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Security Technology

Ring's Latest Security Camera Is a Drone That Flies Around Inside Your House (theverge.com) 81

Posted by BeauHD from the ambitious-products dept.
Ring's latest home security camera is an autonomous drone, called the Always Home Cam, that can fly around inside your home to give you a perspective of any room you want when you're not home. "Once it's done flying, the Always Home Cam returns to its dock to charge its battery," reports The Verge. "It is expected to cost $249.99 when it starts shipping next year." From the report: 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. In an interview ahead of the announcement, he said the company has spent the past two years on focused development of the device, and that it is an "obvious product that is very hard to build." Thanks to advancements in drone technology, the company is able to make a product like this and have it work as desired.

The Always Home Cam is fully autonomous, but owners can tell it what path it can take and where it can go. When you first get the device, you build a map of your home for it to follow, which allows you to ask it for specific viewpoints such as the kitchen or bedroom. The drone can be commanded to fly on demand or programmed to fly when a disturbance is detected by a linked Ring Alarm system. The charging dock blocks the camera's view, and the camera only records when it is in flight. Ring says the drone makes an audible noise when flying so it is obvious when footage is being recorded. Ring also rolled out new hardware for the automotive market with three different devices focused on car owners: Ring Car Alarm, Car Cam, and Car Connect.

The company also said they've added opt-in end-to-end video encryption, as well as the option to completely disable the "Neighbors" feed, which allows users to view local crime in real time and discuss it with people nearby.
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Ring's Latest Security Camera Is a Drone That Flies Around Inside Your House More

Ring's Latest Security Camera Is a Drone That Flies Around Inside Your House

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  • Cool! (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Pascoea ( 968200 ) on Thursday September 24, 2020 @04:34PM (#60541438)
    From a tech perspective, this seems pretty nifty. From a privacy perspective, that's a little different story. Will be interesting to see what happens when these start getting hacked.

    • Why the hell would people pay good money to bug their own home?

      • I don't get it. Don't you people ever leave your house?

      • Re: Cool! (Score:4)

        by geekmux ( 1040042 ) on Thursday September 24, 2020 @04:49PM (#60541476)

        Why the hell would people pay good money to bug their own home?

        Yes, because no one does that today.

        Trillion-dollar industry, and they can barely find any customers, right?

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by mark-t ( 151149 )

          It makes sense for a commercial building or even a church/religious institution. It makes absolutely no sense for a private home.

          Just looking at it from a logistical perspective, a house has maybe 2 or 3 egress points and often has just a main hallway or foyer through which anyone who is in the home will typically pass through to get from one room to another. It makes no sense to have a drone flying from room to room when a single strategically placed camera in such a location would suffice.

          It's str

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by rtb61 ( 674572 )

            It does if they turn your home into a prison cell, it can check on you, no matter where in your prison cell 'er' home you go. All about government contracts and no serving you.

          • It makes sense for a commercial building or even a church/religious institution. It makes absolutely no sense for a private home.

            Yes, because criminals always prefer to target buildings with mass survellience, alarm systems, and guards. Never private homes. And of course you own nothing of real value. Certainly nothing totaling more than $249, the price tag of a drone or loved one. (C'mon now. At least be realistic here. Ring isn't pissing away millions in R&D to sell 42 of these.)

            Just looking at it from a logistical perspective, a house has maybe 2 or 3 egress points and often has just a main hallway or foyer through which anyone who is in the home will typically pass through to get from one room to another. It makes no sense to have a drone flying from room to room when a single strategically placed camera in such a location would suffice.

            From the common sense perspective, the kind of person or family who would buy one of these does not own a simple apartment or a tiny home. And w

          • Re: Cool! (Score:4, Informative)

            by ShanghaiBill ( 739463 ) on Thursday September 24, 2020 @07:28PM (#60541778)

            It makes absolutely no sense for a private home.

            Perhaps. But my spouse will certainly buy one. First, she is a gadget freak. Second, she is paranoid about "burglars". She won't leave the house without spending 20 minutes locking every window, even those on the 2nd floor.

            So this is perfect for her. She will spend a month fiddling with it to get it working and then an hour every evening reviewing the security videos.

            Update: Ok, I showed her TFA. Yes, she wants one. I will buy it for her Christmas present if it is available by then. Otherwise, for her birthday next year.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

              A better option might be to build your own home security hub. Get some cheap sensors so you can tell when the windows are open and a receiver for a Raspberry Pi. Andreas Spiess has done a lot of work in that area and you can install various features as Docker containers, and manage them with Portainer.

              Then you can simply check one web page on your phone to see if everything is closed before you go out.

              The only thing you can't do at the moment is check doors are locked. There are IoT door locks but they are

          • Re: (Score:3)

            by Cederic ( 9623 )

            It makes no sense to have a drone flying from room to room when a single strategically placed camera in such a location would suffice.

            A single camera per room requires many cameras, and associated storage.

            I already have a tracked robot I can use to look for and monitor my cats when I'm away. A drone would be fantastic for this.

            Just not this drone. Not unless I can reprogram it to never give Amazon any data.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by mark-t ( 151149 )
              My point is that for an average household, you wouldn't need a camera for every single room, a single camera installed in a one strategically located place, such as a main hallway or foyer, would see practically anyone coming or going. You don't need a camera in each bedroom when you have a single camera that can see down the hallway that leads to every bedroom, for instance.

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by Cederic ( 9623 )

                My point is that a single camera is entirely ineffective for helping me find and check the health and comfort of my cats.

                Maybe I don't live in an average household though.

                • Re: (Score:2)

                  by mark-t ( 151149 )

                  Ring seems more like something someone would use as a factor in ensuring home security.

                  So I was thinking of it more from it being practical in any kind of typical security perspective than from the stance of needing to check out individual rooms for some other extenuating matter which is entirely unrelated to security.

                  Your use case seems entirely legitimate, however, and to be frank, I hadn't thought of it before now, although one could probably use any one of the many existing drones with a camera to

          • Or there are people that do not like the idea of cameras constantly able to view inside their house.

            So if they want the option of a camera, but for limited time frames and specific questions, this is an interesting solution.

            The camera is blocked when not in operation.

            It makes noise when operating, so no surprises that it's on (even if hacked).

      • Why the hell would people pay good money to bug their own home?

        RIght! I mean the free Facebook app will do just fine. $250 saved.

      • Because they aren't all paranoid skitzophrenics like yourself.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by ebvwfbw ( 864834 )

        Why the hell would people pay good money to bug their own home?

        They've been doing it for years. It's called Alexa.

        • I know. They even integrated her into the fireTV cube. You can disable it, but I dont trust that. Remember the Vault7 leak, and samsung smart tvs? So I went in and snipped the mic. Vault7 prettymuch confirmed just to what extent privacy is vulnerable.

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by ebvwfbw ( 864834 )

            What gets me is security people, Military grey hair security people with TS that really should know better gleefully accept alexa into their homes.

    • Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Thursday September 24, 2020 @04:57PM (#60541490)
      Comment removed based on user account deletion
      • Meeeeeeeyow!

      • Re:Cool! (Score:5, Funny)

        by stabiesoft ( 733417 ) on Thursday September 24, 2020 @06:53PM (#60541706) Homepage
        I had not thought of that. I've got a hundred pound dog that could probably pick it off pretty reliably. He finds motion very interesting, be it a bunny, squirrel, snake, bird, truck, ... And if he launched off the couch, even near the ceiling that thing is going to get the big crunch. He is going to be quite surprised it doesn't taste like bird.

        • I had not thought of that. I've got a hundred pound dog that could probably pick it off pretty reliably. He finds motion very interesting, be it a bunny, squirrel, snake, bird, truck, ... And if he launched off the couch, even near the ceiling that thing is going to get the big crunch. He is going to be quite surprised it doesn't taste like bird.

          My dogs would no doubt chase it like crazy, destroying anything in their oath as they attempt to kill the intruder. OTOH, it's a shame it can't be controlled remotely and have voice capabilities \; then it would be one more way to mess with my dogs; plus I could watch the reaction of a burglar as the dogs responded to the intruder.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        You may be surprised how high cats can jump. Mine from a few years ago could jump on to a 1.6m high wall and he was quite old when he started doing it. With furniture to gain some extra height I doubt any drone would be safe.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by timelorde ( 7880 )

      Will be interesting to see what happens when these start getting hacked.

      I'm getting so cynical these days; that's the first thing I thought of.

    • I want to see what happens when they start releasing a Taser addon
      Combined with bluetooth control from your favourite game controller.

    • yep first thing i thought you could use it to make an accurate 3D model of your home. Imagine a VR version. Or a version that can detect changes in rooms. Could help you find lost items.

  • Why didn't roomba think of that? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Tree131 ( 643930 ) on Thursday September 24, 2020 @04:36PM (#60541446)

    Roomba would be a perfect decoy for going undetected while recording surveillance footage of an intruder.

    • Re:Why didn't roomba think of that? (Score:5, Funny)

      by K. S. Kyosuke ( 729550 ) on Thursday September 24, 2020 @04:39PM (#60541454)
      Doesn't it share a weakness with Daleks, though? Namely being easily defeated by stairs?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by zazzel ( 98233 )

        Doesn't it share a weakness with Daleks, though? Namely being easily defeated by stairs?

        I remember seeing Daleks fly though!

        • The later generation Daleks could fly. The original ones on Skaro needed metal conductors in the floor to get power from. They were pretty useless off that surcface. Of course I'm talking about the Vincent Price doctor, who in my opinion was the only legit doctor who.

    • A camera that close to the ground would certainly get good footage.

    • Perhaps they did think of it. And then immediately thought that it would be abused by getting video up women's skirts and really didn't want to deal with the PR consequences.

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Neighbors? (Score:5, Funny)

    by R3d M3rcury ( 871886 ) on Thursday September 24, 2020 @04:47PM (#60541470) Journal

    I gotta admit, I kinda like it. Rather than installing a bunch of cameras in every room, just have one camera that will move to where the disturbance is. Of course, it should also have "collision avoidance" so when the guy who breaks into my house tries to grab/smash the drone, it'll be able to dodge.

    That said, FTS:

    the "Neighbors" feed, which allows users to view local crime in real time and discuss it with people nearby.

    Okay, that sounds funny. So somebody breaks into my house and this signals the neighbors who can watch in real-time as my house is burgled and can discuss it with other neighbors...

    "Hey! There are my pruning sheers that Bob never gave back!"
    "Damn! That's a gorgeous ring! Phil, why didn't you ever give me a ring that nice?"
    "Look at the cheap vinyl flooring they're using in the bathroom. Remind me to talk to Susan about getting marble tiles."

    • I gotta admit, I kinda like it.

      Yeah, almost. I was thinking it sounds neat for customer sites. As IT people, I'm sure many of us have wished she had remote-controllable drones we could use to eyeball something without a trip out. "Yes, the cable is unplugged, Bob. The one on the left. No, your other left. Plug it into... no, the other black box."

      But no. You can't direct this thing. You can only tell it where it's allowed to go, and what paths it can take.

      • I gotta admit, I kinda like it.

        Yeah, almost. I was thinking it sounds neat for customer sites. As IT people, I'm sure many of us have wished she had remote-controllable drones we could use to eyeball something without a trip out. "Yes, the cable is unplugged, Bob. The one on the left. No, your other left. Plug it into... no, the other black box."

        But no. You can't direct this thing. You can only tell it where it's allowed to go, and what paths it can take.

        Give it time, maybe that will be in v2.0 or 3.x. I would love the ability to remote control a tiny drone to look at things in my house (or at work) remotely. So many pieces would need to come together to do that reliably and securely, but those pieces are all coming together for other things anyway. If it is something people want, it will happen. And I bet it will.

        • Give it time, maybe that will be in v2.0 or 3.x.

          Or the inevitable Xiaomi clone that costs half as much and hopefully can be hacked not to phone home.

    • Tasers? (Score:4, Funny)

      by Roger W Moore ( 538166 ) on Thursday September 24, 2020 @05:46PM (#60541584) Journal

      Of course, it should also have "collision avoidance" so when the guy who breaks into my house tries to grab/smash the drone, it'll be able to dodge.

      I suspect it will take much less time for someone to add a taser to the drone and then you'll have a real, live video game of "zap the burglar".

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by mark-t ( 151149 )

      Why would you need to install cameras in every room?

      A typical household does not usually offer many ways in or out of various rooms, so a single strategically placed camera near the home's main foyer or looking down a primary hallway will see anyone coming or going.

    • Of course, it should also have "collision avoidance" so when the guy who breaks into my house tries to grab/smash the drone, it'll be able to dodge.

      I'd rather it have sharpened CF props, and it flies directly into their crotch.

      Bonus points if it can perform a neat vasectomy while it's there, but I'll settle for it doing it sloppily.

  • ...feed the cat and change its litter box?

  • Break window...

    Wait for drone....

    Free parts!

  • problem solved ;)
  • You people already have allowed cameras and microphones all over your houses despite all the warnings you've received that they're just spying on you, and now they want to convince you to have a camera and microphone that flies around in your house?

    You wake up in the middle of the night to a muted humming noise. You turn on the lights: the goddamned Ring flying spy is watching you sleep!

    Why would anyone want to do this!? It'll inevitably get used to spy on every last inch of your house!

    • Yes : when you fight and you get the couch, now the drones there too. Buzzing your prone, restless form below the blanket, sending "intruder, alert" messages to your phone. Get a good night's sleep. :)

    • Do you know how paranoid you sound when you talk like this? Maybe you should move to the forest and smoke weed all day.
      • Maybe you should stop taking it up the ass from companies like Google and Amazon and Facebook and everyone else that has 'invade the users privacy' as part of their business plan. Seriously, dude, get a clue already: are you new here, do you not read the news about this-and-that device that's literally being used in inappropriate ways by the manufacturer to surveil you? FFS it's all documented to the Nth degree and either you don't pay attention to any of it, don't believe it, or are one of those people who

  • ... of this proprietary IoT junk in use? I wouldn't touch Alexa, Google Whatever Display, Google Assistant, Nest/Ring/Whatever with a ten-foot pole, let alone deploy it in my home. I figure no computer expert would. Google knows enough about me already through my smartphone, but I'm seriously considering cutting the ties with that too. Either way, the smartphone ads substantial value to my life, but this IoT stuff is just huge amounts of trouble AFAICT.

    So, what's with you guys? Do you use any of this propri

    • None of that crap in my house either, but you know full well we are going to be labeled technophobes, then malcontents, then subversives in that order, sooner rather than later.

    • I have an Alexa in the kitchen that mostly gets used for timers and unit conversions. I suspect I'll be first up against the wall when the robot revolution comes for cruelty to AI for asking how many tablespoons are in a cup a million times.

      Other than that, I have a few Wyze cams with modded firmware so they don't phone home, and some "smart" light switches that should be put on a separate vlan with no access to anything because they're chatty little $%&^ers. Oh, and a Roku TV because apparently yo
    • Yep, I have 3 Alexas, 3 Googles homes and two roku boxes. I think it's the PCs that probably so the most spying though. Voice assistants are pretty just voice activate web browsers. They are no more harmful than Chrome, Edge, FF or Brace. And no, why don't listen to your private coversations unless you use the wake word. Your life isn't as interesting as you think it is.

  • To catch teenagers (Score:4, Interesting)

    by NotEmmanuelGoldstein ( 6423622 ) on Thursday September 24, 2020 @05:52PM (#60541606)

    ... viewpoints such as the kitchen or bedroom.

    Finally, an answer to "Who ate all the chocolate?" Also an opportunity to catch teenagers smoking, undressing and masturbating. Isn't the point of Ring being its video is shared with police and neighbours?

    ... makes an audible noise ...

    So everyone can run from bathroom before the drone films their naked organs.

  • I'm sure I gots an old tennis racket in the closet. This thing buzz around inside the house like a fly and it won't live very long.

  • I can tell you that!

  • Step 1:Hack into drone. Step 2:Fly through home make sure no one is home. Step 3:Take notes of locations of various of goods and map route and exit strategy. Step 4:Fly drone through window to reach inside and open it. ???? Profit!

  • Profit! Almost all of these "smart home" security systems are a joke - no battery backup. Even a 1989 Radio Shack alarm panel is better.

  • (detects intruder in the home)
    (extends arm out... )
    "Alexa, bring me my mighty hammer!"
    "Yes Thor!"

  • Or crash into and trash your houseplants, paintings, or furniture. Pinky swear.

  • Open software/hardware version? (Score:3)

    by TheDarkener ( 198348 ) on Thursday September 24, 2020 @08:00PM (#60541838) Homepage

    Would be cool to get a project going that has this capability but without the privacy concerns brought on by huge corporations that create their proprietary versions..

  • when flying so it is obvious when footage is being recorded.

    The people getting this already don't give a shit about privacy, so touting the loud buzzing noise of a drone as a feature is cute.

  • The likelihood to the video the Ring takes going right to china is far better than average. Just add this to the talking / listening appliances which we don't need. Let's send one to Nancy Pelosi.

    • The likelihood to the video the Ring takes going right to china is far better than average. Just add this to the talking / listening appliances which we don't need. Let's send one to Nancy Pelosi.

      Maybe it can download a hair-cutting app.

  • I once tried to fly a toy drone and the cat still has Vietnam style flashbacks.

  • Do we have to Defund RING because it will disproportionately catch minorities with drone camera?

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by ebvwfbw ( 864834 )

      Do we have to Defund RING because it will disproportionately catch minorities with drone camera?

      They blame technology for their bad behavior already.
      "Algorithm is racist." No, black people as a group clearly behave badly. They kill other black people in a clearly disproportional rate. That's not racism, that's facts and they can't handle that. Blame someone else. Don't try to fix their terrible behavior. Doing the right thing is acting white somehow.

      What they're doing right now with the Brioanna Taylor case - outright lying about the facts.

  • This will provide hours of great entertainment for your dog or cat.

    Well worth the price to avoid pet psychological problems and the cost of pet psychiatrists.

  • CATS. As soon as the little SOB's see the drone, they're going to go for it.
    • Paint the underside of the props with shiny metallic paint. Give the drone a solid state relay operating a pen laser pointing at the props from below. When the Amazon employee spying on your house sees the cat, they can remotely switch on the laser and keep the cat jumping in non-drone directions. For extra fun, learn how to strobe the laser so that the reflected light spells out naughty words.

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