Imagine a virtual security guard flying around your house when you are away. Does that sound intriguing? Amazon brings you exactly that with the first flying autonomous security system- the Ring Always Home Camera that can be both your security camera and a drone that shoots and streams videos of your house online.
The Amazon Ring drone patrols your house using flight paths preset by you and records 1440 x 1440 HD quality videos that you can watch live through the Ring app when you are not around. The device comes with a built-in LED light to shoot interrupted videos even in the dark. It can work alongside the Ring security system and starts flying to check what’s happening if triggered by any activity.
The company has also included an option to stop recording by docking the drone when the house is occupied to ensure the drone doesn’t invade your private spaces. Its loud propellers notify you of its presence around.
As for privacy concerns, this home flying security camera has received both love and hate ever since its first unveiling. Now that it is finally available on Amazon for purchase by invitation, at $250, let’s find out whether the Amazon Ring Drone is the perfect security camera for your home or not.
How does the Home Flying Security Camera work?
Ring Always Home Camera turns into a flying security guard, patrolling along the indoor path you choose when needed.
But, how do you teach the device its flight path in the first place?
For this, you have to carry the Always Home Cam through the house route you want it to follow. Once it memorizes the course, it can be triggered to fly on its own for up to 5 minutes before it needs a recharge of around one hour. The drone’s camera shoots live videos of your house and uploads them in the cloud for future reference.
The device works along with the Ring security system and starts flying if the Ring Alarm contact sensors or motion detectors are triggered. In addition, you can manually schedule or initiate your flight from the Ring app when you are not around.
As the company says,
“Now, you can be in two places at once.”
The short flight time of 5 minutes ensures that the device acts like a “purpose-driven security camera.” Its camera is blocked when docked for privacy reasons, and the drone only records when it flies. You can pause, resume, start, or end the flight but not modify its route once set.
The Amazon Ring drone’s propellers are enclosed in plastic to prevent collisions during its flight. It also comes with “obstacle avoidance technology” that prevents it from bumping into unforeseen blocks on its path. Your drone will instead return to the dock and inform you about the problem in such a scenario.
Always Home Cam can assist up to 50 flight paths, but it is not designed to operate on multiple floors and doesn’t come with remote control. Ring says these measures have been taken to maximize security.
Is Home Flying Security Camera a secure option?
The Amazon Ring drone only flies and records videos when you are away and triggered by any activity. The flying route is entirely decided by you while setting up the device and cannot be altered midway. If the device is activated to fly while you are at home, the engine sound is loud enough for you to realize the presence of the device, so it doesn’t invade your privacy- as Amazon said- it’s a “privacy you can hear.”
Ring is also planning to launch end-to-end encryption for the drone to prevent hacking or any privacy breach and ensure that only you can access the data saved on the cloud.
While the device looks perfectly secure on paper and the company shows some promising updates, privacy concerns for such autonomous gadgets are always tricky. Now that you know about this futuristic device, Are you ready to trust this home-flying security camera that flies and records on its own?
