Amazon’s Ring is getting into robots. On Tuesday the company launched Ring Robotics, a new division for autonomous security, with two products: the $249.99 Ring Drone Cam, a flying indoor camera that patrols your home, and the $999.99 Ring Rover Cam, a wheeled robot that patrols businesses. Both navigate on their own using Ring’s AI Pilot system. Why it matters: Ring is betting that a camera that moves beats a wall of fixed cameras — and reviving an idea it first showed in 2020, this time with ship dates and prices attached.
November 11, 2026
The two robots
The Ring Drone Cam is a flying indoor security camera. It lives in a charging dock that keeps it out of sight when idle, then flies pre-programmed routes around the home — on a schedule, on demand, or automatically when a Ring alarm or sensor trips, flying to the spot to investigate. It records 2K video through a 148-degree field of view that can rotate a full 360 degrees, carries LED illumination for night patrols, and can be controlled through Amazon’s Alexa Home Map. The Ring Rover Cam is built for businesses: it patrols set routes on schedule or on demand, streams continuous video in up to 4K to the Ring app, and raises a camera on a telescoping periscope mast to see over counters and shelving. It can perform 360-degree scans, detect people, and comes with a siren, lights and two-way audio so an owner can speak through it.
AI Pilot does the navigating
Both devices run on AI Pilot, which Ring describes as a custom-built system combining the devices’ cameras, specialized vision models, on-device sensors and cloud processing to see, think and navigate autonomously. During setup, you carry the Drone Cam through your space or let the Rover Cam explore on its own, and AI Pilot turns what it sees into a floor plan, identifies the types of rooms, and suggests patrol points in the Ring app, which users can adjust. Ring says scheduled patrols and reviewing the Rover’s recorded video require a Ring Protect subscription plan. Videos are protected by TAKE — Throw Away the Key Encryption — which Ring calls its strongest default encryption yet: encryption keys are held temporarily in a secure cloud enclave to power enabled features and then deleted.
Prices and dates — with one big asterisk
The Rover Cam costs $999.99, is available for preorder now, and starts shipping in the United States on December 16, 2026. The Drone Cam costs $249.99 and is slated to ship in the U.S. on January 27, 2027 — but that date comes with a regulatory asterisk: Ring’s own announcement states the Drone Cam “has not been authorized as required by the rules of the FCC” and may not be offered for sale until authorization is obtained, so for now Ring is taking email sign-ups rather than preorders for the drone. Neither product has announced international pricing or availability.
Why it matters
Ring has been here before, in spirit: it unveiled a flying home camera concept, the Always Home Cam, in 2020 at the same $249.99 price, and Amazon’s Astro robot was repurposed as a business security guard before being discontinued. What is different this time is a named division, two finished products, and one of them shipping before Christmas. The open questions are the familiar Ring ones, now on wheels and wings: these devices map your floor plan and record as they move, and the company’s privacy history — including a $5.8 million FTC settlement in 2023 over improper access to customer videos — means buyers will judge TAKE encryption and Ring’s controls carefully, not just the hardware. If you run a small business with blind spots after closing time, the Rover is the most concrete offer: a patrol you can preorder today. Everything AI, tested — we will believe the drone when the FCC does.
Frequently asked questions
How much do the Ring Drone Cam and Rover Cam cost?
The Drone Cam is $249.99 and the Rover Cam is $999.99 in the United States. No international pricing has been announced.
When can I buy them?
The Rover Cam is available for preorder and starts shipping December 16, 2026. The Drone Cam is scheduled for January 27, 2027, but still needs FCC authorization before it can be sold; Ring is taking email sign-ups for now.
What is Ring’s AI Pilot?
AI Pilot is the system both robots use to navigate autonomously. It combines cameras, specialized vision models, on-device sensors and cloud processing, builds a floor plan of the space during setup, and suggests patrol points in the Ring app.
Do I need a subscription?
Yes for some features: scheduled patrols and reviewing recorded Rover video require a Ring Protect plan, according to Ring’s announcement coverage.
Sources: Reuters, TechCrunch, The Register, GeekWire