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Ring plans to release its indoor Drone Cam in the United States on Jan. 27, 2027, for $249.99. A hands-on demonstration showed the 165-gram camera taking off, hovering and following a simple preplanned route, but flight time is limited and obstacle handling, stair climbing and performance without Wi-Fi remain concerns.
Ring says its Drone Cam, an indoor flying security camera, will go on sale in the United States on Jan. 27, 2027, for $249.99. At a New York launch event, The Verge saw the 165-gram device take off from its dock, hover and follow a preplanned route, but several advertised capabilities were not demonstrated.
The Drone Cam is designed to respond to Ring sensor alerts, including motion, an opened door, a water leak or an alarm. When triggered, it is supposed to fly along a route set up in the Ring app to a selected location, where it can livestream and record video. Users can also schedule patrols or send the device out on demand. Ring lists 2K video resolution and a 148-degree field of view; the company says the drone’s movement lets it cover a full 360 degrees.
In the demonstration, the drone completed a roughly one-minute flight, taking off, hovering and following a route around a simple living-room layout. The Verge reporter also saw it take off and land several times, with smooth navigation and little visible wobble. The device is substantially smaller than the model shown at CES in 2023 and weighs 165 grams. Its camera is integrated into the body, and the camera is covered when the drone is docked.
Ring says a charge supports five to eight minutes of flight, followed by about eight minutes of charging for each minute flown. A five-minute flight would therefore require roughly 40 minutes of charging. The company says its AI Pilot system uses the camera, vision models, sensors and cloud processing to map the home and guide the drone around obstacles along programmed routes. That cloud reliance means the drone needs an internet connection to fly; without Wi-Fi, Ring says, it can only land.
A Roaming View With Limited Flight Time
Ring is pitching the Drone Cam as a way to check different parts of a home without installing a stationary camera in every room. A mobile camera could give users a view of a sensor-triggered event at a location they choose, while scheduled patrols and on-demand flights add options beyond fixed-camera coverage.
But the short stated flight window and long charging interval may constrain how often the device can respond or patrol. The demonstration established that it could manage a simple route, not that it can reliably replace several cameras across a complex home. Its dependence on cloud processing also creates a practical vulnerability: according to Ring, a lost internet connection prevents it from continuing its flight.
Privacy is another point readers will weigh. Ring says the camera records only while the drone is flying and is physically covered when docked. The Verge described the drone as noisy in flight. Those design details may make recording more apparent, but they do not by themselves establish how footage is handled across every use case or how the system performs in a lived-in home.
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From Always Home Cam to Drone Cam
The new device follows Ring’s 2020 announcement of the Always Home Cam, an earlier concept for a camera that could fly around a home. The current Drone Cam is a different, smaller design. Ring founder Jamie Siminoff said at the event that the company had been developing the product since 2016 and came close to shipping two earlier models before settling on this version.
Siminoff said the team restarted about a year before the announcement, aiming for a more basic drone under $250 and moving much of its processing into the cloud. Ring’s TAKE, or Throw Away the Key Encryption, is described by the company as rotating encryption keys every five minutes and deleting Ring’s copies after 24 hours. Ring says the system still permits cloud processing for smart alerts and AI video search. The Drone Cam is planned for U.S. sale as part of a new Ring Robotics line, alongside the business-focused Ring Rover Cam, listed at $999.99.
“Truly, it’s like an AI agent that’s controlling the robot.”
— Ring founder Jamie Siminoff
Capabilities Still Awaiting a Test
The launch demonstration did not show the drone navigating unexpected obstacles, flying up stairs or operating in darkness with its LED spotlights. Ring says it can do those things, but the hands-on report could not verify them. It is also unclear how the drone will behave around pets or people moving through a room, or how reliably its route planning will work in different home layouts.
The short demonstration does not establish whether scheduled patrols or sensor-triggered flights will work consistently over time. Ring’s claim that the device can reduce the need for multiple stationary cameras also remains untested. The product’s dependence on an internet connection, its stated battery and charging limits, and the details of cloud-processed footage are relevant to a security purchase. Ring has described its encryption approach, but broader operational performance and real-world privacy practices remain to be seen.
U.S. Launch Scheduled for January
Ring says the Drone Cam is scheduled to ship in the United States on Jan. 27, 2027, at a price of $249.99. Before then, further product information or demonstrations may clarify how obstacle avoidance, stair flight, low-light use, sensor-triggered dispatch and cloud processing work outside a controlled event setting. Buyers will also be able to judge the stated flight and charging limits against their own security needs once the product is available.
Key Questions
When will Ring’s Drone Cam be released, and how much will it cost?
Ring announced a planned U.S. release on Jan. 27, 2027, at a price of $249.99.
How does the Drone Cam respond to a home security alert?
Ring says it can respond to triggers from Ring sensors, including motion, a door opening, a water leak or an alarm. It is designed to fly a route set up in the Ring app and stream or record video at a selected location.
How long can the drone fly on one charge?
Ring claims a flight lasts five to eight minutes. The company says charging takes about eight minutes per minute of flight, so a five-minute flight would require around 40 minutes of charging.
Can the Drone Cam fly without an internet connection?
According to Ring, no. The device relies on cloud processing for AI Pilot, and without Wi-Fi it can only land.
Were obstacle avoidance and stair climbing confirmed in the hands-on demo?
No. Ring says the Drone Cam can avoid obstacles and fly up stairs, but the reported demonstration did not test those capabilities. Its performance around pets and unexpected activity also remains unclear.
Source: theverge.com
