Certified Refurbished Ring Spotlight Cam Battery HD Security Camera with Built Two-Way Talk and a Siren Alarm, White, Works with Alexa

I own 6 Ring cameras. 2 doorbell cams, 1 interior Ring cam, 2 Ring spotlight hardwire cams and this new battery powered with solar array Ring spotlight cam. I have owned Ring cameras for a very long time - long before Amazon bought them. The Ring experience these days under Amazon is far superior to 5+ years ago when Ring was a stand alone outfit. My point here is that I have a LOT of Ring camera experience and I've seen a long list of Ring issues and quirks. I bought refurb because I've never had any issues with the other 3 Ring refurbs I've purchased from Amazon - that didn't work out so well for a number of customers.I added this refurbished battery camera to a high sunlight area on my home that would have been a pain to hardwire. I'll go through a few tips based on my 5+ years of Ring camera use and my experience with this new battery operated Ring camera and solar array combo.I read many of the 1 & 2 star ratings and they center around a few recurring issues:-Missing parts - that's not a camera issue, that's an Amazon issue. Send it back and have Amazon make it right-Camera won't hold signal. Two things here - these folks either lack the proper bandwidth or the camera is too far from the modem. That's it - I've never had any issue with WIFI connection that was not modem or bandwidth related. I have 1 GB Verizon FiOS, the new, updated modem and good proximity to the camera from the modem - it kicks butt. If you do NOT have great WIFI with the latest modem and good proximity, you WILL suffer.-The batteries won't fully power up with the solar array. CHARGE the batteries on a USB power cable indoors to 100% BEFORE you install them in the camera! It took me 7 hours for one battery and 6 for the other to fully charge. I use two batteries - the refurb price allowed me to spend the extra $30 on the additional battery.-You need enough sun - my solar array gets full sun for 8-12 hours a day. If you try to squeak by with 1-3 hours, it can be an issue.-Understand the settings on the camera to conserve power and set up the motion zones and sensitivity. Some of the 1-2 star issues were the result of not fully comprehending those fine details.My four photos show the clarity of view, the solar array installed, the camera installed and the "Device Health" screenshot that shows both batteries at 100% and the solar array properly connected. Like I said - charge the batteries FIRST to 100% on a power cord and then insert them the camera. Both batteries have been outside in this camera for 2 weeks and they are at 100% because I have a ton of sun with no shade trees nearby.Installation can range from a simple 30 minute setup if you have DIY skills to absolute torture if you do not possess the Liam Neeson like "particular set of skills". In my case, I can fix most anything and I used 3 inch stainless trim square drive screws through the vinyl corner posts into the framing underneath. Solid as granite when done. I used a siding separating tool and pulled the siding apart, ran the solar array connection wire under the siding and snapped it back together. Liam Neeson easy - if you have the tools and skills.I've had HUGE issues with Ring cameras early on especially with the doorbell units that were an enormous pain in the butt prior to the Amazon acquisition of Ring. Since then, I've never had an issue with any of the Ring spotlight cams, hardwire or battery powered. Your experience may (will!) vary. Hope that helps!

This camera was easy to set up and install and because we have little traffic the batteries last a long time. I like this especially for the price. The picture quality is amazing. I have five of these now and love them.

The certified refurbished camera works and functions great but the battery sent with the camera is getting old and worn out! It doesn’t hold a charge for every long! I would have wished a battery in better condition had been sent!!!

Pros: Once it's set up it works very well. Takes a few minutes to understand all of the functions, but I'm learning all of the bells and whistles and am very happy with the product.Cons: It was a true pain to set up. Had to contact Ring customer service to help initiate set up because it would not function properly. CS advised of a reset button on the camera and ultimately if worked to get it going. I also bought a Ring solar panel to connect to the Ring Cam Battery. If possible, I'd highly recommend it to keep the battery charged. Finally, I may be getting a Ring Chime to extend the WiFi in my home as the Router and Camera are on opposites sides of my home. But so far so good without it.

The Spotlight Camera starts recording when a person is from 10 to 11 feet away, and I have it aimed downward toward the bottom of a fence gate to alert if a dog gets out. If it were aimed higher, it might detect even farther away. The video range is great, unlike the distorted porthole view of the Ring Doorbell 2, which won't start recording until someone is 9 feet from the door (see my reviews of Ring Doorbell 2 and Ring Outdoor Motion Detector). Also, because the Ring Doorbell 2 (with two wedges) aims basically frontward, that 9 feet makes the person almost at the door in the doorbell camera view, whereas the Spotlight Camera is mounted on top of a corner fence post, so you see the person walking the entire distance from the 10 or 11 feet to the gate. And the camera (and spotlights at night) comes on as soon as I open the gate and inch or two on the way out for our daily walks and as soon as I round the corner of the fence when we return.I rarely if ever get false detections from the Spotlight Camera, whereas I constantly get them from the Ring Doorbell 2 and the Ring Outdoor Motion Detector. If I could afford it, I'd get another Spotlight Camera to mount above the door (where I have a 4-D-cell Ring Spotlight) and turn off motion detection by the doorbell altogether. However, I think the Ring cameras are far overpriced, considering non-Ring ones of the same video quality go for $40. I was fortunate enough to get mine when it was about $140. The refurbished ones now are $179, and new are $199.I don't think I have ever gotten from the Spotlight Camera those occasional spans of motion detected alerts at intervals of 5 minutes or 30 minutes or 15 minutes or even 1 minute that frequently occur with the Ring Doorbell 2 and the Ring Outdoor Motion Detector — that Ring customer service agents will claim really don't happen, all coincidence, adjust your motion detection settings! Argh. I digress.The spotlight videos are, of course, far better than night-vision videos. And the battery has lasted at least a month before needing to be recharged, maybe longer. As I said in my other Ring reviews, I have spent 20, 30, maybe 40 hours trying to get the [other] Ring products to work as they should, with dozens of calls to Ring about it. A Ring support agent asked by e-mail to let her know if her reset solved my issues, and I sent four detailed replies about tests and which videos to see; then I discovered they didn't go to her, just to a general help address, and I have had no response at all. I would remove these negative comments from my reviews if Ring or Amazon sent me one or two of these Ring Spotlight Cameras to make up for all my irritation and lost time! :)

I have two of these at two different properties. For each location, there isn't an electrical outlet nearby, but I want eyes on the area.The oldest one that I have is on my shed and is connected to a solar panel. The solar panel keeps the charge at 100%, and has been doing so for several years now. It's very consistent.The battery powered one that I use, that is not connected to a solar panel, will last for about 2 months on a charge. I only have one battery in there now, but there is space to add a second battery to make it last even longer.Set up a simple, it works perfectly with your Ring app. There are no issues. It just works.