Ring’s $249.99 smart lock uses a hand-powered dial to generate emergency power, while the company expands its security range with five new cameras.
Ring, the Amazon-owned smart home brand, has announced its first smart lock, pairing keyless entry with an unusual answer to one of the category’s most persistent weaknesses: a flat battery. Instead of forcing users to find a charger or an emergency power pack to get back inside, the lock includes a hand-powered dial that generates enough energy for a temporary unlock, designed to prevent the lockout scenario that has held back wider adoption of smart deadbolts. According to Amazon’s devices blog, the lock is expected to go on sale in early 2027, pending regulatory approval, and will cost $249.99 in black, silver and brass.
The idea is straightforward. If the battery dies, users can turn the dial several times to produce enough power for the lock to wake up and accept an entry method. Reportedly, the mechanism charges an internal supercapacitor rather than the main battery, giving the user a short window to unlock the door and restore normal operation. That approach matters because many competing smart locks still rely on a physical backup key precisely because battery failure can otherwise leave households stranded outside. Ring is also positioning the product as part of a broader connected-home system, with support for remote access, scheduled permissions and integration with other Ring and Amazon hardware.
The lock offers four ways to get in: a fingerprint reader, a backlit touchscreen keypad, the Ring app and Alexa integration. Amazon says it will work with Sidewalk, the company’s low-power network designed to maintain connectivity for supported devices beyond the home’s main Wi-Fi connection. Jamie Siminoff, Ring’s founder and chief inventor, has argued that a smart lock loses much of its appeal if a key is still required as a fail-safe. The company’s design choice is therefore aimed at removing that compromise, rather than treating battery backup as an afterthought.
Ring’s broader announcement extends beyond door hardware. The company has introduced five new cameras, led by its first 4K indoor model and a Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam with 360-degree coverage. TechRadar reported that the new range also includes the Outdoor Cam 4K Plus, Floodlight Cam 4K Plus and Spotlight Cam 4K Plus, all intended to improve low-light recording, field of view and installation flexibility. The Outdoor Cam 4K Plus is particularly notable for its multiple power options, including battery, plug-in, hardwired, solar and Power over Ethernet, a sign that Ring is trying to address one of the most practical constraints in home security: where and how devices can be powered.
Pricing places the new cameras across a fairly broad range. Amazon says the Outdoor Cam 4K Plus will cost $149.99, the Spotlight Cam 4K Plus $199.99, the Floodlight Cam 4K Plus $219.99, the Indoor Cam 4K $99.99 and the Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam 2K $69.99. Ring is clearly aiming to widen its offer from a doorbell-led brand into a more complete security platform, with better video quality, more installation choices and a smart lock that tries to solve a basic but important problem before it happens.
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