Ring Car Camera Review: Not for car owners.

I absolutely refuse. A product reviewed with the assumption that I can’t use it. Although we have our doubts about Ring and its partnership with law enforcement, overall I find the products to be easy to use and serve their intended purpose, which is to keep you and your family safe.

With that in mind, let me say that the Ring car camera does not fulfill the intended purpose of a dash cam. Cars are valuable possessions sitting around, unattended, outside. I’d love to have stored video footage of my car running for a month last year when it was out of commission, or to have an alert when someone broke into my car at night while it was parked in my driveway.

Alas, the car’s camera doesn’t work either. The first day I installed it, the ring app told me that the camera had drained my car battery. I flew downstairs in my pajamas and got out at once. A camera that does not help to protect your car and as well It makes it unusable.

Easy rider

But first, the installation. The car’s camera itself feels relatively solid – it has two cameras, one front and one rear, mounted on a curved wedge that attaches to the gap between the dashboard and the windshield. One of the main reasons ring cameras are so ubiquitous is that they can be incredibly easy to install. The first hint that all was not well here was when the company asked me for my car’s make, model and year.

A dash cam plugs into the OBD-II port on the left side of your vehicle, so you may not be able to use it if your car doesn’t have a port there. You can see the list of incompatible cars here. The inconsistency may not always be obvious. For example, I have a 2018 Kia Sorento, but they are incompatible with the same date range Kia Niro and Cadenza because the security light causes false activity events.

Second, and sorry, Coopers—it’s illegal for me to ever use the dash cam. In Oregon, where I live, and indeed in several states, you are not allowed to put anything on the windshield or other windows that obstructs your view or prevents other people from seeing. I installed it anyway, but if I had pulled it, I would have sent WIRED for my ticket’s expense report.

So let’s say you still decide to use it. Inside the box, the Ring includes a tool that pushes into the barely noticeable crack between your windshield and dashboard. I checked online reviews before doing this – some people cracked their windshields in the process.

The process was confusing. The USB port is on the right side of the camera, but Ring specifically states that the camera is used in cars with an OBD-II port on the left side. Why is the USB port on the wrong side? When checking the cable, you have no choice but to tap the cable. can you look out A small kink under your windshield, and it makes it easy for the wire to pop out and loosen.