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Ring security cameras take to the skies — or at least the ceiling — as the company publicly unveils its first autonomous indoor drone, the Always Home Cam, on CES 2023. Its main purpose is to provide an instant live feed of your home, so you can keep an eye on things while you’re away. The drone takes off when a Ring Alarm is triggered or when you activate it through the official app.
The drone is now a few years in the making and has made its last appearance back in 2021 (opens in new tab). So it’s been a while since we last heard of the Always Home Cam, and from the looks of it, not much has changed (opens in new tab).
Potential users will first have to “train” the device by holding it in the air (without blocking the camera) and walking around their home to create a preset flight path. Equipped with four rotors, the Always Home Cam will fly along that path as long as there are no obstacles. If it detects something in the way, it turns around and returns to its charging base.
A live feed from the drone’s camera is also available in the app. The images have a resolution of 1440 x 1440 pixels and offer a wide field of view of 120 degrees horizontally and 120 degrees vertically, so you get a decent quality photo.
Limits
As cool as it is, the Always Home Cam has some limitations on what it can do. Owners can create up to 50 different flight paths, but the drone can only fly on them because it cannot switch to another mid-flight. To fly another path, the device must return to its charging station, charge if necessary, and then change that other path. They also have to be pretty short paths, as the drone only gets five minutes of flight time before needing a recharge.
The Home Cam is also limited to “serving one floor of a house at a time”. Apparently he has trouble with stairs. So if your house has several floors, you will have to buy another drone for the other floors.
It will also be quite loud. According to the drone’s FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), “It’s about as loud as a vacuum or a blender in flight.”
Availability
Despite its first public appearance, it will be some time before the drone officially takes off. In a interview with The edge (opens in new tab), Ring founder Jamie Siminoff said the Always Home Cam will become “widely available” sometime in 2024 for $249.99. This delay is due to ongoing issues. According to that same interview, the device apparently has trouble “detecting mirrors and windows.”
We asked Ring if it could tell us what else it’s working on for the Always Home Cam. Will the drone eventually gain the ability to climb stairs so people don’t have to buy another drone for the second floor? Do they have any plans to extend the current battery life? This story will be updated as soon as we hear back.
However, pre-orders are open for Day1 Edition, if you’re interested. It is only available via invitation on Amazon’s website (opens in new tab) as quantities are limited at the moment. Be sure to check out TechRadar’s recently updated recommended list for the best beginner drones for the new year.