Videos Too Dark

Question

I purchased a Ring Spotlight Cam Pro on May 2, 2023.  The picture during the day in bright sun was so dark you couldn't tell the color of a passing car.  The Contrast setting in the camera was not correct. I called customer service and was on the phone for almost an hour trying to troubleshoot the problem.  I had a similar problem years ago with the original Spotlight Cam and customer service was able to adjust the camera contrast for me to correct the problem. Customer Service said it was impossible for them to make any adjustments to my camera and that I should return it for a new one, which I did.  I installed the new camera, a Spotlight Cam Pro wired, 2 days ago and it has the same problem...daylight videos are way too dark.  Why isn't there a way for the customer to adjust the contrast on the camera?  What should I do now?  The camera is almost unusable in bright sun.

EyeSpy · Answer

Ring Customer Service walked me through this process...it doesn't make any difference HDR on or off.  During the mornings and late afternoons the picture is acceptable, during mid-day in bright sun the picture gets so dark people and cars are hard to distinguish any features or colors. Prior to buying the Pro model I bought a new Plus Battery model. It had a great picture all day long. I returned it because the motion range was limited to about 10-15 feet, no matter what settings I selected. I returned it and bought the Pro plug in to replace it. I exchanged that for my present Pro plugin, which has the same issue as the first one. I am in the process of exchanging it for another Plus Plug in...hopefully the plugin model will have better motion detector range!  About 6-7 years ago I bought my first Spotlight Cam.  It also had a dark picture and I called Ring Customer Service.  I was connected to a very knowledgeable tech that connected to my camera and perfectly adjusted the camera's contrast. Problem solved. Calling Customer Service today is a challenge going from one person to the next trying to get them to understand my problem.  One problem is the language barrier and a lack of technical  knowledge.  Their  final answer was that it must be defective and return it for a new one.  The new one is as bad as the first one.  If there was a way for the customer to change the camera settings the problem would be easily solved. I have discovered that buying the most expensive Ring Camera doesn't mean it will have a better picture than the least expensive one.  I just hope the new Spotlight Plus cam coming on Friday will finally work like it's supposed to. It's been a frustrating experience that I didn't expect from Ring.

EyeSpy · Answer

I received my new Ring Spotlight Cam Plus (wired) yesterday.  The picture is such a huge improvement over the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro.  The contrast is as it should be and I am very satisfied with this camera. I can actually see the colors of the cars passing by in the bright sun. Why the big improvement, I have no idea.  It's in the same location, using the same power cord, and connected to the same WiFi.  I'm just relieved this issue is finally solved.

Ring Security Cameras

Videos Too Dark

Didn't find an answer ?