Dropcam Echo : Home Security Meets the Cloud
by Ganesh T S on August 11, 2010 7:50 AM EST- Posted in
- Gadgets
- IP cameras
- camera
- camcorder
Power:
It is essential for the Dropcam to be always connected to a power outlet. However, this doesn't mean that the unit is a power hog. On the contrary, measurements with a Kill-a-Watt meter over a usage period of 28 hours indicated that the power consumption is approximately 1.4 Watts. Though the unit did get warmed up after extended usage, it never became hot enough for us to get concerned.
Bandwidth:
Another issue of concern for consumers would be the bandwidth consumed by the camera. With tiered broadband plans in place across the country, it is essential that users be aware of the amount of traffic generated by the camera. As mentioned in an earlier section, the video bitrate is around 80 kbps and the audio bitrate is around 60 kbps. One minute of video streaming consumes approximately 1 MB of bandwidth. This means that a Dropcam running 24x7 would, on an average, eat away 45 GB of the monthly quota provided by the ISP.
Latency:
Latency is a very important measure for IP cameras. A cloud based approach has some disadvantages in this respect, since high load on the servers and CDN issues may lead to lagging video. These are in addition to the local network conditions at the site of the camera as well as the viewing place. In our evaluation of the Dropcam Echo, we saw less than 1 second of latency on a T1 line. With the iPhone (AT&T's 3G service), it was 4 seconds, while my cable connection at home gave a lag of 11 seconds on an average. All these go to indicate that, at present, any latency issues are because of local network conditions, and not due to overloaded Dropcam servers. Hopefully, the Dropcam servers should be able to scale well with an increase in the number of connected Dropcams.
Consumers may look for better optics, PTZ functionality, wider viewing angles and other features in the camera, but the Dropcam Echo is fundamentally limited by the features of the Axis camera. The choice of the brand, as well as the model, is probably dictated by the manufacturer's willingness to let customers develop their own custom firmware on top of the base hardware platform.
At first glance, the Dropcam appears overpriced at $279 for the features provided. When the cost of the Axis camera is taken into account, we realize that Dropcam's excellent software stack and cloud service almost comes in for free. From a price to performance ratio, there is no doubt that the Dropcam Echo comes out to be a winner.
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vgribok - Thursday, August 12, 2010 - link
Security camera footage is just one kind of data generated by households that one wants to make accessible on the web in a secure, authenticated manner while not having to tinker with routers, IPs and such. Real problem is that it's very hard to create any web-based application that is easy enough for a non-technical person to install, and yet secure enough to expose it on the web. That's why there are very few redistributable web applications for consumers and small businesses, while large corporations moved to web based apps long time ago.An ability to build easily-redistributed web-based applications that can be installed inside LANs but still be securely exposed on the web without making non-techy people fiddle with routers, DNS, etc. is the idea being implemented by UltiDev HttpVPN (http://www.httpvpn.com/). It will be paired with Apple-like application store allowing creation and distribution of web applications for customers with no technical skills required to setup secure web hosting on premises, like consumers and small businesses. Home surveillance systems would be a perfect example of who would use HttpVPN.
ipvideomarket - Saturday, August 14, 2010 - link
Dropcam has dozens of competitors with more mature offerings delivering cloud native solutions.For instance, Axis has over 12 partners world-wide supporting Axis's Video Hosting Service.
Also, contrast to Viaas who is delivering a more sophisticated end to end solution.
Finally, a free 'cloud integration' service is offered by Lorex providing no-cost live video monitoring at half the up front cost of Dropcam.
Lonbjerg - Saturday, August 14, 2010 - link
Who in their right mind still thinks a MAC filter gives any form of security?It's spoofed in less than a second...madre mia :/
Anyone still using MAC filtering should turn in their network-man-card.
xtian78h - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - link
I'm NOT associated with this company before I'm accused of shameless plugging, but given the subject matter I'm surprised no-one has mentioned viaas.com (Video Intelligence As A Service). It looks to be similar to Dropcam.Key differences appear to be - that Dropcam has audio support & iphone monitoring (big plus) - The Viaas cameras come with a micro SDHC slot which allows for the loss of internet connectivity and a can also provide a buffer allowing the user to impose bandwidth / traffic shaping over DSL etc. Other challenges with Viaas - no iphone support.. lack of UK presence (pricing).
Whilst some will doubtless argue, why do you need UK pricing, it's a cloud service after all. When you start shipping cameras from the US and need to guestimate import duty, VAT etc - it just becomes tedious. Likewise with fluctuating exchange rates - services billed only in dollars can rapidly start adding up.