Webcams aren?t new, and WiFi isn?t new, but it?s taken some time for WiFi-enabled video streaming cameras to come back right down to a degree where remote home surveillance within reason affordable. Dropcam?s second-gen offering, the Dropcam HD, is a compact webcam with integrated wireless network connectivity, along with a set of online and smartphone apps that each one link up with the company?s cloud-based backbone. We?ve been under the watchful eye of the Dropcam HD; try the whole SlashGear review after the cut.
Hardware
Dropcam?s is rightly pleased with the HD: its first-gen hardware, the Echo, was designed externally, however the company brought development in-house for this new model. The result is something that appears way more consumer-friendly than the blocky white Echo. The Dropcam HD itself is a small glossy black puck that slots right into a detachable metal stand with a posable base: together, they?re 4.5-inches high and about 3.15-inches across.
The hinged base is stiff enough to remain at whatever angle you put it to, and you?ll tilt the Dropcam HD itself within the stand to fine-tune things. Power is courtesy of a compact AC brick with a protracted microUSB cable as much as the camera itself; unlike the former Dropcam models, there isn?t a ethernet option, only WiFi b/g/n, though that?s no great loss for the shopper market. A rubber foot for the stand has a clip to maintain the facility cable in place.
Setup requires plugging the Dropcam HD into your computer via USB, creating an account through Dropcam?s site and punching to your WiFi network credentials. After that, it automatically logs on overtime it?s powered up. There is a 12-LED infrared light array across the lens, for nighttime use, together with a speaker and a microphone.
Service
Part of the straightforward setup of the Dropcam Echo is the absence of any local software to put in: everything is accessed ? and stored ? inside the cloud. The corporate offer several tiers of service: the free ?Basic? package enables you to log in and look at live streaming video, either throughout the regular browser or the iOS app, but no recording functionality. There also are email and mobile (iPhone-only) alerts triggered by the sound and motion sensors. For $9.95 per 30 days and the ?Plus? package you get live streaming consisting of seven days of archive access (and the power to download select clips or photos for your own computer).
Finally, the ?Pro? plan offers 30 days of online recording for $29.95. It?s worth noting that the subscription fees increase per camera you add: $4.95 per extra for the Plus plan or $14.95 per thirty days for the professional plan. When you have, say, three cameras and wish a month?s historic access to the footage each records, you are looking at almost $60 per thirty days. The Android and iPhone apps themselves are free and work with all tiers of service, though there is not any iPad-specific version. When you have a tool with Flash support within the browser, you could log into the Dropcam site and stream video that way instead.
Performance
Where the unique Dropcam was limited to QVGA 320 x 240 resolution video, and only offered streaming two-way audio on a dearer model, the Dropcam HD promises both 720p HD footage and sound as standard.
Unfortunately video quality is purely average, suffering particularly in low-light, though it?s reasonably smooth because of the 30fps refresh rate. Audio quality is fair, and the microphone is essentially quite sensitive, though we noticed a major amount of crackling both throughout the desktop UI and the mobile apps. The speaker ? used for 2-way audio ? is small and subsequently suffers very low volume, and there is no audio output for plugging in a more vocal system. With observed a roughly 2-3 second delay on audio.
Desktop
iPhone 4S
Galaxy Nexus
Motion and audio detection are both very sensitive, and shortage controls to regulate exactly what they?ll reply to. Each will mark the net timeline (within the Plus and Pro subscription packages) to signify when noise or movement was spotted; both packages, plus the Free plan, can optionally send out an alert to inform you something has happened. Their effectiveness is mostly right down to where the camera is positioned, and when you have pets you are able to expect loads of false alarms.
Still, the automated flagging makes reviewing footage much more straightforward than scrubbing throughout the entire timeline, and you?ll request a download clip of any section that comes through in MP4 format with audio.
Wrap-Up
Setup, convenience and ? if you happen to pick a subscription ? functionality cannot be criticized within the Dropcam HD. The camera is compact, discrete and simple to position, especially in the event you use only the puck central section, which blends reasonably well into the shadows, and the desktop UI and mobile apps are straightforward to make use of.
Although the subscription-free option is welcome, we won?t really recommend it for any however the most casual of users. Despite the genuine-time movement alerts, you?ll likely struggle to access the webcam feed quickly enough to determine what have been happening; that?s when the net DVR feature is available in top of the line.
That said, the $149 starting price for the Dropcam HD is only that: a starting figure and then you should consider subscription fees. Dropcam offers a year?s access to the Plus plan for $99.95 in the event you pay upfront; still, scale as much as just a few cameras spread in regards to the house, as many home surveillance enthusiasts would like, and you are looking at a couple of hundred dollars once a year. Contrast that with Logitech?s Alert camera system, which offers local DVR-style storage for your home network (and premium remote access to recordings for $80 per year, per system).
The Dropcam service is definitely easy to exploit, and there are handy sharing features, which let you send clips and photographs to others ? great for showing grandparents what the infant is as much as ? but it?s a luxurious way of doing things. Subsequently, you pay for the privilege of Dropcam?s simplicity.
-dropcam HD
Check out the original source here.
Source: http://www.tywigs.org/gadgets-reviews/dropcam-hd-review
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