Ring has announced its first smart lock, and it drops the physical key entirely. Instead of a keyhole, the Ring Smart Lock has a power dial on the front: if the battery dies while you’re out, you turn the dial by hand to generate enough charge to wake the lock and get back in. It costs $249 and is due in the US in early 2027, once it clears FCC authorisation.
Smart lock makers usually solve the dead-battery problem with a backup key, a USB-C port or contacts for a 9V battery. Each one assumes you’re carrying the right thing at the door. Per Ring founder and chief inventor Jamie Siminoff, that “smart lock anxiety” is why people still carry keys, and in an interview with GeekWire he asked, “If you have to have a key, it’s like, well, why have a smart lock?”
How the power dial works
Amazon only says “a few” turns are needed. Siminoff told GeekWire it’s roughly five to ten, depending on how far and how fast you turn. A light goes green when the lock has enough power, and you then unlock it with a fingerprint, the keypad or the Ring app. According to Siminoff, most of the parts inside, including the power-generating components, are off the shelf; the new bit is putting them together.
Day to day, the lock runs on Ring’s removable Quick Release Ultra Battery Pack, which Siminoff expects to last about a year. It fits a standard single-cylinder deadbolt, needs no wiring, and comes in black, silver and brass. None of its features needs a Ring subscription.
Four ways in, plus scheduled access
You can unlock it in four ways: a fingerprint reader, a backlit touchscreen keypad, the Ring app, and Alexa voice commands through Echo devices. Owners can add multiple users and set when each one can get in, so a cleaner’s code can work only in a fixed weekly slot. Temporary codes can be set to expire after a set time. Lock activity appears in the Ring app feed alongside Ring doorbells, cameras and alarms.
The lock has no camera of its own. Per GeekWire, the camera integration is limited at launch: you can see a visitor on a Ring doorbell and unlock from the app, but the door won’t open automatically when a camera recognises a face. Siminoff said those deeper links haven’t been built yet. He was also cautious about Amazon couriers using the lock to drop parcels inside, saying he doesn’t see people entering homes without the owner present “at scale”.
The Sidewalk catch
Remote features don’t rely on home Wi-Fi. The lock connects through Amazon Sidewalk, a low-bandwidth network shared by nearby Echo and Ring devices, which handles remote locking, status updates and PIN syncing. Unlocking happens on the device itself, so a network outage won’t keep you out. Amazon’s own disclosure warns that Sidewalk coverage varies by location.
The bigger limitation is geography. Amazon’s developer documentation lists Sidewalk as supported only in the US, Canada and Mexico, and says Echo and Ring devices disable their Sidewalk gateway functions everywhere else. Amazon hasn’t said whether the lock can work over Wi-Fi or a hub instead.
Ring Smart Lock in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
There’s no word on the Gulf yet. Ring has only announced US availability, and Siminoff told GeekWire that the company will expand to other countries and other lock types if the deadbolt sells. Ring does sell in the UAE through its regional store, where the Wired Video Doorbell Pro (3rd Gen) with Plug-In Adapter is listed at AED 999, so the door-side ecosystem is already here (we reviewed the Wired Doorbell Pro in May). A grey-import lock would be a gamble until Amazon confirms how it connects outside Sidewalk countries. No UAE or Saudi price has been announced either.
Ring is also late to a market with established names such as Yale, Schlage and Aqara, and the timing is busy. Apple is reportedly co-developing a lock, doorbell and thermostat with LG, though those aren’t expected to reach shoppers for months.
Alongside the lock, Ring announced the $99.99 Indoor Cam 4K and the $69.99 Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam 2K, both on sale in the US now. Three new 4K outdoor models are up for US preorder.
FAQs
When can you buy the Ring Smart Lock?
Ring says it will go on sale in the US in early 2027 (GeekWire reports the first quarter), pending FCC authorisation. No other countries have been announced.
Does the Ring Smart Lock need a subscription?
No. Siminoff told GeekWire that none of the lock’s features requires a Ring subscription.
What happens if the battery dies?
You turn the built-in dial, roughly five to ten times by Siminoff’s estimate, until the light turns green, then unlock with your fingerprint, code or the app. There’s no keyhole, so there’s no physical key backup.
