Ring just announced a $250 flying security camera that patrols your house — gimmick, or actually useful?
Amazon announced the Ring Drone Cam today, November 10. It is a 165-gram indoor drone that flies room to room when an alarm or sensor goes off, shoots 2K video, and costs $249.99. It ships January 27, 2027, pending FCC approval, and some features like scheduled patrols need a Ring Protect plan. It only flies five to eight minutes per charge before it has to dock. I already have two fixed Ring cameras covering the front door and the living room. For anyone who has thought about this since the Always Home Cam concept in 2020: does a flying camera actually cover blind spots a fixed camera misses, or is this a $250 novelty that spends most of its life sitting on a dock?
1 answer
- Fixed cameras cover more hours per dollar
Look at the flight time: five to eight minutes per charge, then it docks. A fixed camera records 24/7 for the same $250 or less, and it is already pointed at the door or window that matters. The drone only helps in the narrow case where something triggers a sensor in a room with no camera at all — and even then it has to fly there, film for a few minutes, and come back. If you have blind spots, a $60 fixed camera in each one covers them permanently. The drone is a cool demo, not a coverage upgrade.