Ding Dong. Flight of the Drones

As Amazon announces the launch of their new “Stay At Home Cam” we have a look at the latest innovation in Home Security…

2018 – what a year? We got to celebrate another Royal wedding, Black Panther premiered around the globe to thunderous acclaim, and a relatively unknown app called “Tik Tok” had its worldwide launch. However a small piece of news that might have slipped under your radar was Amazon’s acquisition of the home security company Ring, formerly known as Doorbot.

Fast forward two years and Amazon have just unveiled the newest product in their ever growing portfolio of smart home devices. The “Always Home Cam” is an autonomous flying drone that can be commanded to fly on demand or programmed to fly when a disturbance is detected, sending an alert to your linked Ring Alarm system. Let’s pray for all the cats and dogs that could get caught in the crossfire. 

What does the “Always At Home Cam” do?

When users first buy the device they build a map of their home, this allows users to give the drone a flight path to follow around the house. “The obstacle avoidance technology” means that the camera should evade any Labradoodles in its way, however if it does sense something out of the ordinary, the camera returns to its docking station and sends the owner an alert saying it couldn’t complete its journey. 

Jamie Siminoff, Ring’s founder and “chief inventor,” says the idea behind the “Always Home Cam” is to provide multiple viewpoints throughout the home without requiring the use of multiple cameras. 

You can watch the announcement video here

How will this affect my privacy?

If you are worried about your privacy (or the drone secretly spying on your pets) the camera on the drone is always hidden as the charging dock blocks the camera’s view and only will record when in flight. There is also a humming sound when the camera is in flight to make it obvious when the camera is recording. Very flight of the bumblebee, mixed with a little I-Robot. 

We want to hear your thoughts on the “Always at Home Cam” Is it something that you would have in your house? If you have any topics that you would like to us to write about or discuss please contact us on Facebook or Instagram @SyncStoreUK

The “Ring Always Home Cam” will have a US launch in 2021 with prices starting at $250.