We’ve all been in a major rush before, flying out of the house with only the bare necessities for the workday because we slept through our three waves of alarms. Driving to work, coming to with a cup of coffee, we begin to wonder about everything we forgot to do at home before departing. Are the living room windows opened? Did I lock the door? Did I forget to turn off the thermostat?
While a smart home ecosystem can provide a lot of on-the-go intel for you to manage your home, sometimes what we need the most is an extension of our own two eyes. Security cameras go a long way in solving this problem, but no matter the degree of panning and tilting that your home surveillance gear can muster, a camera is a stationary product, relegated to only one room in your home unless you move it to another. If only there were a way to get eyes on the whole home without investing in a full-fledged security system.
Thanks to Ring, now there is. We caught our first glance of the Ring Always Home Cam in 2020, but there’s a chance we will find out much more about the product at Amazon’s upcoming September event — like maybe a release date? Here’s everything we know about it so far.
Design
First revealed back in fall 2020, the Ring Always Home Cam is a drone camera that you can program to follow pre-set flight paths throughout your home. You’ll get the most out of it when paired with a Ring Alarm subscription, since the drone is automatically triggered to lift from its base to fly pre-set paths. Although, you can still watch via live view without a subscription.
The Always Home Cam is similar to leading quadcopter drone designs. The rotors of the Always Home Cam are encased in a protective basket, with the drone’s 1080p camera and battery housed below it. Worried about the Always Home smashing into your treasured heirlooms? Not to fear, for the Always Home is loaded with object-avoidance sensors that will ensure the drone remains away from walls, furniture, and other decor. Since it’s meant to follow pre-set flight paths, you won’t have to worry much about it veering off course.
While in flight, you can stream live video using the Ring app to follow along with your Always Home. When the Always Home finishes perambulating, it will automatically return to its charging base.
Security and privacy
When we think of Ring, one topic of concern that may come to mind is end-to-end privacy. While the company has experienced a few security setbacks over the last couple of years, Ring seems to be going above and beyond to ensure the Always Home takes care of all your home security needs while protecting the at-home privacy of you and yours.
Again, we have to reiterate that the Ring Always Home Cam will only fly along predesignated routes that you build for it during the initial device setup. When docked, the camera is physically blocked by the body of the charging base, so there’s no chance of catching a glimpse of your room when the drone isn’t flying. When the Always Home is airborne, the rotors are designed to give off an audible hum, letting everyone in the house know that the drone is up and about and the camera is recording.
Can hackers hack it?
The unfortunate truth for most web-connected devices is that if they’re online, there’s some percentage of a chance that a talented hacker can work their way into your hardware. That being said, the Always Home has a few foundational design elements that will make it difficult for any hacking attempts.
As mentioned above, when not in flight, the camera is physically blocked by the body of the charging base. Unlike a traditional home security camera that provides stationary views of the room it’s placed in, the Always Home doesn’t see a thing unless it’s airborne.
While Ring has yet to provide any details on the Always Home’s recording encryption, we assume the company will be implementing a number of advanced protocols to guard your user data. You can find a more detailed breakdown of Ring’s encryption practices here.
When will it come out?
As of right now, there is no official release date for the Always Home Cam, but some sources are pointing toward a late 2021 release. For up-to-date notifications, you can sign up for email alerts through Ring’s site, which will ping you when the Always Home launches.
How much will it cost?
The Ring Always Home Cam is currently priced at $250.
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