Ring unveils $249.99 indoor camera drone and $999.99 patrol robot

Amazon's Ring unveiled a $249.99 indoor camera drone and a $999.99 business patrol robot Tuesday, the first products from its new autonomous security division, Ring Robotics.

Amazon has opened preorders for the Ring Rover Cam, with U.S. shipments scheduled to start Dec. 16. The Ring Drone Cam is due to ship Jan. 27, 2027, if the Federal Communications Commission approves it.

"For years, customers told us they wanted eyes in the places a fixed camera couldn’t reach, and peace of mind in the spots they’d never want one," Jamie Siminoff, Ring's founder and chief inventor, said in the company's announcement.

Siminoff said Ring has worked on the drone since 2016 and nearly shipped two previous models. The company previewed an earlier flying device called the Always Home Cam in 2020, but it never shipped.

After struggling to put the technology into a practical design for less than $250, Ring began again about a year ago with a simpler, cloud-dependent drone, Siminoff said.

Drone responds to alarms

The Drone Cam can travel between rooms and upstairs while filming during the day or at night. A triggered Ring camera, sensor or alarm sends it automatically to predetermined patrol points to investigate.

At a New York demonstration Monday, Siminoff said the drone's built-in LED lights could help deter crime. "If someone is going around your house at night, and your motion detector goes off on your Ring doorbell, imagine if you see spotlights and something flying across the window," he said.

The textbook-sized device has two propellers enclosed in plastic that buzz loudly during flight. It can stay airborne for up to eight minutes before returning independently to its charging dock.

The drone relies entirely on an internet connection and can do nothing but land if Wi-Fi is unavailable, The Verge reported.

Siminoff said it cannot fly outdoors because Federal Aviation Administration rules restrict drone flights beyond a pilot's sight, and Ring built safeguards against outdoor use. "We have told our customers not to do that because it's illegal," he said.

One drone or robot can cover multiple parts of a home or business, Siminoff told CNBC. "People like indoor cameras, but they don't necessarily want them everywhere around their home," he said.

Rover builds on Astro

The devices use AI Pilot, a custom system combining cameras and vision models with onboard sensors and cloud processing, to move autonomously. Ring designed the Rover Cam, based on Amazon's Astro home robot, to patrol workplaces including offices and warehouses.

Amazon introduced Astro in 2021, but it never took off, TechCrunch reported. Amazon discontinued it seven months after adapting it into a security product for small businesses.

The Rover has an adjustable periscope camera and a siren, plus two-way audio and a tower that casts light onto the ceiling. "Together, it’s like having a guard on patrol who never clocks out," Ring said.

Privacy and subscriptions

Amazon acquired Ring in 2018, and the company has faced privacy concerns, principally over its police partnerships, CNBC reported. Critics have long said Ring's existing cameras created surveillance networks accessible to police.

Ring said the drone shuts down with its camera off while docked and begins recording only when a flight is triggered. Both devices' videos are protected by Throw Away the Key Encryption, which Ring calls its strongest default encryption yet.

Both devices need a compatible Ring Protect plan for video storage and advanced features. A Ring customer service representative told NBC News that a subscription costs $5 per month or $60 per year.

Ring said the Drone Cam has yet to receive authorization under FCC rules and that certification is in progress. Asked about the FCC's ban on foreign-made drones, Siminoff said the device meets FCC regulations and is assembled in the U.S.