Ring has sold doorbells and cameras for years, but you still had to buy someone else’s lock to finish the job. That changes with the Ring Smart Lock, the company’s first, which was unveiled this week with a fingerprint reader, a keypad and a trick for dead batteries. The catch: you cannot buy it yet.
What Ring announced
The Ring Smart Lock is priced at $249 and comes in black, silver and brass. It offers four ways in: a fingerprint reader, a backlit touchscreen keypad, the Ring app and Alexa voice control. Reporting on the launch says it is expected in the US in 2027, and that it still needs FCC authorization before it can go on sale. No international launch has been announced, so UK and EU buyers will have to wait for news.
The clever bit: a power dial
The feature that stands out is a power dial, described as a first of its kind, designed to keep the lock usable when its battery dies. Anyone who has stood on a doorstep with a flat smart-lock battery knows why this matters. Most rivals fall back on a physical key or a 9V battery trick, so a built-in solution is a real point in the lock’s favor, though we have not tested how well it works in practice.
Ring also says you can give specific people scheduled access, for example limiting a dog walker to certain days and hours, and check or change the lock status remotely from the app.
Connectivity and the Ring ecosystem
The lock uses Amazon Sidewalk, Amazon’s low-power shared network, for remote locking, status updates and PIN syncing, so it does not rely only on your home Wi-Fi. It works with Ring doorbells, cameras and alarms, and with Echo devices for voice control. That is the real pitch: one app for the whole front door.
The flip side is lock-in. If your home runs on Apple Home, you may prefer to wait and see what Apple shows at its own smart home event this week, which we covered in our Welcome Home preview. Some reports suggest Apple may also be working on a lock with a partner, though that is unconfirmed. We do not yet know how this Ring lock fits into other ecosystems.
Should you wait?
With a 2027 US window and regulatory approval pending, this is a “watch” item, not a “buy” item. If you already own Ring gear and Alexa speakers, it looks tailor-made for you. If you are building a smart home on another platform, check compatibility first. Ring’s history is also worth weighing: smart locks are only as good as their security updates and the company’s track record on privacy, so read the fine print before handing over fingerprint data.
The $249 price is the announced figure, but with approval pending and no firm release date, treat it as provisional.
Bottom Line
The Ring Smart Lock is a sensible first attempt: four ways to unlock, a battery fallback and tight links to the Ring and Alexa ecosystem, for $249. But it is a 2027 product that still lacks FCC clearance. Bookmark it, do not budget for it yet.
FAQ
How much does the Ring Smart Lock cost?
It is priced at $249 (about £180). It has not been approved by the FCC yet, so that price may not apply until it goes on sale.
When can I buy the Ring Smart Lock?
It is expected in the US in 2027 and needs FCC authorization first. No global launch has been announced.
How do you unlock it?
Four ways: a fingerprint reader, a backlit touchscreen keypad, the Ring app, or Alexa voice control. A power dial is meant to help if the battery runs out.
Featured image: Photo by Sebastian Scholz (Nuki) on Unsplash.
