If you've been waiting for Ring's innovative flying security camera to become available, your patience might soon be rewarded. The long-anticipated Always Home Cam — an indoor drone that patrols your home while you're away — could finally hit the market after multiple delays since its big debut in 2020.

Ring's chief executive, Jamie Siminoff, has reportedly been trialling the airborne security device in his workplace, suggesting a potential release may be imminent. Originally scheduled for a 2021 launch that failed to materialise, the flying camera made an appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2023 in Las Vegas.

For those seeking a home monitoring system without installing numerous fixed cameras throughout your property, this single mobile solution promises to transform how you safeguard your living spaces.

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If you're unfamiliar with the brand, Ring was originally founded in Santa Monica, California, in 2013 and later acquired by Amazon in 2018. It's best known for creating its popular video doorbells and security cameras to prevent crime.

Your Always Home Cam will navigate pre-programmed flight paths that you establish yourself through the Ring mobile app, ensuring it monitors exactly where you need coverage.

"Left a window open or the stove on? Create flight paths ahead of time so you can manually check in with the Ring App from anywhere," Ring confirmed.

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To ensure there are no mid-flight crashes at your humble abode, the drone incorporates collision-avoidance technology to prevent impacts with household fixtures and furnishings during its patrols. This means you won't be coming home to a broken lamp or fallen picture frame.

After completing its surveillance circuit, your device will automatically return to its charging dock to recharge.

You'll have approximately five minutes of flight duration per charge, so the drone will remain in the air for a limited amount of time. Plus, the system restricts operation to a single floor level at a time, so have no fear about losing the device in the house.

Since the drone flies automatically to whatever room you've directed it to, you're not able to manually operate it yourself, nor can you use the device outdoors or direct it between different levels in a building.

That should allay any fears that Ring Always Home could be used to fly around the neighbourhood to peer through other people's windows — rather than keeping tabs on the rooms in your own home.

Initial manufacturing costs would have resulted in a sky-high retail price of $2,000, making it expensive for many households. Advances in more accessible vehicle technology have since reduced costs significantly, bringing the price down to $249.99 (£185.80 converted).

"Instead of simply encouraging customers to buy more cameras and set them up in more locations around the home, how could we solve this problem with one solution?" Siminoff explained in a company blog post. The executive emphasised their goal of providing "users the flexibility of every viewpoint they want around the home, while delivering on our founding principles of privacy and security."

Despite this new innovation, there have been security concerns regarding introducing flying surveillance equipment into residential spaces. The device contains only visual recording capabilities without audio functionality, unlike Ring's doorbell products.

Privacy campaign organisation Big Brother Watch has voiced strong opposition to the concept.

"It's difficult to imagine why Amazon thinks anyone wants flying internet cameras linked up to a data-gathering company in the privacy of their own home," the group's representative Silkie Carlo during the product's initial announcement.

Critics maintain that regardless of technical specifications, the fundamental idea of airborne surveillance within private residences raises troubling questions.