Amazon Home Drones

A drone that films your home… all of the time. Home run? Or a hackable nightmare? There are opinions on both sides. What stands uncontended is that Amazon is the first of many companies who will be amplifying their home technology lines.  The “why” of this is pretty straightforward: because people will buy it. Whether people are just interested in expanding the smart features in their homes or are merely curious, this technology will get snatched up. If you’re in the market or just tire-kicking around after Prime Day roped you into some landmark deals, here are the details on Amazon Home products and the Amazon Ring Always Home Cam.

Amazon Home Technology

Amazon has an entire Smart Home store, with all kinds of smart home automation options. These include Amazon-branded smart locks, smart lighting, plugs/outlets, sensors, programmable thermostats and way more. You can automate everything from your aromatherapy to your pet toys. And, increasingly, Amazon is manufacturing it. Some of the more popular Amazon home technology options are: Amazon Alexa: Alexa is one of the first and most popular voice service devices. Technically known as a “virtual assistant,” Alexa can tell you the weather, use search engines to answer questions for you and control most of your other smart home devices. Alexa has been around for a while and, other than a few unfortunate hacks or issues, is a mainstay in many households. Amazon Echo: Amazon Echo is a line of smart speakers. These range from the small, spherical Echo Dot to the Echo Show with an HD display. Echo devices can be integrated with Alexa and other Amazon systems as well as a range of third-party devices. Echo has a lot of iterations and versions, from one with a built-in night light to a hands-free version for your car. Amazon Ring: Probably the third most popular Amazon smart home device (after Alexa and Echo) is the Amazon Ring Camera. Formerly known as Doorbot, Amazon now owns Ring Inc. Amazon bought the company in 2018 for about $1B. It clearly recognized the cash cow that was smart home security and it hasn’t been disappointed. By late 2019, profits had tripled. The Amazon Ring Camera is a home safety device that lets you see who’s at the door. Schilled as a “Video Doorbell,” Ring has sensors and cameras. This was the first time that technology like this had been so accessible. Formerly reserved for commercial buildings, video surveillance was now a plug and play situation. Many homeowners have bought in. Since Amazon took over, Ring Cameras are now easily integrated with Alexa and considered a must-have for smart home security packages. And innovators haven’t stopped there.

Amazon Home Cam

Enter, the latest greatest in home safety: the Always Home Cam. Dubbed in industry circles as the “Amazon Home Drone,” this is essentially a very small drone version of a ring camera. The drone flies on schedule and docks when not in use. The announcement indicates that the Ring Always Home Cam is coming to market in 2021. You’ll be able to buy it for about $250. And that isn’t all. Also in 2021, Ring is activating end-to-end encryption and a centralized control center, so no matter where you are, you can have optimal insight into what’s going on at home.

How Will Amazon Home Drones Be Used?

In case you need some convincing that it’s a great idea for a drone to record video footage of your home all of the time, here are some ways that Ring is marketing the Always Home Cam:

• Flight nav can be customized, so the Always Home Cam only flies to pre-selected areas of the home which you know you will want to check.
• Motors hum while in flight, minimizing the risk of collision and alerting you that it’s at work.
• Integrates with the Ring Alarm. If the Ring Alarm gets triggered, it will activate the Always Home Cam to fly a preset path and investigate the cause for alarm.
• Video footage can be streamed live through the Ring App.

Of course, everyone’s concern (aforementioned even here) is privacy. Ring promotes the message about privacy front and center. They explain that the Ring cannot be manually controlled, which virtually eliminates the chances of its flight path being circumvented or it being stolen. When docked, the camera is blocked. It won’t record video footage unless it’s in flight. In many ways, this technology was inevitable and will probably have plenty of benefits to outweigh concerns.

When Will Amazon Home Drones Be Used?

The good news about all of this video surveillance is that these devices are programmable. They can fly on schedule. This means that you may not want to deploy them unless you’re out of town or at night. Because they’ll be integrated into the soon-coming control center, programming them should be as easy as turning down the temperature.  Currently, Ring has a program called “Neighbors” that partners with law enforcement agencies and lets Ring owners share video footage. It also has patents pending for facial recognition tech. Ring could make a lot of us safer, even if there are some inherent risks in letting it do so.

Drone Repairs and Service

Gadget Genie offers a full scope of technology repair services. Drones are a good investment but, like any technology, they break down. Sometimes, they can be repaired. If you live in or near Federal Way, Gadget Genie is your best option for honest, affordable and expert drone repairs and service. If you live outside of our area, you may still be eligible for mail-in service. It’s important to have a go-to for tech repair. We’d be happy to help.