Ring, Amazon's home security brand, has launched Ring Robotics with two products: an indoor flying camera called Drone Cam and a rolling business robot called Rover Cam. The Drone Cam is not for sale yet: Ring's Ring Robotics page shows a "Notify Me" button instead of a buy button, and the drone is still awaiting FCC authorization. The Rover Cam is open for pre-order.

What Ring is selling

  • Drone Cam: Ring's product page calls it an indoor security camera that flies. The listing price is $249.99 and it comes with a docking station. Ring lists up to 8 minutes of flight per charge, tested under controlled conditions, and says the camera is off when docked.
  • Rover Cam: Ring's product page lists $999.99 and pre-order. It is aimed at businesses, maps and covers up to 5,000 square feet on a single indoor floor, and cannot go up or down stairs.
  • Patrols: both can run set patrol routes. Ring says that when an alarm or compatible sensor trips, they move to preset viewpoints. The Rover Cam's patrol settings need a compatible subscription, per Ring's page.
  • Subscription: each listing includes a free 30-day trial of Ring Protect. Reports say both devices need a Ring Protect plan for video storage and advanced features; we did not find the plan price for these devices on Ring's pages.

Dates, and one price mismatch

Launch coverage from The Verge and TechCrunch gives the same dates: the Drone Cam arrives January 27, 2027, and Rover Cam shipping is expected to begin December 16, 2026. They differ on price: one lists the drone at $270 and the Rover at $1,000, while the other matches Ring's listings of $249.99 and $999.99. We use Ring's own prices. Ring's pages show no dates, so the dates are reported, not confirmed.

The FCC note

Ring's Drone Cam page carries a notice that the device "has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission" and may not be offered for sale until it is. Ring reportedly says it is in the process of obtaining FCC certification, that the drone complies with FCC rules and that it is assembled in the US. We could not confirm the certification status ourselves, so the January date depends on it.

Privacy questions

Ring describes both devices as built with privacy in mind. Per Ring's pages, the Drone Cam is off when docked and the Rover Cam has a button that turns off its mics, camera and motion detection. Both reports say footage uses Ring's new TAKE (Throw Away the Key) encryption, and the drone report describes keys that rotate every five minutes, with Ring's copies deleted after 24 hours. We found no detail on Ring's own pages, so treat that as reported.

Still open, as far as we found: whether footage can be stored locally (reportedly unclear), how long recordings are kept under a Ring Protect plan, and how the devices behave if the internet drops. The AI Pilot navigation system relies on cloud processing and an internet connection, per the reports.

What this means for you

If you want a Ring drone, there is nothing to buy until at least January 27, and only if FCC authorization comes through. Plan for a subscription on top, and expect short flights: Ring's 8-minute figure is a best case, so it is closer to a check-in camera than continuous monitoring. The Rover Cam is a business product, so most households can skip it. For other Ring pricing right now, see our early Black Friday deals story, and for Amazon's newest home hardware, the Echo lineup and Amazon's Kindle prices.

What we checked

We read Ring's Robotics, Drone Cam and Rover Cam pages on November 10 for prices, availability and the FCC notice, and read the two launch reports for dates and encryption details. We did not handle either device and did not verify flight time, video quality or the encryption claims.