Ring’s upcoming Smart Lock includes a hand crank that powers the lock for 30 seconds when its battery runs flat.
The crank sits on the front of the lock as the latch wheel, and three or four back-and-forth turns generate enough charge to run the hardware when the internal battery has nothing left.
Those turns drive a small motor that feeds a supercapacitor, which builds up around three volts and keeps the lock running at full capability rather than in a reduced low-power mode for about half a minute.
Half a minute gives owners enough time to unlock the door through the fingerprint reader, keypad, Ring app or Alexa.
Most owners may never need the crank, since Ring rates the built-in battery at around a year per charge, which leaves the backup mechanism for rare emergencies rather than routine use.
Rare as those emergencies may be, Ring founder Jamie Siminoff built the lock around them, since he sees fear of a dead battery locking owners out as the main barrier holding smart locks back.
Speaking to Engadget, Siminoff also sees the crank suiting properties that owners visit only occasionally, such as remote cabins, where a lock that generates its own power removes the risk of a flat battery on arrival.
Pricing, finishes and installation
Ring plans to release the Smart Lock in early 2027 for $249 (around £185), and Siminoff hopes to launch closer to January than March, while a registration page for interested buyers is already open.
Alongside that pricing, the lock comes in Black, Brass and Silver finishes and uses a single-cylinder deadbolt that needs no additional wiring, although Ring has not yet confirmed UK pricing or a UK release date.
Retinal 4K and pan-tilt cameras
Ring paired the lock announcement with a camera refresh that adds the Floodlight Cam 4K Plus, Indoor Cam 4K, Outdoor Cam 4K Plus and Spotlight Cam 4K Plus to the Retinal 4K range it introduced last year.
Alongside those models, the new Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam 2K sits on a powered base that rotates a full 360 degrees and tilts 175 degrees, and it automatically tracks movement it detects inside the home.
All five cameras are available to pre-order now at prices that vary by model and region, while the Smart Lock remains on course for a release in the first few months of 2027.
