The home automation segment is booming right now. There are hundreds of products being released and some you need to be a brain surgeon to figure out how to hook up. Well we came across the Dropcam and I have to say it is the easiest and fastest way to set up surveillance anywhere there is WiFi. You simply open the box, plug the camera into your Mac or PC and click an icon. Enter your WiFi info and you are done. The camera now broadcasts a live stream that you can access via dropcam.com or an available app.
Once setup on Wifi the Dropcam goes anywhere there is an AC plug and you are in range of your Wifi. I moved this camera a bunch of times and not once did I have a problem reconnecting. In fact we did not have any issues with the Dropcam. It worked flawlessly. The camera itself is a round plastic unit that snaps into an aluminum stand that also comes with a wall mount. It does 720p video and has a night vision mode that worked very well. The unit does use the internet so it will consume roughly 2GB a day or 60GB per month. Those of you with caps on your data plans will have to take that into consideration. The stream is encrypted with SSL encryption to prevent anyone from accessing your stream. However you do have the option to share and make the camera public. Anyone with a link or who visits dropcam.com can then see the cam.
The unit also has 2 way audio so you can listen in and also talk with whoever may be in area of the camera. There are many options with the Dropcam including getting an alert on your mobile device when the cam detects motion. This makes the Dropcam awesome at being a security device. Just plug it in and you can keep tabs on anything. The apps for your iOS or Android device are feature packed. You can have the camera turn on when you leave the location or when you arrive. It uses your phone to determine your location. Scheduling can also be turned on and off based on the time of day.
For even more security, Dropcam has cloud DVR plans starting at $9.95 per month for up to 7 days or $29.99 per month for up to 30 days of storage. This is per cam pricing so multiple cams can get expensive quick. The $9.95 plan is perfect for most users. You can look back at the past 7 days and even save the videos in mp4 format. The Dropcam allows anyone to set up a streaming camera in no time flat. The DVR function is great because no matter what happens to the cam it records and stores the video off site. There are no DVR boxes to upgrade. Dropcam does it all in the cloud and is constantly updating and adding features.
If you are in the market for a simple, easy to use surveillance camera that is feature packed, look no further than the Dropcam. In most cases it can be cheaper than most home security and monitoring systems.
Thats very cool! Nice writeup.
Thanks for the review guys! It looks like a good option for the home owner who wants to do something simple. But the constant streaming of the video to the dropcam web site would be a turn off for me. But then again, with the typical camera systems that I install there is always the looming concern that the DVR will be stolen during a robbery, and then the victim is SOL. In many cases we put the DVR in a lockable wall-mounted cabinet, but an off-site DVR is the ultimate solution to that problem.
This looks like a fairly affordable way to enter into the home surveillance market…. but I am somewhat hesitant about the idea of using cloud technology… while convenient, it just makes me a little nervous about others getting access to it per say…. But alas, I use cloud for all sorts of other stuff, so why worry? 🙂
Nice review. Very cool camera.
planted some tomatoes plants 4of them. next day something ate them.
cameras…need need them now.have to know..lol