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Ring is updating some of its security cameras to 2K resolution

If you've got a Floodlight Cam Wired Pro or a Spotlight Cam Pro, get ready for a free update in video quality to 2K.

Nick Broughall

• 2 min read
Ring is updating some of its security cameras to 2K resolution

Ring has been holding out on us. At CES this week, it announced it would be upgrading its Floodlight Cam Wired Pro and Spotlight Cam Pro products to 2K resolution, up from 1080p.

This wasn't an announcement just for new products, either. It is also releasing a software update that unlocks 2K resolution for existing products.

How can that be? Either the image sensor needed to have been 2K all along, or the 2K upgrade is a fake upscaling solution. I asked Ring, and got this response:

"These products use a sensor that supports up to 2K video resolution. We introduce features when we feel they’re ready to deliver the best end-to-end customer experience, which in this case included ensuring optimisation of Wi-Fi data consumption, battery life, and streaming performance."

So there you have it – Ring was holding out on you. It launched these products with 2K capabilities, but held the resolution back to 1080p until now.

To be fair, there are plenty of reasons to do this. 2K requires a lot more data than 1080p, which requires faster Wi-Fi networks and faster mobile networks to access in a reasonable time.

If Ring couldn't deliver a good experience with 2K video, it's better to focus on getting fast, effective 1080p than slow, unresponsive 2K.

Still, it's still a bit of a shock to know that you aren't getting the full capabilities of teh hardware you purchased.

Oh, vehicle detection is coming too

The other announcement Ring made is that it would be launching vehicle detection for a range of its products in the coming weeks.

Customers on a Ring Home subscription plan will receive smart alerts when the camera detects a vehicle.

The full list of compatible cameras is as follows:

  • Floodlight Cam Wired Pro
  • Spotlight Cam Pro
  • Spotlight Cam Plus
  • Floodlight Cam Wired Plus
  • Pan-Tilt Indoor Camera
  • Indoor Camera (2nd Gen)
  • Battery Video Doorbell
  • Battery Video Doorbell Plus
  • Battery Video Doorbell Pro
  • Video Doorbell Wired
  • Wired Doorbell Pro

Update availability

Ring has said that the 2K update will be available from 8 January, with vehicle detection launching in the coming weeks.

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