Hello, I'm Tristan from Smart Home Point.
Ahhh, it's a lovely day.
The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I feel happy and content.
Nothing could harm my mood.
So today I'm going to be talking... let me check...
Ring.
RING.
RING: WHAT THE [beep].
Before I carry on, I should point out that I do like Ring - I have three of their devices
and I will no doubt buy more in the future.
BUT I was on YouTube last week and I came across a video from Ring, announcing the Ring
Floodlight Cam Wired Plus.
I remember thinking this was odd, because they had already 'announced' the new Floodlight
Cam model.
I remember watching the release video a month ago.
As it turns out, that other video was about the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired PRO - released
in April 2021.
This new Wired PLUS was released in May 2021 and it's clearly a MASSIVE upgrade over the
Pro.
Right?
I mean, the video clearly explained the difference between the original Ring Floodlight Cam,
the Wired Pro and this new Wired Plus... right?
And no-one in the comments was as confused as me, right?
Certainly, Ring's staff weren't confused about the differences too, right?
Oh, Ring.
What are you doing?
Now, there's nothing wrong with a company announcing new products, especially in quick
succession.
BUT there IS something wrong when everyone seems confused as to the differences between
each product, and when the names are very similar but SLIGHTLY different.
Before I rant some more, I should actually cover the differences between the actual Ring
Floodlight Cam models.
It must be here somewhere....
I know I've seen it previously....
Ah here it is, Ring's explanation for how the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro differs
from the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Plus.
Wait, it's just a picture of a Doorbell?
I'm just kidding.
Firstly, the original Ring Floodlight Cam has been scrapped and it has basically been
replaced by the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Plus.
The "Plus" is very similar to the original floodlight - it's still "full HD", but the
floodlight is slightly brighter at 2000 lumens and you can now dim the light.
It's also cheaper at $180, which is good.
The Floodlight Cam Wired Pro is then a similar price to the original (around $250) but it
has radar-based motion detection and bird's eye view, enhanced speakers and audio and
dual band WiFi.
So Ring has actually done something good here: they have taken a product (the original floodlight),
tweaked it and dropped the price.
They have then released a clearly improved version, and released it at a similar price
to the original floodlight.
That's good.
It's annoying that they haven't improved the resolution to 2k or 4k, but it's good overall
- many companies would have taken the opportunity to hike up the price of both new versions.
"Corporate greed" and all that.
But Ring have actually been good here.
My annoyance is that Ring's marketing team seem unwilling - or unable - to clearly explain
the benefits of their new products, compared to the old line-up.
I mean, the Wired Plus video was just 37 seconds long - surely they could have taken an extra
10 seconds and explained why it's better than the old version?
Heck, saying that it COSTS LESS MONEY and has MORE FEATURES should be a simple, key
selling point.
Instead they don't cover this, and they are left with inevitable confusion in the comments
- plus people joking around in the comments about Ring's confusing product names.
This effect is seen over on the Ring Doorbell line-up too, where Ring released the Ring
Video Doorbell Wired for $70 but didn't really explain how it's different to the Ring Video
Doorbell Pro 1 for $170.
Thankfully I see that some awesome YouTuber has done a really detailed video on this exact
topic, but surely Ring should also explain this - beyond having a scrollable comparison
table on their website?
They don't even put similar products (like the Pro 1 and 2) next to each other, making
it quite hard to cognitively compare similar models.
One final point and then I'll get back in my box.
Ring are still selling the Ring Doorbell 3 Plus for $199, even though it's a worse product
than the Ring Doorbell 4 - which is also $199.
The Doorbell 4 has better, color pre-roll, improved battery life and also improved performance.
So why are Ring still selling both, and at the same price?
The reason I'm ranting about all this is because decision fatigue is a real thing.
Ring offer 10 smart doorbells and over 10 smart cameras, and it's often confusing to
know which one you should buy - especially when they name things stupidly.
It'd be nice if Ring can compact their lineup and stop selling some of the less competitive
offerings.
Who knows - maybe Ring will do this and they are just getting rid of some old stock, but
right now it's all fairly confusing.
Well, it is to me.
What do you think?
Let me knockdown in the comments if you agree with me, or if you think that my ranting is
completely unjustified.
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Thank you!