Ring’s $249.99 Smart Lock Has a Dial for a Dead Battery

Ring’s first smart lock carries its own emergency power, on paper. When the battery is dead, Ring says you twist the Backup Power Dial on the lock until the keypad turns on, then enter your PIN. It lists at $249.99 on Ring’s own store, connects over Amazon Sidewalk rather than a hub, fits a standard single-cylinder deadbolt, and reaches the US in early 2027.

Every detail below is from Ring’s and Amazon’s own pages, read on 11 October 2026, unless it is attributed. Nobody outside Ring has used the lock yet, including us.

What Ring has published, and what it has not

Question	Ring’s answer
Price	$249.99 on ring.com, read 11 October; a Notify Me button, not an order button
When, where	US only, early 2027; black, silver or brass
Dead battery	Twist the Backup Power Dial until the keypad turns on, then enter your PIN
Ways in	Fingerprint, backlit touchscreen keypad, Ring app, Alexa
Hub	None named. Connects over Amazon Sidewalk; needs Sidewalk coverage
Subscription	Required for digital arming and disarming and “certain other in-app features”; 30-day Ring Protect trial included
Door	A standard single-cylinder deadbolt, no wiring
Battery	Rechargeable Quick Release Ultra Battery Pack
Not published	Battery life, turns needed, charge the dial restores, door thickness and backset

The Verge reported the same price, rounded to $249, on 7 October. Both Ring’s product page and Amazon’s post say the lock has not yet been authorised by the FCC and may not be sold until it is, and the store shows no order button. The Verge describes the early-2027 date as pending that approval.

Does the dial remove the dead-battery lockout?

On Ring’s description, it removes the version of it our guide to what happens when a smart lock’s battery dies worries about most. On a lock with no keyhole, the recovery method is something external: a power bank for a USB-C port, or a 9-volt battery held to contacts. That guide’s warning was that the power bank charging on the kitchen counter is inside the house you cannot enter.

Ring’s design puts the recovery inside the lock. There is nothing to carry and nothing to leave in a drawer. Ring’s founder, Jamie Siminoff, puts it as “no backup key or battery to carry, no locksmith to call” in Amazon’s announcement.

What Ring has not published is how much work that takes. Amazon says “turn the dial a few times”; The Verge notes Amazon does not give a number. Nor does Ring say whether the dial does more than wake the keypad long enough for one PIN. The battery pack is removable and rechargeable, and the product page describes the dial as getting you to the keypad, not as a way to charge the pack.

Failsafe	Ring Smart Lock	Aqara U100 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab), U200, Aqara U300 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)
Physical key	None; Amazon says it “eliminates the key”	A hidden key slot, on models that have one
Emergency power	Built-in dial; nothing to carry	USB-C port for a power bank, on Aqara’s “top models”
Low-battery warning	Not described on Ring’s pages	App reminders and LEDs on the lock

Aqara’s column is from its own article, which says each of those three locks has “at least two out of three” of these failsafes. Ring’s column is what Ring’s pages say about one lock. That is a comparison of published designs, not of how either works on a cold doorstep.

It needs Amazon Sidewalk, not your Wi-Fi

The lock talks to the internet through Amazon Sidewalk, a shared network carried by nearby Amazon devices. Ring’s product page says it “requires Amazon Sidewalk coverage for use”. Amazon says remote locking, status checks and PIN syncing happen “without relying on your home Wi-Fi”, and that unlocks happen on the device. On Ring’s description, a fingerprint or PIN at the door does not need the network; checking or locking it from your phone does.

Ring’s support page says Sidewalk reaches “90% of people in the United States”, and that if your neighbourhood already has good coverage you need only the device. A Sidewalk bridge — some Echo speakers, a Ring Bridge (2nd Gen), and several wired Ring cameras — strengthens the connection. Ring’s list of which bridges support which devices did not include the Smart Lock when we read it on 11 October.

That also changes what an outage does. Ring says Sidewalk helps Ring devices stay online “even when your internet is out”, by routing through neighbours’ bridges. A lock that reaches the internet through your own router or hub goes offline with it, which is the split our page on why a smart home stops working when the internet drops walks through.

Ring and Amazon name Ring doorbells, cameras, Ring Alarm, Echo and Alexa as what it works with. Neither page mentions Matter, Apple Home or Google Home.

The subscription, and the door

The subscription. Ring’s footnote says a compatible Ring subscription is required for “digital arming/disarming and certain other in-app features”. It does not list the others. Scheduled access, such as Amazon’s example of a dog walker let in only on Tuesdays from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., is described without a subscription footnote, but Ring has not said which side of the line it falls on. The lock includes a 30-day Ring Protect trial, and we set out what Ring’s plans cost each year separately.

The door. Ring says it “fits a standard single-cylinder deadbolt” with no wiring. A single-cylinder deadbolt has a key on the outside and a thumb turn on the inside; a double-cylinder door, keyed on both sides, is not mentioned. Ring has not published door thickness or backset ranges.

Before you plan around it

• Check Sidewalk coverage at your address first. Ring’s product page links a coverage check. Without coverage, Ring says the lock cannot be used.
• Check your deadbolt is single-cylinder. That is the one door requirement Ring has published.
• Wait for the details that decide it. Battery life, the number of turns, and which features need a subscription are not published yet, and the lock cannot go on sale before FCC approval.
• If you already own a keyless lock, the old advice still holds until then: keep its power bank or 9-volt somewhere outside the house.

Questions people ask

How much is the Ring smart lock?

Ring lists it at $249.99 on its own US store, read on 11 October 2026. The page shows a Notify Me button rather than an order button, because the lock does not go on sale until early 2027.

When is the Ring smart lock coming out?

Ring says early 2027, in the US only, in black, silver and brass. The lock had not been authorised by the FCC when it was announced, and Ring says it may not be sold until it is, so that date depends on the approval.

What happens if the Ring smart lock battery dies?

Ring says you twist the Backup Power Dial on the lock until the keypad turns on, then enter your PIN. Ring has not published how many turns that takes. The battery itself is a removable, rechargeable Quick Release Ultra Battery Pack.

Does the Ring smart lock need a hub or Wi-Fi?

Ring names no hub. The lock connects over Amazon Sidewalk and requires Sidewalk coverage where you live. Ring says a neighbourhood with good coverage needs only the device, and a Sidewalk bridge such as some Echo speakers or a Ring Bridge strengthens the connection.

Do you need a Ring subscription for the smart lock?

Not to unlock it, on Ring’s description: fingerprint and PIN unlocks happen on the device. Ring says a compatible subscription is required for digital arming and disarming and for certain other in-app features, without listing which. The lock comes with a 30-day Ring Protect trial.

Does the Ring smart lock have a key?

Ring describes four ways in without a key: fingerprint, keypad, the Ring app and Alexa. Amazon says it eliminates the key and quotes Ring’s founder saying there is no backup key or battery to carry. The dial is the backup.