Got a little corner of your property that you’d like to keep a closer eye on? Or are you just concerned that the babysitter is not shaking your kids hard enough when they start acting up? Then what you need is the Dropcam HD, a Wi-Fi video camera designed for remote monitoring.
Dropcam works by streaming video to Dropcam’s servers, and you can tune in any time from a browser or from your iPhone, iPad or Android device. You can also set it up to alert you (via push notification) if motion is detected, and a mic and speaker let you talk to anyone at the other end.
This alone is pretty cool, but if you pair it with a monthly plan (starting at $10) then you can keep the previous seven days of video in the cloud for your viewing pleasure (or 30 days with the $30 pro account). And to help you trawl through the DVR footage, there are event markers on the video timeline to indicate movement alerts.
The camera — currently on back order until the end of May — costs $150, and the DVR plans are optional.
[Via Uncrate]
Charlie Sorrel writes reviews and how-tos. Follow Charlie on Twitter at @mistercharlie, and at micro.blog on @mistercharlie
7 responses to “Dropcam HD, The iOS-Friendly Wi-Fi Security Camera”
This looks like a (less attractive) copy of the “iZone” camera you can pick up in the Apple stores. The problem I have with both however is the web account. It’s really not necessary to have to have a website, and an account with the website, and monthly fees etc. to accomplish the same thing.
I’m waiting for someone to come up with a product that doesn’t require you to start yet another account/service with yet another company for no good reason.
Nothing about the range though?? I’m considering an front and back yard scenario so I should be fine but still curious.
Baby shaking is a serious offense to the health of children. I don’t think that it should be taken in such a light-hearted manner as the author has done in the introduction of this article. I believe that the author owes an apology to the readers and the families that are suffering from baby shaken syndrome.
I have iZon, and i think it’s better than this product. I mean who wants to pay monthly fee. It’s your device if you want to leave it on when you go out of town than turn it on, and then turn it off.
Reading helps, people. Copy of Izon? Dropcam’s been around for much longer …
Not to mention that the monthly fee is optional, and the DVR service is pretty useful. I think some people are just cheap, and Dropcam is better off without them as customers. I returned “izon” not only because it was so hard to setup, but it also had a 30 second delay and limited recording functionality. The hardware also just felt cheap. The Dropcam HD I just got is working beautifully, it’s got night vision and two way audio, a nice solid aluminum stand … and it also works on more than just iOS …
Could you be any duller? (don’t answer, you probably could.)