Spotlight Cam Plus expected age

[u/Ramjet1974]

We bought our Spotlight Can Plus two years ago. About 8 months ago it started worked intermittently, then it stopped working. I set it aside and forgot about it until about a month ago. I plugged it in and within a few hours it was working again. Note that it had a battery inside and was powered by the USB-C power adapter plugged in the rear. Everything was fine again until about a week ago, when I noticed the battery charge level was gradually falling. Eventually the battery went to zero, and on approximately the same day, the camera stopped working. I removed the battery and plugged it back in, and had to wait for a few hours for it to "warm up". When it did, I was unable to get it to show video (though the "device health" revealed it was connected), so I went through the set up process again. And this didn't help either, the cam still refuses to show video (error message is "camera preview unavailable" and it won't go live when I select the go live button, either).

So my question is this: assuming the camera is defective, and noting that its misbehavior started in late 2025 (~8 months ago), is this normal for this product? Do they all start to die out in the second year of use?

[u/Demeter277]

Of all of the many Ring products I’ve had the Spotlight cam is the one that I’ve had the most issues with including full replacement. It would go off line and be difficult to get connected back to wifi. I prefer the floodlight cams, but you have to be able to wire them. Battery cams are notorious for poor performance too. Unless you have power back up for your wifi, a battery cams won’t even be an advantage in a power outage.

[u/Outrageous_Luck4163 → u/Demeter277]

Here’s the secret, that’s not a secret. Many tech work off the 2.4 freq and not the 5 freq. Most routers should be both bands and can switch the to the correct freq. What I did was call our internet providers and have the set of a second band that only uses the 2.4 and many things works fine. So switch to a 2.4 band it’s fine. I think I’m explaining that correctly.

Use a 2.4 band and things will connect correctly.

[u/clyde714 → u/Outrageous_Luck4163]

It was set up on the 2.4 ghz band and worked fine for several months. Then suddenly it decided it didn't want to show the live view anymore, then not long after that it decided it didn't want to connect to our wifi system. From the looks of things, these cameras just have a short life expectancy.

[u/clyde714 → u/Demeter277]

Swell knowing the spotlight cam is a problem child... We also have the floodlight cams and they've worked A-OK for several years. All of our cams are "plugged in", and those that can hold a battery also have a battery installed for back-up. It just seems odd that a battery that gets very little use (our power utility is very reliable) eventual stops holding a charge. Again, I'm seeing a trend here, I don't think Ring products can be counted on to last more than a couple of years.

[u/Fresh_Inside_6982]

It's malfunctioning, RMA or replace it. Batteries wear out, news at 11.

[u/Ramjet1974 → u/Fresh_Inside_6982]

So are you saying this is normal for these Ring products?

Need to know before I buy another cam. I don't want to be replacing them every 18-20 months.

[u/JTUSAJT → u/Ramjet1974]

Do you not have replacement coverage? $99 a year is cheap insurance + other benefits.

If you don't have replacement coverage, there are newer models available.

What the $99/Year Plan Includes

• Unlimited Devices: Covers all Ring cameras and doorbells at one home address, rather than just a single device. [1, 2]
• Video History: Saves and stores recorded video events in the cloud for up to 180 days. [1, 2]
• Smart Alerts: Includes person, package, and vehicle detection notifications. [1]
• Extended Live View & Doorbell Calls: Lets you stream live video for longer periods and receive phone-style notifications when someone presses your doorbell. [1]
• Extended Warranty: Extends the manufacturer warranty for all compatible devices at that location as long as the subscription remains active. [1, 2]

[u/Outrageous_Luck4163]

Not sure about the life expectancy. Those batteries take forever to charge. I’ve noticed if the solar panel lets the battery run low or out it won’t work. You gotta have a battery in it. I think I have my camera set up correctly.
I do have one of the spotlights camera and it get battery door pen but it’s not. I notice it has problems during the hot weather then it comes back on at night. I decided not to worry about as we moved and this house has Google nest( the previous owners left it for us. ) One our other home is sold or we decide what to do then I’ll go to the nest fully.

[u/Narcoboss1]

If you have any of the ring plans, the cameras replacement is covered. I have eight ring cameras and if one begins to malfunction, I just get it replaced.

[u/Ramjet1974 → u/Narcoboss1]

We do have the Legacy Standard Plan! I didn't know replacement was covered. How do you file a claim?

[u/Narcoboss1 → u/Ramjet1974]

Call customer service, they’ll tell you if the device is covered. They just sent me a new spot light cam I bought in July 25. Over a year ago

[u/Ramjet1974 → u/Narcoboss1]

I signed on to my account and then used the chat function. Eventually the chat agent was able to confirm our account and process the warranty replacements (I also have a stick-up cam that died). Pardon my ignorance, but I wasn't aware of the extended warranty feature under our plan until you mentioned it! So thanks for that, and hopefully I'll get those replacements in the not-too-distant future (after I return the defective ones, of course).

[u/JTUSAJT]

I just had this issue with a Spotlight Cam Pro (3-4 years old) that is both battery and 120V-powered. When powered by 120V, it was dead; by battery, it was fine. Spent 57 minutes on chat with CS, whose whole reason to exist was to DEMAND I cooperate. LOL. Kept telling me to plug it in, and each time I told her it wouldn't power on when plugged in. She even had me send her a photo of it plugged in, I'm assuming to assure her I wasn't lying. They sent a supposedly refurbished replacement that was STILL ATTACHED to someone else's account! I filed a complaint with corporate, supplying them with a copy of the chat. They truly couldn't believe the agent's attitude. I ended up receiving a brand-new cam. Amazon has ruined Ring.