Ring is taking aim at one of the biggest worries around smart locks with a surprisingly simple solution: a hand crank that can generate enough power to unlock the door when the battery is dead.
The Ring Smart Lock has a small wheel built into its front latch. Turn it back and forth three or four times and the motion generates around three volts, giving the lock enough power to operate for about 30 seconds. That should be enough time to use the fingerprint reader or keypad, open the Ring app, or even ask Alexa to unlock it.
Inside, the system uses a small motor and supercapacitor to store the power generated by the crank. Importantly, Ring says the lock doesn’t drop into a compromised low-power mode when this happens. It gets enough power to run normally for that short window.
It’s a neat answer to the obvious problem with smart locks: unlike a traditional key, they eventually need power. Ring founder Jamie Siminoff says that concern is one reason smart locks haven’t become more popular, and the crank is designed specifically as a backup for those worst-case moments.
You probably won’t need it very often, either. Ring says the built-in battery should last up to a year on a single charge, meaning the crank is really there for emergencies. It could also make sense for places such as remote cabins or buildings that aren’t visited regularly.
The Ring Smart Lock is expected to launch in the first few months of 2027, with Siminoff hoping to get it out closer to January than March. It will cost $249, come in Black, Silver and Brass, use a single-cylinder deadbolt and require no additional wiring. You can also register your interest now.
Ring is launching several camera updates alongside the lock, including the Outdoor Cam 4K Plus, Spotlight Cam 4K Plus, Floodlight Cam 4K Plus and Indoor Cam 4K, all with Retinal 4K. There’s also a new Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam 2K, whose motorised base can rotate 360 degrees, tilt 175 degrees and automatically follow detected motion. All of the cameras are available to pre-order now, although pricing varies by model and region.
The post Ring’s latest smart lock works even when the power’s out appeared first on Trusted Reviews.