The Ring Spotlight Cam records high-definition footage and stores it in the cloud. This gives you access to your camera’s footage from anywhere, making it easier than ever to monitor your home or business. But how much data does this camera use? And do you need an internet connection to use it? Let’s take a look at the data usage of the Ring Spotlight Cam and whether it is the right camera for you.

The Ring Spotlight Cam needs an internet connection speed of 1 to 2 Mbps, and the monthly data usage of the Ring Spotlight Cam can reach up to around 40 GB per month.  

Knowing how the Ring Spotlight Cam works can help you determine how to optimize how your data is used. Let’s take a look at some information for people looking to purchase a Ring Spotlight Cam.

How Much Data Does the Ring Spotlight Cam Use?

The Ring Spotlight Camera can use up to 40 GB of data each month, depending on your device’s settings and sensitivity to motion and sound.

As you may have guessed, how much data your device uses is dependent on how you use your device.

What Kind of Data Does the Ring Spotlight Cam Use?

First things first: how does the data get put to use? When a Ring Spotlight Cam user downloads the Ring mobile app, Ring creates a connection between the user’s phone and Ring’s cloud servers so that whenever there’s activity—whether it be motion or sound that is detected by your device—data is transmitted to Ring. They do three things with that data:

(Source: Ring)

All of this goes towards the Ring Protect plan that you can purchase with your Ring Spotlight Cam. The free level will likely not use as much data as the Basic and Plus plans on account of the video storage and video sharing capabilities. With the Protect Plus plan, there will also be 24/7 professional monitoring, which will likely require users to use more data as the video stream goes to both the professional monitoring team as well as the user’s own Ring app.

Given how the data is being used by the Ring Spotlight Cam, it should come as no surprise that the monthly data usage of the device can reach up to 40 GB (or more) if the camera detects motion more than ten times a day.

However, for the user who wants to reduce the data usage as much as possible, there are some things that can be done to minimize how much bandwidth is consumed.

How to Reduce Data Usage on Ring Spotlight Cam

Here are a few ways to reduce data usage, allowing you to get the most out of your device without consuming too much data:

  • For starters, you can take advantage of smart modes and notifications. The device is designed to only take pictures or record video when it senses motion in front of it. If you know that you’re going to be home on a given day (or during a certain time of day), you can disable notifications so that the camera doesn’t record.Smart modes like the pre-programmed “People Only” mode (for those with the Ring Protect Basic or Plus plan) allow the camera to only record if it detects that a person is on your premises. This, along with other smart modes and zones that you can customize in the Ring app, can reduce how often the motion detection is triggered, which means that the amount of data consumed will be reduced as well.

All things considered, 40 GB per month of data usage may seem like a lot if you’re on mobile data, but it will likely go unnoticed for the average smart home user. Using these tips to reduce usage will also reduce the strain on the bandwidth usage at home.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to the Ring Spotlight Cam, users will need to have a decent wireless internet connection of at least 1 Mbps. Since there are so many smart devices that need to be connected in smart homes, users with multiple smart devices will want to consider some of the options we covered to reduce the data usage of the camera.

Nevertheless, if data isn’t an issue, the Ring Spotlight Cam is a valuable addition to keeping any smart home secure.