A few twists of the dial revive a dead Ring Smart Lock for about 30 seconds. It costs $249 and is due in the US in early 2027.
Ring has announced its first smart lock, and it tackles the biggest worry about smart locks: a dead battery. If the battery runs out, you twist the dial on the front three or four times. A small built-in generator then powers the lock for about 30 seconds, enough to unlock it with your fingerprint, the keypad, the Ring app or Alexa.
The battery should last about a year. Remote features use Amazon Sidewalk, a US-only network, so there is no word on a UK or Canadian version yet. Ring also launched new 4K cameras starting at $99.99.
Every smart lock owner has the same quiet fear: the battery dies while you are out, and you are stuck on your own doorstep. Ring’s first smart lock answers that with something charmingly old-fashioned. Twist the dial on the front a few times, and a tiny built-in generator powers the lock back up so you can get in.
That could matter if you have held off on a smart lock because you do not trust batteries, or because you need one for a place you rarely visit. The Ring Smart Lock costs $249 and is due in the US in early 2027. Here is how the hand crank works, what else the lock does and the fine print to know before you wait for it.
The hand crank is built into the thumb-turn wheel on the front of the lock. If the battery is dead, you twist the wheel back and forth three or four times. Inside, a small motor works as a generator and fills a supercapacitor, a part that stores a quick burst of energy, with around three volts.
That is enough to run the lock at full power for roughly 30 seconds. In that window you can use the fingerprint reader or the keypad, open it from the Ring app or ask Alexa. Once you are inside, you pop out the rechargeable battery pack and charge it as normal.
Other smart locks deal with dead batteries in clumsier ways. Some hide a USB port for an emergency cable, others have metal contacts where you hold a 9-volt battery, and many just ask you to keep a physical key hidden somewhere outside, which is hardly secure.
Ring founder Jamie Siminoff says the idea came from shopping for a lock for a vacation home. Because the house sits empty most of the time, he was sure the battery would die and leave family or friends stuck outside. He believes the fear of being locked out is one of the main reasons people do not buy smart locks at all.
Siminoff admits the rest of the lock may be comparable to rivals. The crank is the selling point. Ring says the battery should last about a year on a charge, so most owners may never need the dial. It is there for peace of mind, and for places like remote cabins where nobody is around to notice a low battery warning.
You can give codes to several people and set schedules, which suits dog walkers or cleaners, and create temporary codes that expire on their own. Ring also wants outside developers to build apps for the lock later, for example to help short-term rental hosts change guest codes.
The lock connects using Amazon Sidewalk rather than your home Wi-Fi. Sidewalk is a low-power, long-range network powered by nearby Amazon devices. The upside is that a Wi-Fi outage will not stop you from letting someone in remotely or getting alerts. The downside is that you need decent Sidewalk coverage where you live.
That is also why buyers outside the US may be left out. Remote locking, status updates and code syncing all depend on Sidewalk, and Amazon says Sidewalk only runs in the US. Ring has not announced a UK, European or Canadian version.
Two more things to keep in mind. The lock has no camera, so if you want to see who is at the door, you will need a Ring doorbell or camera too. And the lock has not yet been authorized by the FCC, the US regulator for wireless devices, so Amazon cannot sell it until that approval comes through.
Ring also launched a batch of cameras the same day, several using its sharper Retinal 4K imaging:
The outdoor models are available for preorder now.
Turn the front dial back and forth three or four times. It generates enough power to run the lock for about 30 seconds so you can unlock it, then you recharge the battery pack.
Ring plans a US launch in the first quarter of 2027, once the FCC authorizes it. It will cost $249.
Ring has not announced it outside the US, and its remote features rely on Amazon Sidewalk, which Amazon says is available only in the United States.
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