Forget Amazon Key, Cloud Cam Is A Great Security Camera

Amazon finally unveiled its smart camera, the Cloud Cam on Wednesday. It was designed for the Amazon Key in-home delivery service but can also work as a security camera.

Ever since it was unveiled, the camera has faced flak since Amazon had proposed its usage in the Key in-home delivery camera. The proposed mechanism was the smart camera would unlock smart locks to let an Amazon delivery person drop your package inside your home. This mechanism had generated many privacy and security concerns.

However, Cloud Cam is perfectly suited to be a standalone security camera. It is a pretty affordable smart security camera, priced at $120 and offers some great specs for the cost — a 120-degree viewing angle, 1080p video, motion detection and two-way audio. It also comes with eight infrared LEDs, which can be used for night vision. Amazon is also offering 24 hours of cloud storage for clips recorded from the security camera.

You can also extend the storage using Amazon’s plans — the basic plans will let users review stored clips from three cameras for $7 a month or $69 an year, the extended plan offers storage of 14 days of footage and five cameras for $10 a month or $99 an year and the Pro plan offers storage for 30 days of footage for $20 a month or $199 an year. You can try any subscription plan free for 30 days.

The camera is capable of person detection, which is better than standard security cameras that only have motion detection. It also works around motion zones — zones which can be specially scanned for activity.

The Cloud Cam is compatible with iOS, Fire OS and Android OS using the Amazon Cloud Cam app. The app also comes with a tutorial on pairing a user’s smartphone with the camera using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and can control a series of cameras using its Bluetooth connection to just one Amazon Cloud Cam.

The wide-angle camera is capable of pushing out 1080p footage with accurate color, balanced lighting and sharp detail. It is expected to provide clearer audio than standard CCTVs.

Most importantly, the camera’s streaming feed can be accessed live from the smartphone. The recorded clips are available from Amazon’s cloud service in reverse chronological order. Users can tap on a clip to view it, download and share it.

Another interesting feature is the camera actually records only when its motion triggers are activated rather than recording 24/7 like other cameras. This saves battery. Users can determine the motion sensitivity in three presets — low, medium and high. The motion sensor will then capture objects 5, 10 or 20 feet away. The cloud cam is not triggered by animals but by persons due to special sensors.

You can also view the footage from the Amazon Cloud Cam using the Echo Show, Echo Spot or Fire TV.