There are several smart lights that connect to Ring's doorbell and security cameras. We'll walk you through the lighting options, considering where you live, how many spots need monitoring, and what you need to connect them all together. From lighting outdoors to in your home, Ring has a light and accessory to help. Connecting these items through the Ring Bridge unlocks a host of smart features to make your lighting and the rest of your Ring devices do more.
Ring Lights and Connection Equipment
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All-in-one
If you are looking to brighten up outside of your home and want a lot of coverage, the Ring Smart Lighting starter kit is the way to go. There are different bundles but this one gets you two motion spotlights, four motion pathlights, and a Ring bridge to control it all with.
Power of the Sun
This wide and bright light can be mounted on any wall to help illuminate a path at night, but it's also bright enough to illuminate most of your yard for added security. As a bonus, you'll never need to charge it thanks to the big solar panel up top!
Spot on
Ring Spotlights are a great way to light up large areas of your yard. I really like using these lights because they have a built-in motion sensor to automatically come on when it detects movement, and turn it on via the Ring app when it's connected to the Ring bridge.
Illuminate it all
If it's a really big area you're trying to light up, the Ring Smart Flood light is perfect. Like the Ring Floodlight Cam, it's packed with two spotlights and a motion sensor instead of a camera. With 2,000 lumens, it'll nearly turn night to day.
Lighting the way
These path lights are a fantastic way to make sure regularly used walkways around your home are visible in the dark. I love that these are wireless and charge via the built-in solar panel because installing these was simple. You will need a Ring Bridge to use these lights though.
Connecting it all
Though not all Ring devices require the Bridge, in able to access these devices when away from home — you'll need it. This little box connects to your internet and when paired with the Ring app, can link all of your Ring Cameras, lights, doorbells, and more together allowing for automation and more — all from your phone.
Safe steps
These handy step lights are perfect indoors or out when you want to be sure your steps are safely lit. Since the Ring Smart Lighting Steplights are battery-powered, these are easy to install and can work via motion or schedules thanks to the Ring Bridge.
Wire-free
When you want to light up a large area outside but don't have a plug-in nearby, the wireless version of the Ring Smart Lighting Floodlight can do the job. You'll get up to one year of use before the batteries will need to be changed out. Connect to your Ring Bridge for notifications when the light is activated.
On the move
Motion sensors are great for a variety of things. Once connected to the Bridge, the Ring Outdoor Motion Sensor can trigger lights to turn on, send you a notification, begin recording on a camera or do many other helpful tasks.
Figuring out your security needs.
The first step is to figure out where to put your Ring security lights. Knowing this determines which types of lights you need and how many. Home security installation experts suggest looking at your home and property during different times of the day. That allows you to see where there are shadows, especially around building entrances and where valuables are placed, like near parked vehicles, lawn ornaments or furniture. Also, take note of bushes and dense landscaping where creepers could easily sneak closer to your home undetected.
Consider your property size, too. A home in a suburban neighborhood won't need as many lights or lights as bright as homes on large rural properties. Figure out your driveway length and walkways leading to your home, and how well lit you need property further from your home. If you have a fenced yard, there are options for lighting the property line without it looking out of place.
Before purchasing or installing security lights, check with your city's planning commission to learn of any housing codes that need to be followed. This could include a limit on the number, the types of lights you can use, and would list any permits required or restrictions on who can install security lights, particularly wired ones.
What type of lights do you need?
Ring offers four basic security lights to cover the main spots around your home, spotlights, floodlights, landscape lights and step lights.
Spotlights illuminate specific, key spots without strobe-like intensity. You would typically place these above the front and back doors of your home or smaller entrances to garages or outbuildings. When triggered, these lights will brighten just enough to cover your entry.
The Ring Spotlight uses 400 lumens, which is about as bright as a standard outdoor porch light and has a motion sensor to pick up when someone is within 30 feet of it. This smart light runs on battery power, requiring four D-size batteries, so you don't have to worry about hardwiring it. Everything you need to mount it, including the screwdriver, comes with this light and should only take about 10 minutes to install. Ring Spotlights can work independently of each other. If you install more than one, you can program them all to come on when one sensor is triggered.
Floodlights are the brightest security lights available for home use. They typically have two or three heads that cover a large area when lit, usually between 18 and 20 feet in front of them and 10 to 12 feet from side to side. These are the most useful placed above overhead garage doors to light driveways. Mounted to corners of a home or outbuilding will help brighten lots of property surrounding your home. They are also suitable for pool areas. However, be cautious when using floodlights in suburban areas. Usually, a single floodlight above the garage is good enough. More lights on a small piece of property can easily overwhelm neighbors and cause light pollution.
The Ring Floodlight Battery requires four D batteries, and, as with the Ring Spotlight, only need a few screws to mount. You might like your security lights to be triggered farther than 45 feet from where they are installed. For that, you can mount Ring's standalone motion detectors throughout your property. These work well on far removed fenceposts and can trigger the floodlights from a much farther distance.
The wired Ring Floodlights include a camera that will start recording in 1080HD when the motion sensor is triggered. It also features a loud siren and a two-way communication system. You can playback the video roll from the Ring app on your cell phone, control where the camera is pointed, and talk to anyone standing close to this light. You may need to hire an electrician to make sure this light is installed correctly.
Landscape lights are tall, like solar garden lights, that turn on when it senses movement to light walkways and garden paths. But they are also a convenient solution for illuminating around high shrubs and other landscaping features where traditional spot and floodlights don't reach. Most security and landscape experts suggest placing these lights between six and eight feet apart but you can set them closer for a more dramatic look.
Ring Pathlights stand just under 17 inches tall and are battery-operated, so they are super easy to install. They are designed to look sleek and compliment your overall landscape instead of looking out of place. Pathlights can be controlled from the Ring app or an Alexa-enabled device.
Ring offers an unusual type of security light in the form of Steplights. These are good for lighting stairs, either those in a stairwell leading from a walkout basement, or for just a few steps leading to your porch. They are designed to be placed at foot level and are just bright enough to help you see to walk safely. These are also a good solution for along fence lines where a little light is enough to deter curious neighborhood kids or a cat burglar from tiptoeing onto your property.
The Ring Steplight produced 35 lumens, which is about double the brightness of a standard nightlight, and just enough to offer a soft glow without being overwhelming or looking tacky. Steplights use battery power, which makes them easy to install and has a motion sensor to trigger them when someone gets close enough - about 15 feet. As with all RIng lights, the Steplight can be managed from the Ring app and connected to other Ring devices.
Connecting your lights to the Ring app
To use the smart features of your security lights, you need a Ring Bridge. The Bridge is sort of like an internet router box for your security system and is what allows your Ring lights to talk to its security devices and be controlled by the Ring app. The Bridge is also needed to connect Ring lights to Alexa-enabled devices. Connecting your lights to the Ring app lets you control which lights come on when a motion sensor is triggered, set limits for how long lights stay on before going off, and determine which lights come on when security cameras are recording.
All in one place
The security cameras from Ring are great and it makes sense that someone may want to add lights to their setup. Using Ring lights with your cameras and video doorbell can bring additional safety measures to your property. Because they can all interconnect via the Ring app and Bridge, you can have lights trigger cameras and vice versa. So whether its a spotlight, floodlight, or pathlight, you can illuminate your space with Ring.
