Convert Any Webcam Into A Surveillance System
December 20, 2009 by Gwendolyn Regina T
If you have ever left home and could not stop worrying about your kids or your pets, a surveillance system is something you need. However, solutions out in the market usually consist of expensive systems that takes some technical knowhow to set up in the first place. So if you have ever wished for a simple plug-and-play system, HomeCamera may be what you have been waiting for.
Local company Pechora Technologies has had their flagship product, HomeCamera recommended from as far away as The San Francisco Chronicle and The New Zealand Herald to places closer to home like Channel News Asia and Channel 8. A unique software that allows everyday non-technical users to easily turn any PC, webcam and mobile phone into a surveillance vehicle, HomeCamera even has motion detection for anyone hoping to detect any intruder.
The Beginnings of HomeCamera
The company’s beginning is interesting, having resulted from a management buyout from MobileOne (M1) back in September 2008 where the founders used to work at M1′s R&D subsidiary, Wireless Intellect Labs. Fast forward one year later and HomeCamera now sees users from over 180 countries. You can find out more about the HomeCamera journey through our interview with one of the cofounders, Varun Arora.
Why It Is Unique
If you have an inbuilt webcam, then HomeCamera will pretty much turn your entire laptop or PC into your own personal surveillance system, be it for home or office use. It’s as simple as Download Software ~> Login ~> Name Your Camera ~> Voilà, you’re done! The product works just the same for attached webcams as well.
However, if the simple plug-and-play mechanism of HomeCamera does not entice you enough, perhaps the ability to share your video feeds with friends and family might. So you can actually allow your parents watch their grandkids as they sleep if they live several streets down the road, or even a few continents away. Distance is not the issue when it comes to sharing your feeds.
The only downside is that HomeCamera only works for Windows and there is no version for Mac yet.
Extra Plus Point
So while the technical side of things is really a non-issue, the additional beauty of HomeCamera is that they work on a freemium model. This means that you can actually set up your own surveillance system for free in just a snap of the fingers.
But free means you do not get the privilege of live streaming and can only set up a limited number of cameras. For those who only have basic surveillance needs, this will work like a dream. If live streaming and more storage for your videos is what you need, they also offer a premium service at just USD 29.95 a year.
Compared to surveillance systems out there, where you have to pay perhaps around USD 100 for a reasonable set up, I would say HomeCamera’s offerings would be a gift from heaven for many!
Now
HomeCamera is a product by Pechora Technologies and they have raised over SGD 200k in funds from family, friends and grants. They are currently trying to close a small seed round.
Image courtesy of lancefisher.
About The Author
Gwendolyn Regina T - Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Apart from SGE, Gwen is also a Partner at Thymos Capital, where she focuses on early stage investments in technology firms. She has had two exits out of her investments via the firm, one of which is iHipo. A frequent judge for business competitions both locally and overseas, she graduated from the National University of Singapore. Gwen also spent some time in Silicon Valley and studied in Stanford University under the NUS Overseas College programme. Gwen is a mentor at Spanish incubator Tetuan Valley, Polish incubator Gamma Rebels, the Singapore Ambassador for the Sandbox network and the Singapore curator for StartupDigest. She enjoys languages, travelling, dance and adventure sports. Gwen can be found on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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