Amazon-owned Ring has a new and improved Spotlight Cam in the works bearing the model designation C30 and it may arrive soon, based on a recent filing with the FCC. While the documents don’t provide too much information about the product, several external and internal photographs were included in the newly emerged filing, including the installation process in the form of a user manual. The base of the floodlight-enabled security device, from front to back, appears to measure at around 4.5 inches, while its height looks to be around 7.25-inches with the base installed. Additionally, the design is entirely wireless with the user manual referencing the use of a Ring Beams Bridge and a smartphone for setup. Now external wires are shown in any of the images either. The biggest improvement in the photos is the use of a much brighter light with reflectors in place to amplify the lighting. That’s set in a semi-circular recess just above the camera lens itself.
Much more efficient use of space
Compared to the original Ring Spotlight Cam, launched in late 2017, the design seems as though it makes far better use of the small space occupied by the security device. Previously, Ring Spotlight Cam devices centered the main camera in a square-shaped housing bordered by light bars. The design that’s shown in the more recent FCC documents centers around the light itself rather than the camera, with almost the entire front of the gadget being comprised of a bulb surrounded by reflectors, not dissimilar to a car headlight or traditional security floodlight. That change also seems to be the primary focus of the latest version of the Ring Spotlight Cam since most other functionality has remained the same. Four D cell batteries provide power to the unit and Bluetooth 4.2 is built-in but there’s no indication of traditional Wi-Fi connectivity to the camera itself. Instead, it utilizes a more direct and dedicated IoT-specific ‘Lora’ antenna to sync with the above-mentioned Ring Beams Bridge and users interact, in turn, with the device through the bridge.
It isn’t immediately clear whether those are the only changes being made here or if the Amazon subsidiary also plans to drop the other two power configurations that were available with the original Spotlight Cam. The security accessory initially shipped in a Wired, Battery, or Solar-powered package with the primary difference between those being how they were powered. As those names suggest, the first was meant to be wired directly into a home or building’s power source while the latter two were powered via battery packs and one of those was rechargeable via solar energy. The presently available Ring Spotlight Cam Battery also didn’t allow customizations with regard to creating and scaling motion zones, relying instead on adjustable motion sensors. The user manual for the new camera doesn’t mention custom zones at all, so that dependence may still be in place with the gadget.
The timing that interlaCES with something significant
There’s presently been no announcement of a new entry to the company’s Spotlight range of security devices but its arrival at the FCC should mean the product is nearly ready to hit the market. The listing also appears just ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2019 event scheduled to kick off on January 8 and run through January 11. So it won’t be too shocking if more information on the newly spotted gadget does become available in just a few days time.
