Not our first indoor cam choice, but also not our last

The Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam is the kind of convenient DIY smart home device that brings a lot to the table, even though there are plenty of pan-tilt-zoom smart cams on the market (some are quite a bit cheaper than Ring’s latest). But if you already use several Ring components, the Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam is a nice alternative to running two or three top indoor cams in the same area of your home or business.

I’ve installed and worked with several Ring cameras before, so I had some UI experience going into this setup. Fortunately, the Pan-Tilt was a breeze to activate and delivered impressive visuals, along with an array of useful in-app features. Still, other pan-tilt-zoom cams do more for less.

Price, availability, and specs

À la carte and bundle options available

The Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam currently sells for $80 and is available at most major retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Home Depot, and directly through Ring. For those interested, a non-mechanized version of this product, the Ring Indoor Cam is also available for $60 from all the same outlets.

What’s good about the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam?

Top-notch video quality and intuitive controls

The Ring Pan-Tilt looks and feels like a well-made pan-tilt-zoom camera. The camera has a versatile swiveling, freestanding design that’ll sit comfortably on a table, desk, or kitchen counter. Ring also gives you everything you’ll need to mount the camera on a wall or ceiling. Whether it’s positioned on a flat surface or airborne, you’ll just need to make sure there’s an AC outlet nearby. It’s also available in five color options — including Black, White, and Charcoal finishes — to blend in with any home decor style.

The Pan-Tilt has a rotating privacy shutter that clicks into place directly in front of the lens. To open the shutter, simply turn the mechanism in the opposite direction (toward the unlock icon). We live in an age where remote hacking is normal, so the option to shield your property from prying eyes when needed brings some real peace of mind.

I’ve set up several Ring products over the years, so I was prepared for a relatively straightforward install. Once powered and connected to Wi-Fi, the Pan-Tilt was ready to use, and I’d say that the overall setup only took about ten minutes.

The Pan-Tilt captures footage at up to 1080p HD and has a 143-degree FOV. Considering the main living area of my apartment is shaped like a giant U, the Pan-Tilt offered all the coverage I needed from its middle-of-the-room placement. This was also an ideal spot for motion detection, to the point that I had to adjust the sensitivity to stop receiving so many alerts. The manual pan-tilt-zoom functions (located in the Ring Always Home app) were responsive and easy to use, and the video quality was bright and colorful.

While Color Night Vision is normally a drain on a smart cam’s battery life, the Ring Pan-Tilt is always plugged in. By default, color night footage is disabled in the Ring app. But once it’s turned on, you’ll be floored at how much picture detail the camera’s pixels can pack in. And if Color Night Vision isn’t your thing, there’s also an IR night mode.

The Ring app is an important part of the Ring Pan-Tilt equation, and it’s a very intuitive piece of mobile software. A few quick-toggle settings, layout adjustments, and a Live View button are accessible from the Home Screen. I like how much customization Ring provides, allowing users to monitor and tweak everything from detection zones and alerts to smart settings and network status.

For those running an Alexa-powered smart home, the Ring Pan-Tilt seamlessly integrates with Alexa ecosystems. I pulled up live views using my Amazon Echo Show 5 and even created a routine that triggered a smart light whenever the Pan-Tilt detected motion.

What’s bad about the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam?

Some important features are missing

Let’s not beat around the bush, two of the biggest bummers with the Ring Pan-Tilt are its lack of automatic motion-tracking and missing remote controls for the privacy shutter. Yes, the Pan-Tilt does a great job at sending notifications when motion is detected, but the camera doesn’t actively track the triggering subject. This means you’ll always need to use the manual pan-tilt controls in the Ring app to follow a person or animal around the homestead.

I was surprised to learn that the Pan-Tilt shutter couldn’t be controlled remotely, and I wouldn’t be surprised (though I’m only speculating) if Ring released a firmware update to add this feature. The same goes for automatic motion tracking. So, if these capabilities are important to you, now might not be the best time to add this Ring cam to your property. Not to mention that cheaper indoor cams — like the Eufy Indoor Cam S350 and Wyze Cam Pan v3 — can track motion right out of the box.

The Ring Pan-Tilt stores motion-triggered recordings right in the Ring app, but you’ll need an active Ring Protect subscription to access these clips. And while I wasn’t surprised to find the absence of a microSD card slot or USB data port, those looking for local storage capabilities may want to look elsewhere.

Should you buy it?

Pan-tilt-zoom cams are a dime a dozen

The Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam could be the smart cam you’ve been looking for to complete your DIY surveillance system, especially if you already own other Ring devices. Generally speaking, though, most folks would prefer the extra features and lower prices found on competitive products from other brands — myself included.