Smart-home hardware usually becomes less useful when it loses power.
Ring’s first smart lock is designed around that failure.
The company has introduced the Ring Smart Lock, a keyless deadbolt with an exterior Backup Power Dial. If the rechargeable battery is depleted, Ring says turning the dial a few times generates enough power to bring the lock back online and let the user enter.
That means Ring is removing the physical keyhole without pretending batteries never die.
The backup is built into the lock
Most of the feature list is familiar smart-lock territory: fingerprint access, a backlit keypad, control through the Ring app and Alexa integration.
The unusual part is the failure mode.
Other electronic locks often retain a physical key or provide external contacts for temporary battery power. Ring instead puts the recovery mechanism directly on the exterior of the lock.
The company says a few turns of the dial are enough to restore power for entry. Amazon has not published an independently verified number of turns or a measured amount of generated energy, so that claim remains manufacturer-reported until the hardware ships and is tested.
It does not rely on home Wi-Fi
Ring is also connecting the lock through Amazon Sidewalk, the low-bandwidth network shared by nearby compatible Amazon devices.
Amazon says remote locking, status updates and PIN synchronization can continue without relying on the home’s Wi-Fi connection. Unlocking itself happens on the device.
The lock is designed to fit a standard single-cylinder deadbolt and requires no additional wiring.
The useful idea is graceful failure
Connected-home products are usually sold on what they can do when everything is working.
The more consequential design question is what they do when something stops working.
A front door has a very low tolerance for failure. The battery will eventually run down. Wi-Fi will eventually drop. A service will eventually be unavailable. Adding software to a basic building function only makes sense if the recovery path is considered as carefully as the smart features.
That is what makes Ring’s dial more interesting than another app integration.
It is a small example of graceful degradation in the home: the electronic system can fail without making the underlying function inaccessible.
Ring says the Smart Lock will be available in the U.S. in early 2027 in black, silver and brass. The product is still pending required FCC authorization, and its backup-power system has not yet been independently tested.