It was a while ago when Amazon first teased an indoor drone that serves as a home security camera. We just assumed it was too weird of a proposition to actually see the light of day. Apparently, that’s not the case as the Ring Drone Cam is here now.
That’s right, they actually built a quadcopter that’s meant to serve as a security camera, allowing you to commission a literal flying robot to handle your home security. No need to put separate surveillance cameras to keep an eye at various parts of the house, since this thing can fly around on its own, training its lenses at any space that requires keeping an eye on.
The Ring Drone Cam is a flying indoor security camera that delivers what the outfit calls “proactive whole-home visibility.” That means, if there’s a loud noise in the house, it can immediately fly there to give you a visual of what’s going on – something your standard security camera just won’t be able to do. It can also fly into bedrooms, bathrooms, and other areas of the house where people don’t normally want to install cameras, letting you check in on spaces you wouldn’t be able to remotely check otherwise.
The drone is equipped with a camera that shoots in 2K at a 148-degree field of view, so it can capture what’s going on in your home in clear, sharp images. It’s equipped with two powerful LED spotlights, too, which it uses to shine a light at the camera’s field of view when exploring dark, poorly-lit areas. You can control it from the app, by the way, telling it to fly closer to areas of interest and even zoom in for added details. According to the outfit, it uses an AI that maps interior spaces and steers around obstacles, with users able to configure patrol schedules and custom routes.
The Ring Drone Cam uses caged propellers like a lot of other indoor drones, keeping it from causing damage around the house or injuring any of your home’s occupants. It’s very compact, too, coming in a very slim profile while weighing just 0.36 pounds, allowing it to glide through even smaller openings. The drone can only fly for up to eight minutes at a time, by the way, after which it will return to its dock for recharging, only flying off again to do its schedule patrol routes or when it detects something that needs investigation (like a loud noise). You can also launch it manually from the Ring app any time you want.
To ensure privacy, the drone automatically powers down and turns off its camera any time it’s on the dock, only triggering a recording when it’s actually in flight. Aside from the drone, the outfit also introduced the Ring Rover Cam, which does similar things to the security drone, albeit on wheels. It has a higher-resolution 4K camera, a built-in siren, and a built-in mic and speaker combo that lets you talk to the people at home when you’re away.
The Ring Drone Cam comes out January 27th, priced at $249.99.
