring Protect Go is only available in the U.S.

² Viewing resolution may vary depending on connectivity, viewing device, and viewing format. See Video Tech Specs for details.

³ Car Cam uses sensors to identify key disturbance events in and around the vehicle, and is not intended to detect all disturbance near the device.

Some jurisdictions may prohibit windshield-mounted devices. You are solely responsible for complying with applicable laws.

⁴ Service includes 2GB of LTE data per month, extra data charges may apply. LTE data is provided by a third party carrier. Coverage, uptime, technology, and speeds will vary. Visit ring.com/protect-go for more details.

Dimensions

1.6 in. x 8.4 in. x 1.6 in. (41mm x 214mm x 42mm)

Weight

5.86 oz (166g)

Available colors

Black

Video viewing resolution

Live View, and local playback: up to 540p Cloud Highlights, and downloaded videos: up to 1080p Infrared Lights for Night Vision: Cabin-View Camera Only

Field of view

External-facing camera: 111.5° horizontal, 56° vertical, 119.5° diagonal Cabin-facing camera: 148° horizontal, 82.5° vertical, 153° diagonal

Disturbance detection

Disturbance detection with adjustable sensitivity.

Audio

Two-Way Talk

Power

Powered by plugging device into OBD-II port of vehicle (power cable and OBD-II adapter included); Output: 12V-20V, max 3A.

Connectivity

802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi connection @2.4 GHz 4G LTE cellular connectivity with a Ring Protect Go subscription, sold separately.

Operating conditions

14°F to 131°F (-10°C to 55°C)

Process

Setup in the Ring app and easily install.

Setup requirements

Requires OBD-II port in vehicle. Secure all cables when installing the device to avoid loose cables that can interfere with the operation of your vehicle.

Box includes

Car Cam, OBD-II power cable adapter, USB-C power cable, Installation tools, User manual, Window Security Sticker.

Software security update

This device receives guaranteed software security updates until at least four years after the device is last available for purchase as a new unit on our websites. Learn more here. If you already own a Ring device, visit Software Security Updates in Ring Control Center for information specific to your device.

Warranty

1-year limited warranty

Generation

Ring Car Cam - 1st generation - 2023 release

Customer reviews

3.4 out of 5 stars
2,177 global ratings

Review this product

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Customers say

Customers find the car cam easy to install, taking less than 10 minutes, and appreciate its camera quality. However, the functionality receives mixed feedback, with some saying it works well while others report it fails miserably. Moreover, the video quality and build quality also get mixed reviews, with some finding it clear while others report poor quality, and some praising the build while others find it low quality. Additionally, visibility receives mixed feedback, with good field of view but almost non-existent night vision, and the device frequently shuts off to conserve battery. The value for money is criticized, with customers saying it's not worth the $200 price tag.

258 customers mention "Ease of installation"228 positive30 negative

Customers find the car camera easy to install and setup, taking less than 10 minutes to complete.

"...The installation is easy. A common complaint is that the USB-port is on the right side of the Cam...." Read more

"...The installation is still the cleanest looking of any dash cam I have ever installed and the only place you see the cord is where it turns up to..." Read more

"...First things first, installation is EASY. Setup with Ring is also easy if you already have the ring app and an account...." Read more

"...The software side of the set up was also straightforward — much like with other Ring products...." Read more

173 customers mention "Camera quality"157 positive16 negative

Customers love the car camera, with one mentioning it's a great complement to a dash cam.

"...It's very sturdy and even has a rubber gasket that wraps around the camera lens to soften the snap of it closing...." Read more

"...I’ll explain below more but for me, this product is a great complement to a dash cam but not a dash cam replacement...." Read more

"...This is closet cam to the owl. The fact that it’s always on and always recoding is huge. You will Never miss anything you needed...." Read more

"...Rounding out the positives, in use I find the cameras fine...." Read more

317 customers mention "Video quality"106 positive211 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the car camera's video quality, with some finding it clear and good, while others report poor clarity and picture issues.

"...You can't make out license plate numbers and a lot of things are so grainy as to not be useful. Roadside signs often can't be read...." Read more

"...The video quality is sufficient to capture common accidents, such as hit-and-run, sideswipes, failure to yield, rear-end collisions, or prevent..." Read more

"...Will raise my rating to 4 stars if a firmware update fixes the poor video quality issue." Read more

"...Dear Ring, your car cams are garbage. Absolute garbage. Don't waste your $250 on buying the car cam. These cameras NEVER stay on...." Read more

273 customers mention "Functionality"129 positive144 negative

Customers have mixed experiences with the car camera's functionality, with some saying it works well and gets the job done, while others report that it fails miserably and doesn't achieve their primary objective.

"...such as 24/7 parking protection, live view that works like an electronic chaperone, Traffic Stop designed to document an incident even when the..." Read more

"...with the main draw of a dashcam being secondary, but it does neither especially well...." Read more

"...It has worked flawlessly all week and one day last week it was sunny and 81° and my camera handleed the heat with no problems after baking in the..." Read more

"...problem is the dashcam requires "12V-20V, max 3A" which is why it does not work and will not work with USB ports or charging adapters...." Read more

134 customers mention "Build quality"61 positive73 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the build quality of the car camera, with some praising its construction while others report low quality and durability issues.

"...This device isn't dependable...." Read more

"...INSTALLATION: The device is pretty compact, and the build quality is good. The installation is easy...." Read more

"...into power saving mode AGAIN and about 3:00 this morning my truck window was smashed out and my truck ransacked and a fee items stolen...." Read more

"...It's very sturdy and even has a rubber gasket that wraps around the camera lens to soften the snap of it closing...." Read more

117 customers mention "Visibility"60 positive57 negative

Customers have mixed experiences with the camera's visibility: while they can always see a live view of their car and the interior view is great, the night vision out front is almost non-existent, and there is little to no view at the rear.

"...and comprehensive features, such as 24/7 parking protection, live view that works like an electronic chaperone, Traffic Stop designed to document an..." Read more

"...I can view it there, but that's hard to see, awkward to use, and zooming at all is very pixelated...." Read more

"...Where this product excels is the live view for those who want to check in on things around the car, and are willing to pay the $60 a year to do..." Read more

"...The view through the back window isn't great, but it's better than no view and it's pretty cool to be able to open the Ring app and check on my car...." Read more

198 customers mention "Value for money"50 positive148 negative

Customers express significant dissatisfaction with the car camera's value, describing it as not worth the money, a complete waste, and expensive equipment.

"...I'm just accepting my financial loss on having bought an expensive piece of junk and I'm buying a competing 4K webcam that does everything this one..." Read more

"So, far this thing has costed me a new battery for my truck...." Read more

"...firmware works as promised, the Cam and subscription will be a worthwhile investment as the cost will be far less than your insurance claim and give..." Read more

"Like most of the negative reviews for this glorified expensive piece of plastic, I had to put in my 2 cents...." Read more

144 customers mention "Shut off time"3 positive141 negative

Customers report that the camera frequently turns off, particularly to conserve battery power.

"...Due to poor power management, the Cam shuts down shortly after the car is turned off, so you can't use live view and won't receive notifications for..." Read more

"...capability whatsoever so it depends on the car, so it shuts down after a relatively short time making it useless as a security device...." Read more

"...Here we are two days later and this thing continues to turn itself off after just a few hours after shutting the truck off, and continues to tell me..." Read more

"...After having the camera installed for less than 8 hours, the camera completely shut off due to not having enough battery...." Read more

A Ring camera in the car
5 out of 5 stars
A Ring camera in the car
This product is officially discontinued. THE PRODUCT: The name says it all - "Ring Car Cam - More ways to help protect your car." It doesn't say it’s a high-end dash cam designed to compete in the overcrowded market. Instead, like a Ring camera, it is a security device intended to monitor the surroundings and inside of the car while in motion or parked and to alert you of any suspicious activity such as break-ins or vandalism. The question is whether the Cam does a good job of what it's meant to do. PARKING PROTECTION: The biggest selling point of the Ring Car Cam is the ability to monitor your car when it's parked, such as in a hotel or in the driveway at night, and receive instant notifications of any suspicious activity. Ring states that it has a low-power mode to provide continuous monitoring and will shut down when it detects a low battery level to ensure that you can start your car. Unfortunately, the function fails miserably. Regardless of the age of your car, battery, or app settings, the Cam will shut itself off shortly after the engine is turned off. Depending on the battery level and settings, the Cam may stay on for only for a few minutes to a few hours; it won't last all night. When it shuts down, it won't wake up upon impact, so it won't be able to detect or notify you of vandalism or break-ins. Nor can you check your car through live view. Additionally, because most drive clips are stored locally due to their size, when the Cam is offline, you can't view them from your phone or the web. Fortunately, this can be easily fixed with a firmware update. Note that Ring does not recommend using the Cam if your battery is past its service life or after four years. (That’s an additional $200 on top of the $60 annual fee.) LIVE VIEW & LTE: We love being able to see what's going on inside and outside of the car at any time, checking how your kid is driving and chatting with the technicians when your car is at a service station. However, you can actually run out the 2GB LTE in one week, and when that happens, you lose all cloud functions and notifications. Practically speaking, LTE doesn't have much to offer at this point. Due to poor power management, the Cam shuts down shortly after the car is turned off, so you can't use live view and won't receive notifications for theft or break-ins. Cloud storage is only for highlights and very limited live view. The clips are a few minutes long and the cloud never stores the full-length motion video for the entire trip. By the way, live view is not supported by Echo Show, so you can't just tell Alexa to show you your spouse's whereabouts when you're cooking! There is fine print that says "extra data charges may apply." Ring indicates that no additional fee beyond $60 would be imposed. Ring also states that they are working on the LTE plan to better deliver the cloud functions. It is possible to use a personal hotspot so that you can continue to use live view without LTE, and for the travel videos to show up in the app before you get back to your home WiFi. EVIDENTIARY VALUE: In good weather conditions, the dual cameras deliver clear 1080p videos day and night (no IR for front cam). The field of view (119.5 degrees front, 153 degrees rear) is comparable to other dash cams. A common complaint is the inability to read license plates even when they are in close proximity (beyond a car's length) or in motion. Ring indicates that future firmware, likely to be released in two months, will improve video quality. Ring didn't elaborate much on technical details, but it is possible to improve video quality through software, to some extent. Techniques such as digital image stabilization, increased frame rate, and improved high bitrate numbers can be used to enhance video quality. However, there are physical limitations. For example, most dash cams shoot at 30FPS, and vehicle speed variance is usually more than 10mph on highways, the result is bound to be blurred. Thus, if standard video quality works for you, this Cam will serve you well, not to mention the cam’s unique remote features. However, if license plate readability or other recording details are critical to you, you may want to opt for a dedicated high-end dash cam. DATA ACCESS: To download the video, you need to have a subscription and the video is limited to 20 seconds each time. Yes, only 20 seconds, and it takes a couple of minutes to process. It can take an hour to download the entire drive video. To avoid excessive LTE playback and download limitations, I use screen recording on my phone to capture the drive videos. Given the current low resolution of the video, there is no difference whether the video was downloaded natively (supposedly 1080p) or screen recorded (540p). As the storage is non-removable and the device can't be powered up by a regular USB-C, access to the files can be a serious issue after an accident. INSTALLATION: The device is pretty compact, and the build quality is good. The installation is easy. A common complaint is that the USB-port is on the right side of the Cam. Ring explained that it is a safety decision – the excessive cable should be tucked down to the passenger side. Be very careful when you place the Cam between the windshield and dashboard. Do not use any force, as it WILL crack the window. Avoid blocking vehicle light sensor ¬– the little dome thing on the dash. Also, as it is attached to the windshield and partially blocks the view, it is illegal in some states. Check the law before you buy. Sitting at the front of the windshield with blue light on makes it an obvious target for theft and may defeat its purpose. The built-in light is pretty dim. You won’t get the colorful image the ad shows. As for the OBD-II power source, it is safe to use. The good thing about OBD-II is that it provides a non-stop power supply without having to get into the car’s electrical system to hardwire the device. If you already have a device attached to your OBD-II, you can get an OBD-II splitter. Ring indicates they do not collect data from OBD-II. DRIVING EXPERIENCE: After you start your car, the Cam will turn itself on in a few minutes and start to record when you drive, capturing both inside and outside of the car simultaneously; you cannot disable it. Specifically, there is a prompt that says: To start a drive recording, you must accelerate to at least 10 MPH. Once you stop, the drive recording will end once the vehicle sits idle for six minutes. Still many reviews indicate that the Cam sometimes randomly stops recording and GPS location is inaccurate. The inconsistency in performance will be fixed in the upcoming firmware update according to Ring. FINAL THOUGHTS: In its current status, this Cam is good enough to do what a dash cam can do. The video quality is sufficient to capture common accidents, such as hit-and-run, sideswipes, failure to yield, rear-end collisions, or prevent insurance fraud like catching “staged accidents” and disproving fake witnesses. But does it warrant $250 when any $100 dash cam has better recording capability? It will depend on your specific needs and how you like the Ring ecosystem. Like Apple products, Ring offers simple and elegant solutions. Ring’s not-so-unique but integrated and comprehensive features, such as 24/7 parking protection, live view that works like an electronic chaperone, Traffic Stop designed to document an incident even when the car is off, and rich notifications are great remote functions and offer real-time protection. If the upcoming firmware works as promised, the Cam and subscription will be a worthwhile investment as the cost will be far less than your insurance claim and give you peace of mind when you can check in at any time.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2023
    This product is officially discontinued.

    THE PRODUCT: The name says it all - "Ring Car Cam - More ways to help protect your car." It doesn't say it’s a high-end dash cam designed to compete in the overcrowded market. Instead, like a Ring camera, it is a security device intended to monitor the surroundings and inside of the car while in motion or parked and to alert you of any suspicious activity such as break-ins or vandalism. The question is whether the Cam does a good job of what it's meant to do.

    PARKING PROTECTION: The biggest selling point of the Ring Car Cam is the ability to monitor your car when it's parked, such as in a hotel or in the driveway at night, and receive instant notifications of any suspicious activity. Ring states that it has a low-power mode to provide continuous monitoring and will shut down when it detects a low battery level to ensure that you can start your car. Unfortunately, the function fails miserably. Regardless of the age of your car, battery, or app settings, the Cam will shut itself off shortly after the engine is turned off. Depending on the battery level and settings, the Cam may stay on for only for a few minutes to a few hours; it won't last all night. When it shuts down, it won't wake up upon impact, so it won't be able to detect or notify you of vandalism or break-ins. Nor can you check your car through live view. Additionally, because most drive clips are stored locally due to their size, when the Cam is offline, you can't view them from your phone or the web. Fortunately, this can be easily fixed with a firmware update. Note that Ring does not recommend using the Cam if your battery is past its service life or after four years. (That’s an additional $200 on top of the $60 annual fee.)

    LIVE VIEW & LTE: We love being able to see what's going on inside and outside of the car at any time, checking how your kid is driving and chatting with the technicians when your car is at a service station. However, you can actually run out the 2GB LTE in one week, and when that happens, you lose all cloud functions and notifications. Practically speaking, LTE doesn't have much to offer at this point. Due to poor power management, the Cam shuts down shortly after the car is turned off, so you can't use live view and won't receive notifications for theft or break-ins. Cloud storage is only for highlights and very limited live view. The clips are a few minutes long and the cloud never stores the full-length motion video for the entire trip. By the way, live view is not supported by Echo Show, so you can't just tell Alexa to show you your spouse's whereabouts when you're cooking! There is fine print that says "extra data charges may apply." Ring indicates that no additional fee beyond $60 would be imposed. Ring also states that they are working on the LTE plan to better deliver the cloud functions. It is possible to use a personal hotspot so that you can continue to use live view without LTE, and for the travel videos to show up in the app before you get back to your home WiFi.

    EVIDENTIARY VALUE: In good weather conditions, the dual cameras deliver clear 1080p videos day and night (no IR for front cam). The field of view (119.5 degrees front, 153 degrees rear) is comparable to other dash cams. A common complaint is the inability to read license plates even when they are in close proximity (beyond a car's length) or in motion. Ring indicates that future firmware, likely to be released in two months, will improve video quality. Ring didn't elaborate much on technical details, but it is possible to improve video quality through software, to some extent. Techniques such as digital image stabilization, increased frame rate, and improved high bitrate numbers can be used to enhance video quality. However, there are physical limitations. For example, most dash cams shoot at 30FPS, and vehicle speed variance is usually more than 10mph on highways, the result is bound to be blurred. Thus, if standard video quality works for you, this Cam will serve you well, not to mention the cam’s unique remote features. However, if license plate readability or other recording details are critical to you, you may want to opt for a dedicated high-end dash cam.

    DATA ACCESS: To download the video, you need to have a subscription and the video is limited to 20 seconds each time. Yes, only 20 seconds, and it takes a couple of minutes to process. It can take an hour to download the entire drive video. To avoid excessive LTE playback and download limitations, I use screen recording on my phone to capture the drive videos. Given the current low resolution of the video, there is no difference whether the video was downloaded natively (supposedly 1080p) or screen recorded (540p). As the storage is non-removable and the device can't be powered up by a regular USB-C, access to the files can be a serious issue after an accident.

    INSTALLATION: The device is pretty compact, and the build quality is good. The installation is easy. A common complaint is that the USB-port is on the right side of the Cam. Ring explained that it is a safety decision – the excessive cable should be tucked down to the passenger side. Be very careful when you place the Cam between the windshield and dashboard. Do not use any force, as it WILL crack the window. Avoid blocking vehicle light sensor ¬– the little dome thing on the dash. Also, as it is attached to the windshield and partially blocks the view, it is illegal in some states. Check the law before you buy. Sitting at the front of the windshield with blue light on makes it an obvious target for theft and may defeat its purpose. The built-in light is pretty dim. You won’t get the colorful image the ad shows.

    As for the OBD-II power source, it is safe to use. The good thing about OBD-II is that it provides a non-stop power supply without having to get into the car’s electrical system to hardwire the device. If you already have a device attached to your OBD-II, you can get an OBD-II splitter. Ring indicates they do not collect data from OBD-II.

    DRIVING EXPERIENCE: After you start your car, the Cam will turn itself on in a few minutes and start to record when you drive, capturing both inside and outside of the car simultaneously; you cannot disable it. Specifically, there is a prompt that says: To start a drive recording, you must accelerate to at least 10 MPH.
    Once you stop, the drive recording will end once the vehicle sits idle for six minutes. Still many reviews indicate that the Cam sometimes randomly stops recording and GPS location is inaccurate. The inconsistency in performance will be fixed in the upcoming firmware update according to Ring.

    FINAL THOUGHTS: In its current status, this Cam is good enough to do what a dash cam can do. The video quality is sufficient to capture common accidents, such as hit-and-run, sideswipes, failure to yield, rear-end collisions, or prevent insurance fraud like catching “staged accidents” and disproving fake witnesses. But does it warrant $250 when any $100 dash cam has better recording capability? It will depend on your specific needs and how you like the Ring ecosystem.

    Like Apple products, Ring offers simple and elegant solutions. Ring’s not-so-unique but integrated and comprehensive features, such as 24/7 parking protection, live view that works like an electronic chaperone, Traffic Stop designed to document an incident even when the car is off, and rich notifications are great remote functions and offer real-time protection. If the upcoming firmware works as promised, the Cam and subscription will be a worthwhile investment as the cost will be far less than your insurance claim and give you peace of mind when you can check in at any time.
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    GP
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    A Ring camera in the car

    Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2023
    This product is officially discontinued.

    THE PRODUCT: The name says it all - "Ring Car Cam - More ways to help protect your car." It doesn't say it’s a high-end dash cam designed to compete in the overcrowded market. Instead, like a Ring camera, it is a security device intended to monitor the surroundings and inside of the car while in motion or parked and to alert you of any suspicious activity such as break-ins or vandalism. The question is whether the Cam does a good job of what it's meant to do.

    PARKING PROTECTION: The biggest selling point of the Ring Car Cam is the ability to monitor your car when it's parked, such as in a hotel or in the driveway at night, and receive instant notifications of any suspicious activity. Ring states that it has a low-power mode to provide continuous monitoring and will shut down when it detects a low battery level to ensure that you can start your car. Unfortunately, the function fails miserably. Regardless of the age of your car, battery, or app settings, the Cam will shut itself off shortly after the engine is turned off. Depending on the battery level and settings, the Cam may stay on for only for a few minutes to a few hours; it won't last all night. When it shuts down, it won't wake up upon impact, so it won't be able to detect or notify you of vandalism or break-ins. Nor can you check your car through live view. Additionally, because most drive clips are stored locally due to their size, when the Cam is offline, you can't view them from your phone or the web. Fortunately, this can be easily fixed with a firmware update. Note that Ring does not recommend using the Cam if your battery is past its service life or after four years. (That’s an additional $200 on top of the $60 annual fee.)

    LIVE VIEW & LTE: We love being able to see what's going on inside and outside of the car at any time, checking how your kid is driving and chatting with the technicians when your car is at a service station. However, you can actually run out the 2GB LTE in one week, and when that happens, you lose all cloud functions and notifications. Practically speaking, LTE doesn't have much to offer at this point. Due to poor power management, the Cam shuts down shortly after the car is turned off, so you can't use live view and won't receive notifications for theft or break-ins. Cloud storage is only for highlights and very limited live view. The clips are a few minutes long and the cloud never stores the full-length motion video for the entire trip. By the way, live view is not supported by Echo Show, so you can't just tell Alexa to show you your spouse's whereabouts when you're cooking! There is fine print that says "extra data charges may apply." Ring indicates that no additional fee beyond $60 would be imposed. Ring also states that they are working on the LTE plan to better deliver the cloud functions. It is possible to use a personal hotspot so that you can continue to use live view without LTE, and for the travel videos to show up in the app before you get back to your home WiFi.

    EVIDENTIARY VALUE: In good weather conditions, the dual cameras deliver clear 1080p videos day and night (no IR for front cam). The field of view (119.5 degrees front, 153 degrees rear) is comparable to other dash cams. A common complaint is the inability to read license plates even when they are in close proximity (beyond a car's length) or in motion. Ring indicates that future firmware, likely to be released in two months, will improve video quality. Ring didn't elaborate much on technical details, but it is possible to improve video quality through software, to some extent. Techniques such as digital image stabilization, increased frame rate, and improved high bitrate numbers can be used to enhance video quality. However, there are physical limitations. For example, most dash cams shoot at 30FPS, and vehicle speed variance is usually more than 10mph on highways, the result is bound to be blurred. Thus, if standard video quality works for you, this Cam will serve you well, not to mention the cam’s unique remote features. However, if license plate readability or other recording details are critical to you, you may want to opt for a dedicated high-end dash cam.

    DATA ACCESS: To download the video, you need to have a subscription and the video is limited to 20 seconds each time. Yes, only 20 seconds, and it takes a couple of minutes to process. It can take an hour to download the entire drive video. To avoid excessive LTE playback and download limitations, I use screen recording on my phone to capture the drive videos. Given the current low resolution of the video, there is no difference whether the video was downloaded natively (supposedly 1080p) or screen recorded (540p). As the storage is non-removable and the device can't be powered up by a regular USB-C, access to the files can be a serious issue after an accident.

    INSTALLATION: The device is pretty compact, and the build quality is good. The installation is easy. A common complaint is that the USB-port is on the right side of the Cam. Ring explained that it is a safety decision – the excessive cable should be tucked down to the passenger side. Be very careful when you place the Cam between the windshield and dashboard. Do not use any force, as it WILL crack the window. Avoid blocking vehicle light sensor ¬– the little dome thing on the dash. Also, as it is attached to the windshield and partially blocks the view, it is illegal in some states. Check the law before you buy. Sitting at the front of the windshield with blue light on makes it an obvious target for theft and may defeat its purpose. The built-in light is pretty dim. You won’t get the colorful image the ad shows.

    As for the OBD-II power source, it is safe to use. The good thing about OBD-II is that it provides a non-stop power supply without having to get into the car’s electrical system to hardwire the device. If you already have a device attached to your OBD-II, you can get an OBD-II splitter. Ring indicates they do not collect data from OBD-II.

    DRIVING EXPERIENCE: After you start your car, the Cam will turn itself on in a few minutes and start to record when you drive, capturing both inside and outside of the car simultaneously; you cannot disable it. Specifically, there is a prompt that says: To start a drive recording, you must accelerate to at least 10 MPH.
    Once you stop, the drive recording will end once the vehicle sits idle for six minutes. Still many reviews indicate that the Cam sometimes randomly stops recording and GPS location is inaccurate. The inconsistency in performance will be fixed in the upcoming firmware update according to Ring.

    FINAL THOUGHTS: In its current status, this Cam is good enough to do what a dash cam can do. The video quality is sufficient to capture common accidents, such as hit-and-run, sideswipes, failure to yield, rear-end collisions, or prevent insurance fraud like catching “staged accidents” and disproving fake witnesses. But does it warrant $250 when any $100 dash cam has better recording capability? It will depend on your specific needs and how you like the Ring ecosystem.

    Like Apple products, Ring offers simple and elegant solutions. Ring’s not-so-unique but integrated and comprehensive features, such as 24/7 parking protection, live view that works like an electronic chaperone, Traffic Stop designed to document an incident even when the car is off, and rich notifications are great remote functions and offer real-time protection. If the upcoming firmware works as promised, the Cam and subscription will be a worthwhile investment as the cost will be far less than your insurance claim and give you peace of mind when you can check in at any time.
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2023
    I bought this thinking I'd have an always-recording high quality video dash cam that would be easy to view and/or download any segment of video after the fact. I liked the added benefit of it being a security camera. Unfortunately, it seems as if it's more meant to be a security camera with the main draw of a dashcam being secondary, but it does neither especially well.

    I was trying to go back and look at something that happened yesterday, and first I ran into a problem using any desktop web browser whatsoever to view the content through ring.com. No matter which browser -- Firefox, Chrome, or Edge -- it reports that none of them can play HEVC and that I'd better go switch the car's recordings to "legacy" for the future. Well, a lot of good that does for what's already recorded. So I tried downloading the video. It spins for a long time and then stops spinning but never gives me a download. I can't get the video at all from a computer. OK, let's try the Ring app on my phone. I can view it there, but that's hard to see, awkward to use, and zooming at all is very pixelated. There is a download button here as well, but it tells me it can only download 30 seconds at a time, starting at wherever I've paused. Good luck pausing where you really want to start on that phone interface. Throughout trying to do this, it kept telling me "connection failed". I'm sitting right next to the car and both devices are on the same WiFi 6 network. That 30 second segment option tells me that it's about to get the video ready and it'll let me know when it's ready to download and then it never does. I just cannot get that video to something that I can see. Had I been in an accident, that would have been a real problem. This device isn't dependable.

    Now for security ... that would work fine, except that either my car's battery is just not good enough or this thing doesn't know how to manage power. I have a less than one year old battery in my Honda CR-V (it's a fairly high amperage battery) and it tells me it's turned off the battery to conserve power anywhere from 20 minutes after leaving the car to maybe 4 hours if I'm very lucky. It seems to average about 2, though. So if you want to break into my car, just wait a couple of hours and you're good to go.

    Unfortunately I'm sure I'm well past whatever satisfaction period existed for this and I'm stuck with it. At least I got it for the preorder price which was $50 less. I see myself replacing it with something else, though and taking my loss. And by the way, the problems I'm having? Not because I'm not paying up for the premium plan. I have paid a full year for that.

    Update after some months of use: I had gotten a call from a friendly lady from the Ring support group after writing my above review. She seemed to believe at the time that some of the deficiencies were on the radar to hopefully be corrected, like the inability to view recordings using the web interface (it tells you your video codec isn't sufficient even if it is) and the ability to download better than 20 second clips at a time. As of now, some time later, neither of these features are available, and I'm doubtful that they ever will be. She had mentioned that if I was still dissatisfied with the Car Cam after using it for a little while longer I could call her back and get some kind of concession (not necessarily refund, but perhaps credit to apply to my home security system's plan), but since then I've lost both her name and the contact number so I'm basically SOL. I'm going to buy a competing wireless-connected dashcam because this one is just not usable if you actually want to download video at all -- you can't easily position it to the right time segment on the phone app (it gets the wrong clip most of the time) and the 20 second limit is a non-starter. Not being able to get this working in any of the modern web browsers is inexcusable. Even if they have to transcode via their server on-the-fly, I don't care ... make it work. It's not rocket science. Or update the firmware to use a CODEC that browsers can decode. This was originally the solution ("turn on the legacy mode to downgrade it to H.264") but that directive wasn't helpful as there is no such option available. So as it is, I have a useless/worthless $250 item which doesn't do anything for me and I'm still paying subscription fees to store video that I can't ever download unless I'm happy with getting the wrong 20 second clips at a time. I wish I hadn't lost the contact info for the nice lady because I'd gladly take the credit on my Ring account and toss this thing in the garbage or mail it back. So, if you're the one I spoke with and you're reading this, please contact me :)

    Further update: Not a single one of the deficiencies that I was told were being addressed have yet been addressed, now long after the product launch and after I was told these were understood to be important. Either Ring has designed this so that its software cannot be made to work adequately or has just decided not to do any of that. You still can't use a desktop computer at all to access anything (no web browser support), can't download more than 30 second clips, etc. It doesn't have any internal battery capability whatsoever so it depends on the car, so it shuts down after a relatively short time making it useless as a security device. Even if all of this weren't true, the video quality is just terrible and I doubt software could fix that. You can't make out license plate numbers and a lot of things are so grainy as to not be useful. Roadside signs often can't be read. As it is, this product is next to useless. I'm just accepting my financial loss on having bought an expensive piece of junk and I'm buying a competing 4K webcam that does everything this one doesn't do including full connectivity with its own ample battery and ability to download full video remotely, and as a kicker that one is actually less expensive than this!! Look elsewhere.
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