Skip to main content

Ring Wall Light Solar review: Sunshine all around, whenever you need it

Ring Wall Light Solar mounted on wall
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Ring Wall Light Solar review: Sunshine all around, whenever you need it
MSRP $60.00
“Powered by sunlight, the Ring Wall Light Solar conveniently adds light anywhere around the home.”
Pros
  • Effortless installation
  • Bright light output
  • Extended battery life with solar charging
  • More functionality with linking
Cons
  • Solar charging is a bit slow

Ring’s lineup has been largely dominated by its various video doorbells and security cameras, but the home security company doesn’t neglect some of the other product categories it’s dabbled in. Smart lighting has been a critical component of Ring’s ecosystem, which consists of your standard LED light bulbs, path lights, floodlights, and much more. The latest member of the smart lighting family is the Ring Wall Light Solar.

I’m a big fan of almost anything solar powered. What makes this particular model unique is that the solar panel is integrated into the light itself, so there are no extra cables or attachments to worry about. All of this makes for a simple, straightforward solution for anyone looking to add a little bit of light outdoors. Are there any drawbacks? Well, let me break it all down.

Recommended Videos

Installation: Ring Bridge is required

Installing and setting up the Ring Wall Light Solar is fairly easy. In fact, I managed to get it up and running in about 10 minutes. Before anything else, you’ll want to determine where to place it. I ended up putting it in my garage since it’ll illuminate the area around the garage whenever it detects motion. You only need to install two screws to fasten the included mounting plate to a surface. That’s all. Once that’s done, you can go ahead and attach the Ring Wall Light Solar to it.

Ring Bridge on surface
John Velasco / Digital Trends

In order to complete the setup, you’ll need the Ring Bridge to connect the solar light to your home’s Wi-Fi network. There was an option to use my Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) as an alternative for a bridge, but that would incur having Amazon Sidewalk enabled in order for it to work. I decided to stick with the Ring Bridge, seeing as many of my existing Ring products communicate with it already.

Once I made the selection, the Ring Wall Light Solar showed up in the Ring app — where I then proceeded to include it in a group for quick access. Unlike some of Ring’s doorbells, the Ring Wall Light Solar is so simple to install that anyone could do it.

Performance: Bright 800 lumens of white light

What astounds me the most about the Wall Light Solar is its potent brightness. Before it even turned on for the first time, I was skeptical about how bright it could get — so you can imagine the amazement I felt seeing it on. While it could easily be used as an accent light for homes and apartments, like being placed above outdoor décor or the street numbers to your home, the 800 lumens of white light it emits was strong enough to cover a wide space around my garage.

Ring Wall Light Solar turned on
John Velasco / Digital Trends

I was honestly surprised by the light’s wide reach. In the Ring app, you can manually turn on the light at will — perfect for those occasions when you know you’ll be in that area for a while. The longest it’ll stay on is 15 minutes, with the shortest being one minute. As a deterrent, the motion sensor kicks on at night when the sun goes down to automatically turn on the light whenever it detects motion in the vicinity. Obviously, I appreciate how this works well as a deterrent for unwanted visitors, but I also like how it’s helpful whenever I enter and exit the garage.

Through the app, you can set the light’s intensity — lower to better conserve battery, higher for more illumination. Offering both potent lighting and wide coverage, the Ring Wall Light Solar is a great addition around the home, including those outlying gaps.

Battery: Integrated solar panel is helpful

Using solar panels in its product isn’t a novel idea for Ring. In fact, its portfolio has built up a pretty sizable selection of solar-powered smart home devices — such as security cams powered by a solar panel and even a solar-powered step light. The remarkable thing here with the Wall Light Solar is that it can lean on the power of the sun to help recharge its battery during the day when it’s not actively being used. Furthermore, there’s a setting to disable the motion detection sensor altogether during the daytime.

The Ring Wall Light Solar is so simple to install that anyone could do it

In testing out the battery, I’m happy to report that it managed to retain a level above 50% during a full day’s worth of usage set to its highest brightness level. Although, it’s worth pointing out that there were a handful of occasions during this time when it stayed on for 15 minutes at a time — while the rest were from the one-minute on cycles whenever it detected motion. But that’s where the integrated solar panel comes to the rescue. In my testing, it managed to charge the battery by 2% during a 30-minute interval of interrupted sunshine. Sure, that figure might be paltry, but it’s still helpful nonetheless. Plus, you can always easily remove it from the mount to recharge it manually.

Ring Wall Light Solar panel closeup
John Velasco / Digital Trends

The beauty of the solar panel is that it charges throughout the day, which is made better in the summertime when the sun’s out longer. Naturally, battery life will vary, but having a light source that requires minimal manual recharging is helpful.

Our take

If you already have a Ring Bridge, then you only need to shell out $60 for the Ring Wall Light Solar. If not, then it’s an $80 charge for the light and bridge combo. Either way, the Ring Wall Light Solar is a fantastic addition that works exquisitely with the Ring ecosystem. Not only do you gain a handy outdoor light that recharges during the day, but it can also act as a first line of defense protecting your home thanks to the option of linking it to other Ring devices.

Is there a better alternative?

Not really. There aren’t many smart solar lights on the market, especially one that can be attached to a robust ecosystem of smart devices. The only other alternatives are Ring’s very own Solar Steplight and Solar Floodlight.

How long will it last?

It’s solidly made and features an IP66 weather resistant rating that allows it to operate in temperatures between minus 4 F and 122 F. There’s a 1-year limited warranty that covers for defects.

Should you buy it?

You should absolutely buy it because it’s simple to install, offers potent lighting, and gets charged with the help of the sun.

John Velasco
John is the Smart Home editor at Digital Trends covering all of the latest tech in this emerging market. From uncovering some…
This portable power station is on sale for an affordable $130
The Qunler iFanze 300W Portable Power Station on a white background.

A portable power station has many uses, such as providing backup power during an outage and charging electronic devices when you're outdoors. If you don't own one yet, or you feel that you need more, here's an offer that you won't want to miss: the Qunler iFanze 300W Portable Power Station for only $130 from Walmart instead of its sticker price of $400. This clearance sale isn't going to last long though, so if you want to take advantage of the $270 in savings, you're going to have to proceed with your purchase immediately.

Why you should buy the Qunler iFanze 300W Portable Power Station
When it comes to portable power stations, the most important thing to consider is their capacity. The Qunler iFanze 300W Portable Power Station is equipped with a 296Wh lithium-ion battery pack that you can recharge with an AC adaptor while at home or the car outlet when you're on a road trip. You also have the option of using a solar panel to recharge the Qunler iFanze 300W Portable Power Station, but that will be a separate purchase.

Read more
Apple might be releasing a HomePod mini 2 in early 2025
homepod mini side top

The HomePod mini first launched in 2020 to mediocre praise. While Apple fans celebrated the bite-sized speaker, other critics pointed out that it lacked the intelligence of its competitors. The main selling point of the HomePod mini is its sound quality; now that so many other smart speakers have rid themselves of the tinny audio that first plagued their launch, Apple will need to step it up if it introduces the rumored HomePod mini 2 next year.

Unfortunately, it seems the planned upgrades aren't that noteworthy, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The new smart home speaker is said to come equipped with Apple's in-house Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip. This would allow the HomePod mini 2 to connect more easily and with greater bandwidth than the current model of HomePod.

Read more
This solar-powered security camera is $90 off at Walmart today
The Anran 2K Security Camera.

You can’t put a premium on peace of mind, and fortunately, most home security devices are cheaper and easier to install than ever before. This is also a part of the consumer tech marketplace that sees constant ingenuity, resulting in products like the one we’re about to throw the spotlight on:

Right now, when you purchase the Anran 2K Security Camera at Walmart, you’ll only pay $80. At full price, this model sells for $170.

Read more