Amazon's Ring on Tuesday, Nov. 10, announced Ring Robotics, starting with a flying indoor camera for homes and a roving security robot for businesses.
The Ring Drone Cam costs $249.99 and is set to ship in the U.S. on Jan. 27, 2027. The Ring Rover Cam, built for stores and offices, costs $999.99 and ships Dec. 16. Preorders are open only for the Rover.
What the drone does
The drone waits in its dock with the camera off. Owners map their home by carrying the drone from room to room, then pick spots for it to check, such as a side door or a window. It can fly those routes on demand or on a schedule, and when another Ring camera, sensor or alarm in the house goes off, it takes off by itself and flies to the saved spots to show the owner what set it off. It records 2K video with a 148-degree field of view and has lights for dark rooms.
Scheduled flights need a compatible Ring Protect subscription, a footnote on the announcement says. So does scheduling patrols for the Rover and reviewing its recordings later.
The drone also is not cleared for sale yet. Amazon's announcement says it "has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission" and cannot be sold or leased until it is. Under the FCC's marketing rule, a radio device generally cannot be sold, leased or shipped for sale before it has that authorization. For now, Ring is taking email sign-ups for the drone rather than orders.
The business robot
The Rover patrols on its own and has a periscope camera on an adjustable mast that can see over counters and shelves. It records up to 4K video the whole time it is moving, has a siren, a light tower and two-way audio, and keeps watching for people even while docked. Amazon says the idea came from owners of its Astro home robot, who liked its roving security feature most.
Ring says privacy is the default. The drone's camera is off while docked, the Rover has a sleep mode that lowers its mast and turns off the microphone, and both show a light when recording. Video from both is protected by what Ring calls Throw Away the Key encryption, its strongest default encryption. Neither is built to be discreet. The drone's propellers are not quiet, Ring says, and the Rover's light tower is meant to be seen.
