Ring's $249.99 security drone keeps its brain in the cloud. Without Wi-Fi, it lands.
SummaryAmazon's Ring launched Ring Robotics: an indoor Drone Cam for homes and a Rover Cam for businesses. Both run on a cloud-backed AI Pilot.
· MODEL Editors · 1 min read
Some links may be affiliate links. Disclosure
The launch. On Nov. 10, Amazon's Ring announced Ring Robotics (opens in a new tab), with two devices. Ring Drone Cam is a flying indoor security camera for homes: $249.99, shipping Jan. 27, 2027, no preorders yet. Ring Rover Cam is a wheeled security robot for businesses: $999.99, preorders open, shipping Dec. 16, 2026.
What the drone does. When a Ring camera, sensor or alarm is triggered, the drone flies to patrol points you set and streams 2K video to the Ring app, Amazon says. You can also schedule patrols or send it out on demand. It weighs 165 grams, flies five to eight minutes per charge, and you can't steer it manually, WIRED reported (opens in a new tab).
The punchline. Both devices run on AI Pilot, which Amazon describes as cameras, vision models, on-device sensors and cloud processing. Ring moved most of the drone's intelligence off the device to make it lighter, per WIRED: video goes to Ring's servers, where an AI agent tells it where to go. The drone "has enough smarts to land if it loses internet connectivity." The Verge (opens in a new tab) put it more bluntly: without Wi-Fi, all it can do is land. That's a known failure point for a security product.
Worth knowing. Video is encrypted in transit, but Ring briefly holds the key to run cloud AI features, so it isn't true end-to-end encryption, WIRED noted. The drone is loud on purpose, so nobody can snoop with it quietly. The Rover Cam reuses hardware from Amazon's discontinued Astro robot.
Disclosure: Not tested by MODEL. Not sponsored. No affiliate links.
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Sources
- Ring announces Ring Robotics, ushering in a new era of security
Amazon
- Ring's Indoor Drone Camera Is Back—and Now Powered by AI
WIRED
- Ring Drone Cam hands-on: the flying home security camera is almost here
The Verge
- Ring, known for its doorbell cameras, launches a home security drone and an enterprise security robot
TechCrunch
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