dropcam

[suzuki98 0]

has anybody used a dropcam in conjunction with their current system? If so how do you like it?

[Don Stephens 0]

I've had this discussion with Dropcam, and the simple answer is that it's not possible. Due to it's proprietary nature, it isn't able to be incorporated with other devices and only supports recording to it's own cloud drive.

 

If you wanted a Dropcam product in your system, it'd have to be exclusively Dropcam.

[Digiscan 0]

Don is right, you won't be able to integrate Dropcam with any system right now.

 

They have some semblance of an API http://blog.dropcam.com/dropcam-api-beta-program/ or were going to, but it doesn't seem they care a great deal about it: http://support.dropcam.com/entries/21455573-dropcam-API

 

Closest you can get right now is you can pull jpgs off the camera but only if you make it public: http://m.accuweather.com/hu/weather-blogs/weathermatrix/hacks-for-google-nest-dropcam-mount-removing-mic/28273881

 

But I think you can make public a dropcam that has no subscription plan.

 

I had a couple of Dropcams until quite recently and although I'd still recommend them to people with no technical skills or interest to spend time on a technically superior solution, if you have half decent skills + time I'd say don't bother. I have a hikvision 3 MP cube that I paid under $150 for and it leaves the Dropcam Pro's image quality in the dust, and then some, plus it has a much better IR light and micro SD support, and of course no monthly cost. It's just much better hardware. The fact that the Dropcam HD is still going for $150 is kind of hilarious. I sold one for over $100 about a month ago on Amazon, used. People shouldn't be paying that much nowadays for a camera with that picture quality. It was okay two years ago, but not now.

[suzuki98 0]

thank you gentlemen..very good information

[whenduyou 0]

Info here is not really accurate. You can get access to most anything you want from your dropcam w/o making it public. I was looking around for some info on the recent change they have implemented that broke the way you could access streams from your private dropcams and came accross this forum. for the record, you can get access to whatever you want from your dropcam. The way they have implemented their "developer" program is pretty lame and quite arrogant. I'll be so happy when their entrie business model is destroyed in about 3 weeks with the release of some pretty cool software. Anyways, you may have to jump through hoops to get it, but most everything you want from your dropcam available. getting access to the current snapshot is quite easy. In some of the integrations I've made you can just continually get the current snapshot and in most ways get close to replicating the video stream, but they seem to be catching on to this and start to throttle requests. the stream is a little screwed up right now, but with some digging it is workable. there are a few projects that provide api access to dropcams. I've seen a python one, a ruby one and most recently a go one.

 

hope that's of interest/help.

[Boogieman 1]

Info here is not really accurate. You can get access to most anything you want from your dropcam w/o making it public. I was looking around for some info on the recent change they have implemented that broke the way you could access streams from your private dropcams and came accross this forum. for the record, you can get access to whatever you want from your dropcam. The way they have implemented their "developer" program is pretty lame and quite arrogant. I'll be so happy when their entrie business model is destroyed in about 3 weeks with the release of some pretty cool software. Anyways, you may have to jump through hoops to get it, but most everything you want from your dropcam available. getting access to the current snapshot is quite easy. In some of the integrations I've made you can just continually get the current snapshot and in most ways get close to replicating the video stream, but they seem to be catching on to this and start to throttle requests. the stream is a little screwed up right now, but with some digging it is workable. there are a few projects that provide api access to dropcams. I've seen a python one, a ruby one and most recently a go one.

 

hope that's of interest/help.

snapshot pulls.ha...the camera is great for the technically challenged who have to pay the monthly tech tax..otherwise dropcam is useless..Why in the world would you waste your time trying to get a workable stream...you seem pretty knowledgeable... just use a true ip cam..

300 dollars a year to keep 30 days of recording for a single cam??? no thank you

[Digiscan 0]

Info here is not really accurate. You can get access to most anything you want from your dropcam w/o making it public. I was looking around for some info on the recent change they have implemented that broke the way you could access streams from your private dropcams and came accross this forum. for the record, you can get access to whatever you want from your dropcam. The way they have implemented their "developer" program is pretty lame and quite arrogant. I'll be so happy when their entrie business model is destroyed in about 3 weeks with the release of some pretty cool software. Anyways, you may have to jump through hoops to get it, but most everything you want from your dropcam available. getting access to the current snapshot is quite easy. In some of the integrations I've made you can just continually get the current snapshot and in most ways get close to replicating the video stream, but they seem to be catching on to this and start to throttle requests. the stream is a little screwed up right now, but with some digging it is workable. there are a few projects that provide api access to dropcams. I've seen a python one, a ruby one and most recently a go one.

 

hope that's of interest/help.

Despite protestations that the info isn't accurate, you've qualified so many times that it seems it kind of was after all accurate

 

The problem with trying to get around Dropcam paid service is that Dropcam can at any time change how things are configured and therefore break people's tricks to get around it. Even if you built a system that pulls the streams of an unpaid account and records them locally, Dropcam could throttle that as well. At the end of the day, the dropcams are still $150 and $200 cameras, and their image quality is substantially inferior to similarly priced wired IP cameras.

[spork947 0]

I am reluctantly on the dropcam cvr service for indoors even with a recording pc for my outdoor cams. 1080p is supposedly coming for the pro but bandwidth will most likely be silly which might be why its not enabled yet. We all know the hikvision cube cam has a better image but the ironic thing is that dropcam seems to be the most secure and is why I still have mine. I finally bought a router that can do vpn so hopefully I can move away from dropcam. I just posted about this in another topic but ip cam security is a bad joke and at least dropcam gets that right but with them you have to worry about google spying instead.

[suzuki98 0]

I did get the drop cam as an extra camera indoors. I don't have it paired with my current system (Swann 3MP), which wasn't my intention. I have motion detectors inside my home which alert me on my mobile phone. I basically use the dropcam as eyes inside my house when the motion detectors go off. I might need to increase my internet speed because the drop cam drops signal quite a bit. That might be why they call it "dropcam." But the HD video is superb and I don't subscribe to the back service they offer.

[alexf40 2]

I'll be so happy when their entrie business model is destroyed in about 3 weeks with the release of some pretty cool software.

 

What's happening in about 3 weeks?

[Digiscan 0]

I'll be so happy when their entrie business model is destroyed in about 3 weeks with the release of some pretty cool software.

 

What's happening in about 3 weeks?

My guess: absolutely nothing.

 

Dropcam does have a big leg up on security. Works right out of the box and is pretty secure.

[Boogieman 1]

I'll be so happy when their entrie business model is destroyed in about 3 weeks with the release of some pretty cool software.

 

What's happening in about 3 weeks?

My guess: absolutely nothing.

 

Dropcam does have a big leg up on security. Works right out of the box and is pretty secure.

I dont see how its more secure if all you data is on someone elses servers..

[Digiscan 0]

I dont see how its more secure if all you data is on someone elses servers..

Because it's encrypted, then sent to Dropcam, and stored encrypted. I've not heard of anybody having their Dropcam feed hacked.

 

Other cameras have been accessed, whether through incompetent setup (e.g. default password) or security holes in the camera's firmware. In any case, accessing a camera remotely and securely takes more effort and know-how with a typical IP camera than it does with a Dropcam.

[RuthLandis 0]

This particular camera is ideal for both tech experienced and the not really. Does not require a challenging set up. It was a sleek, easy set up. Camera features are excellent for those who have good internet high speed.

[Boogieman 1]

This particular camera is ideal for both tech experienced and the not really. Does not require a challenging set up. It was a sleek, easy set up. Camera features are excellent for those who have good internet high speed.

No, its ideal for suckers who want to pay $300 dollars a year for 30 days of storage, have no live feed, and send all their video to the cloud with a mediocre camera. It is perfect only for the extremely technically challenged with money to burn in perpetuity.

[Don Stephens 0]

This particular camera is ideal for both tech experienced and the not really. Does not require a challenging set up. It was a sleek, easy set up. Camera features are excellent for those who have good internet high speed.

 

I'm not even going to argue with your because you simply called it a camera instead of a security camera. I actually sort of agree in that aspect. But as a security/surveillance device, I can think of very few options that are worse than a Dropcam.

 

P.S. - I can't believe we're still talking about Dropcam on this forum.

[thewireguys 3]

This particular camera is ideal for both tech experienced and the not really. Does not require a challenging set up. It was a sleek, easy set up. Camera features are excellent for those who have good internet high speed.

 

Only part of dropcam that is remotely attractive is lack of port forwarding. Everything is else is weak compared to other product offerings.