Ring introduces a keyless smart deadbolt powered by a manual emergency dial

Ring has revealed its first smart deadbolt, expanding beyond video doorbells and security cameras into physical door hardware. The device removes the standard keyhole entirely, relying on digital entry methods and a built-in hand dial to protect owners from getting trapped outside.

Battery anxiety has long held back smart locks. Traditional versions often keep an old-fashioned metal key as a safeguard, while others require owners to hold a nine-volt battery or plug a charging cable into the front plate during an emergency. Ring founder Jamie Siminoff argued that needing a physical key defeats the purpose of buying a connected deadbolt in the first place.

To handle drained batteries, the unit contains a small internal generator and a supercapacitor. Reports vary slightly on the physical effort required, with accounts describing between three or four back-and-forth twists to as many as ten full turns. That brief manual effort produces roughly three volts, keeping the lock awake for about thirty seconds so the user can open it.

Once the lock receives power and a status light turns green, the door can be opened in four ways. Users can press a fingerprint scanner, type a code into a backlit keypad, open the Ring phone application, or issue a command through Amazon Alexa.

Under normal conditions, manual winding will not be necessary. The deadbolt runs on a standard rechargeable Ring battery pack intended to last approximately one full year, sending phone notifications when energy levels run low. The hardware fits into standard single-cylinder door cutouts without extra wiring and will sell in black, silver, and brass finishes.

The lock is scheduled to ship in the United States during the first quarter of 2027 for $249, subject to regulatory clearance from the Federal Communications Commission. It connects to household systems through Amazon Sidewalk, an automated neighborhood wireless network, and requires no ongoing monthly subscription to use its basic tools.

Siminoff said the idea came to him while shopping for a lock for an infrequently visited vacation cabin, where dead batteries were a constant worry. He used artificial intelligence software on his home computer to run early calculations on part sizes, costs, and necessary turns before passing the project to engineering teams.

The hardware also arrives as Ring works to rebuild customer trust following public criticism over camera privacy and police partnerships earlier in the year. The lock does not include an onboard camera, will not unlock automatically using camera facial recognition, and relies on an encryption setup that deletes company-held viewing keys after use.

Alongside the deadbolt, Ring also introduced refreshed security cameras. The updates include four high-resolution 4K models designed for indoor, floodlight, and spotlight use, as well as a motorized indoor camera capable of rotating across a full circle to track motion.