Key Highlights
- Amazon Ring launches commercial security play with disruptive pricing: At CES, Ring unveiled mobile surveillance trailers and panoramic cameras with pricing that undercuts traditional manufacturers by a significant percentage.
- Solar-powered mobile trailers: Industry expert says the modular units at less than $5,000 are poised to disrupt not only the trailer market, but also the monitoring market.
- Panoramic cameras challenge enterprise tier: The $999 price for a six-sensor Ring Elite camera may require annual subscriptions and faces integration questions, but they are cheap enough that throwing them away beats supporting them.
For the security industry, CES tends to be a showcase for what’s coming; a vehicle for technology research and development teams to proudly demonstrate features and gadgets that will eventually find their way into widespread use in our industry.
CES 2026 did not disappoint in that regard; however, beyond the R&D and technology of tomorrow, Amazon Ring unveiled some “technology of today” – or at least of this coming spring – that sent shockwaves throughout the commercial security industry, not because of the technology itself, but because of their starting prices, which look to be truly disruptive.
Mobile Surveillance Units
Walking into the Amazon pavilion at CES, it was impossible to miss the prominence of the Ring brand. It dominated an entire quadrant of the large ballroom-turned-exhibitor space. And rising above it all was what has become a familiar sight in retail parking lots all across the country: a mobile surveillance trailer.
The newest member of Ring’s “Jobsite” portfolio of products – which includes commercial video surveillance cameras and sensors – the solar-powered “Ring Mobile Security Trailer brings security to construction sites, parking lots, and outdoor event venues,” according to a press release. “Designed to work with the full lineup of Ring cameras, the [trailers] make it easy to build reliable security for any site.”
As I examined the trailer inside the exhibit, an Amazon marketing or salesperson walked over, noticed my Security Business affiliation, and asked me flat out: “Knowing what you know about the security industry, how much do you think this trailer costs?”
I said $35,000. He smiled and said $4,999.
“A one-time cost of $4,999 MSRP is truly a disruption,” says Security Business Tech Trends columnist Jon Polly, Chief Solutions Officer of ProTecht Solutions Partners, who coincidentally just wrote a column on the gaining popularity of mobile surveillance trailers in the December 2025 issue of Security Business.
Polly says Amazon Ring is challenging other security trailer manufacturers by making the unit modular – so it can be trailered, placed in a pickup bed, or set on the ground. He adds that it does lack a number of features offered on traditional trailers – such as lights and generator backup – but it can be equipped with Amazon’s 24/7 professional monitoring.
“This disrupts not only the trailer market, but also the monitoring market,” Polly says.
While many see this entry into the market as a price disruptor, Steve Lindsey, CTO and co-founder of mobile surveillance unit (MSU) manufacturer LiveView Technologies, sees it differently. “Ring’s MSU product further validates the importance and need for MSUs in the physical security industry,” Lindsey says.
He adds that, like most products, price is often dictated by the complexity of the offering. “Anyone can connect a camera to a cellular modem and mount it to a solar-powered trailer or MSU – the hard part is making the MSU enterprise-grade, reliable, cyber-secure, agile, future-proof, and ultimately effective,” Lindsey explains. “Some buyers are less concerned with long-term advanced protection, data privacy, and reliability, and that is the place for the budget MSU.”
Multi-Sensor Panoramic Cameras
Mounted atop the mobile surveillance unit was another member of Amazon Ring’s new commercial security-focused lineup, a six-sensor panoramic camera that is one of four in a new line of “Ring Elite” cameras also introduced at CES.
“Built for large and complex environments, Ring Elite provides flexible, enterprise-ready configurations designed to meet a wide range of security needs,” a press release says. “Available in Retinal 4K and four configurations with fields of view ranging from 140° to a full 360°, Ring Elite helps eliminate blind spots and deliver comprehensive visibility across entire properties.”
The press release goes on to explain that by reducing the number of devices needed to cover expansive areas, deployments become more simplified with fewer infrastructure requirements, making them “well-suited for campuses, logistics yards, parking facilities, and other large-scale environments.”
The shot across the bow for panoramic camera manufacturers in the security industry – dominated by Motorola Solutions (Avigilon), Axis Communications, and Hanwha Vision – is the Ring Elite's MSRP, which is $999 for the six-sensor model, according to a Ring representative inside the exhibit.
“Multi-sensor cameras are quite popular, with more and more vendors launching solutions,” confirms Fredrik Nilsson, VP of the Americas for Axis Communications. “Based on what has been shared publicly, the new Ring cameras appear primarily positioned around home and general outdoor visibility. It also seems that they are requiring a Ring subscription ($50-200/year for each camera), and I’m not sure if they can be integrated into other systems.”
Polly says that this is Amazon making new rules in the commercial security industry. “This is Ubiquiti gone mainstream, where support may be limited, but at $1K for a multi-sensor camera, it is almost cheaper from a labor standpoint to throw the camera away instead of supporting it. It reshapes the market and changes the value of the Service Level Agreement (SLA), while also allowing more in-house maintenance teams to install and support them.”
Nilsson contends that this mindset is often in direct contrast to the goals and focus of enterprise security professionals. “In professional and enterprise security, goals and value are defined differently – focusing on total cost of ownership, long-term performance, cybersecurity resilience, regulatory compliance, integration into open platforms, and reliable operation in demanding conditions,” he says.
Pending Disruption in Commercial Security?
The speculation here is clear: Is Amazon Ring shifting its focus from the front doors of homes to the perimeters of businesses? Should the video surveillance industry – from manufacturers to integrators to enterprise end-users – be worried?
“Ring has almost dominated the residential business segment with the video doorbell, but they may or may not be ready for the commercial segment,” contends Matt Barnette, CEO of PSA Security Network. “Case in point, is CES really the right venue for a commercial security product [introduction]?”
Barnette adds that our industry tends to welcome competition and new technologies. “Ring may push others to be better,” he says.
Nilsson echoes the rising tide concept: “I believe the latest activity in the marketplace underscores the vitality of the security industry, highlighting both the ongoing innovation driving technology forward and the increasing accessibility of advanced solutions across consumer and professional markets,” Nilsson says.
The industry responses reveal a split: Manufacturers emphasize enterprise features and TCO, while others acknowledge that Ring's pricing forces a reckoning for mid- and smaller-market buyers who may have previously been priced out of professional-grade solutions.
Whether Ring captures commercial market share or validates the premium tier remains to be seen, but their price tags ensure the question can’t be ignored.
Check out all of our LIVE VIDEO COVERAGE of CES 2026
About the Author
Paul Rothman
Editor-in-Chief/Security Business
Paul Rothman is Editor-in-Chief of Security Business magazine. Email him your comments and questions at [email protected]. Access the current issue, full archives and apply for a free subscription at www.securitybusinessmag.com.