Ring’s indoor Drone Cam costs $249.99 and ships in the U.S. on Jan. 27, 2027, while the $999.99 Rover Cam for businesses ships Dec. 16. Here’s how the flying security camera works, how long it flies, what needs a Ring Protect plan and the privacy questions to weigh.
Kara
Ring’s long-promised flying security camera is finally real. The Ring Drone Cam costs $249.99 and starts shipping in the U.S. on January 27, 2027, Amazon announced on November 10, 2026. A second robot, the Ring Rover Cam for businesses, costs $999.99 and ships first, on December 16, 2026. Both belong to a new product line called Ring Robotics. Below we cover what the drone does, what it costs to run, how long it flies, and the privacy questions to think about before you sign up.
The drone sits in a charging dock with its camera off. When something sets it off, it lifts off, flies to a spot you chose ahead of time, streams what it sees to the Ring app, and then goes back to the dock to recharge.
Setup is meant to be simple. You carry the drone around your home, and Ring’s “AI Pilot” software builds a floor plan, names the rooms, and suggests patrol points such as a side door or a row of windows. You can’t steer it like a hobby drone, though. It plans its own route and moves around furniture and people. It also works with the new Alexa Home Map, so you can tap a spot on a 3D map of your home to send it there. If you already use Amazon’s assistant to shop, our guide on how to text Alexa for shopping covers another new Alexa feature.
Ring first showed an indoor drone, the Always Home Cam, back in 2020, and then delayed it. Ring founder Jamie Siminoff told reporters that earlier versions needed more sensors and computing power, which made the drone heavier and harder to fly. Engadget reports that building all that into the drone could have pushed the price past $5,000. The fix was to move the “brain” to the cloud. The drone sends video to Ring’s servers, and the AI there tells it where to go. That’s how Ring got the weight and price down, but it also means the drone depends on a working internet connection. If it loses Wi-Fi, it lands or goes back to its dock.
The Rover Cam is a wheeled security robot for shops, offices and warehouses, not homes. It costs $999.99, ships December 16, 2026, and can be preordered now. According to Ring, it covers up to 5,000 square feet. It streams and records in up to 4K the whole time it’s moving, and it has a periscope camera that rises over shelves and counters. It also has a built-in siren, a light tower and two-way audio. WIRED and Engadget both point out that it uses much of the hardware from Amazon’s Astro robot. Amazon dropped the business version of Astro, which cost $2,350, after a short run.
A camera that flies around your house will make some people uneasy, and Ring knows it. Here is what the company says it built in:
Critics aren’t convinced yet. TechCrunch pointed to Ring’s long history of criticism over police access to video. TechCrunch also said it isn’t clear whether there will be a local storage option, since Ring cameras usually save video to the cloud. In WIRED, an Electronic Frontier Foundation privacy advocate suggested buyers think about how a drone camera would make family members and guests feel. These are reasonable questions for any connected camera, and they matter more for one that can go into every room. For simpler ways to keep your place safe, see our guide to common home threats and how to prevent them.
It could be worth a look if you already use Ring Alarm or Ring cameras, want to check on rooms where you’d never put a fixed camera, and don’t mind paying for a Ring Protect plan. It’s a harder sell if you want local video storage, if you have pets that might swat at it (WIRED says a damaged drone shouldn’t be flown), or if your Wi-Fi drops out in parts of your home.
There’s also a regulatory note in Amazon’s fine print. As of the announcement, the Ring Drone Cam had not yet been authorized by the Federal Communications Commission and can’t be sold until it is. That’s normal for a product announced this early, but it’s one reason you can only sign up for updates for now. Because it won’t ship until late January, it won’t be part of this year’s holiday sales. If you’re planning gadget purchases, our Black Friday 2026 sale dates guide shows when Amazon and other retailers start their deals. For another new tracking gadget, read our look at the Google Pixel Tag and how it compares to AirTag.
$249.99, according to Amazon. Some features, including scheduled flights, need a compatible Ring Protect subscription, which costs extra.
It ships in the U.S. starting January 27, 2027. For now, Ring only offers email sign-ups for updates.
No. It’s an indoor-only camera that needs your home Wi-Fi to work. WIRED reports that it weighs less than 250 grams, so it doesn’t need to be registered with the FAA.
Not like a regular drone. You pick a destination or a route, and Ring’s AI Pilot plans the flight and steers around obstacles.
No. Ring sells the $999.99 Rover Cam as a security robot for businesses. It ships December 16, 2026.
Sources: Amazon/Ring announcement, WIRED, Engadget, TechCrunch, Ring Robotics.
Featured image: a Ring Alarm security kit (not the Drone Cam). Photo by TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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