The online retailer recently introduced a new product, the Amazon surveillance camera called Ring Always Home Cam. This is a security camera that flies like a drone and can record suspicious activity when no one is at home. Ring also connects to your Wi-Fi network and sends you instant notifications when someone presses your doorbell or triggers the built-in motion sensors. When you respond to the alert, you can see, hear, and talk to anyone on your property from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Innovative Amazon surveillance camera in small format

The flying security camera is connected to a number of sensors around the home and automatically flies to designated areas. This can be done in any apartment if one of the sensors is triggered by a possible break-in. When the sensors are triggered, the owner receives a smartphone alert allowing them to view the footage live.

A camera attached to a flat, fan-like element at the top of the device is embedded in the lower part of a central rod. In addition, this makes flying possible. When not in use, the device fits snugly into a cubic docking station with a central opening. Once activated, it rises from the dock and flies along its preset path.

This frees the owner of an Amazon surveillance camera from the need to set up multiple cameras outside or throughout the house. These only offer limited viewing angles in a single mobile camera. The Ring Always Home Cam cannot be controlled manually and will only fly where the user has programmed it. In addition, the drone records videos in the corresponding area in response to alarm triggers.

Instead of simply encouraging customers to buy more cameras and place them in more places around the house, developers were able to solve this problem with a single device. They wanted to create a camera that would give users the flexibility of any angle they wanted at home. At the same time, it also meets the basic principles of data protection and security.

Functionality and design in one device

So the Ring Always Home Cam was designed with privacy in mind. The device only records when the motion sensors are triggered and it is in flight. This is ensured by positioning the camera at the bottom of the device’s rod-shaped base so that it is physically blocked in the dock. It also makes a quiet buzzing sound when it’s in motion, so users know when it’s recording. The developer, Jamie Siminoff, says this is privacy you can hear. To prevent accidents, the device has obstacle detection technology and has a housing around the propellers.

The Ring Always Home Cam is currently in development and is not yet approved for sale. However, the new device is expected to cost $250 once it becomes available. This is not the first time that Amazon has used surveillance cameras in the form of such a drone. The company had previously launched its fully electric and autonomous Prime Air drone.

This meant that packages weighing up to 2.2 kilograms could be delivered to customers in less than 30 minutes. Recently, authorities wanted to use such drones to combat the coronavirus pandemic at the start of the outbreak. Viral video footage showed drones with loudspeakers instructing people in rural areas of China to go back inside. There have also been reports of devices using thermal imaging to detect people with fever from the air.