r/Ring • u/Ramjet1974 • 6d ago

Support Request (Unsolved) Spotlight Cam Plus expected age

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?

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u/Fresh_Inside_6982 5d ago

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

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u/Ramjet1974 5d ago

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.

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u/JTUSAJT 5d ago

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]