Prior to joining Ziff Davis, John spent six years in retail operations for Federated Stores, Inc. before accepting a purchasing position with Morris Decision Systems, one of New York's first value-added resellers of the original IBM PC. We steer you to products you'll love and show you how to get the most out of them. The $19.99 per month Absolute plan covers eight devices and gives you everything from the first two plans, 30 days of video history, and 15 percent off on future purchases. But the Ring can stream live video to a display-equipped Echo (the Echo Show or Echo Spot); the Maximus can’t. ALL DLC’s), About EFI and SMC firmware updates for Intel-based Mac computers. Both companies offer discounts if you pay for a subscription in one-year increments. Turning the phone sideways lets you view live and recorded video in full-screen mode. No new software required. I occasionally got phantom alerts telling me …

It also has a 10-second pre-record function, so you can be pretty sure of capturing decent footage of anything going on. On the other hand, the Maximus’ light is a cool 5,000 Kelvin, where the Ring’s light is a slightly warmer 3,000 Kelvin. Here’s what that difference looks like: A nighttime image from the Ring Floodlight Cam. When you tap a thumbnail in the Events screen it will play the clip and give you options to delete it, download it, and view a still image of a person or vehicle. The images are a little different at night. They’re both great choices, but there are differences you should know about before making your choice.

The Maximus Camera Floodlight ($249) is the latest hybrid home security device that pairs a high-definition camera with an outdoor floodlight. Ring charges $3 per camera per month to store up to 60 days of video, or $10 per month for an unlimited number of cameras. The Maximus camera is compatible with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, where the Ring camera works just with Alexa. This usually prompts people to look at the camera, so you get a good view of their face. They’re both great choices, but there are differences you should know about before making your choice. You might want to take those facts into account if you want a unit that’s also useful as an outdoor light in an entertaining area. A nighttime image from the Maximus Camera Floodlight. The Smart Alerts also worked well, correctly identifying events triggered by people and vehicles.

Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. The hard plastic housing comes in white or black and measures 10.7 by 8.0 inches (WH) and weighs 6.0 pounds. Both companies offer discounts if you pay for a subscription in one-year increments. Here’s what that difference looks like: The Maximus can tell the difference between a person and random movement.