Get ready for Ring’s latest home security camera. The new Always Home Cam is an autonomous drone that can fly inside your home to give you a perspective of any room you want when you’re not home. Once the patrol flight is done, the indoor drone returns to its dock for charging. Shipping is expected early 2021. The cost is expected to be $249.
Jamie Siminoff, Ring’s founder and “chief inventor,” says the idea behind the Always Home Cam is to provide multiple viewpoints throughout the home without requiring the use of multiple cameras. In an interview ahead of the announcement, he said the company has spent the past two years on focused development of the device, and that it is an “obvious product that is very hard to build.” Thanks to advancements in drone technology, the company is able to make a product like this and have it work as desired.
The Always Home Cam doesn’t have the exposed rotors you’d see on a drone designed for use in outdoor open spaces. It has a plastic border and grills that enclose those for safety. It’s also small, at 5″x 7″x7″, which is useful for safety of both people and household objects.
The Ring Always Home Cam will also work with Ring’s existing suite of products, including Ring Alarm, to automatically fly a pre-set path when an alarm is triggered. You’re able then to stream the video live to your mobile device via the Ring app.
When it comes to privacy, Ring says the Always Home Cam “only records when in flight; when it’s not in use it sits in a doc and the camera is physically blocked. And, it’s loud enough so you hear when it’s in motion.” In other words, anyone who doesn’t want to be recorded will be able to hear this thing coming by listening for the signature buzz emitted by so many drones. Is this a tech marvel such as the Echo, Ring doorbell, newly unveiled car security, Luna Gaming Service or just another invasion of your privacy?