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Testing the iCam VMS / iPhone App

by Scott Oie, posted on Aug 29, 2010


Home video surveillance systems are quickly getting a lot better and a lot cheaper. A good example of this is an application called iCam that has recently been in the news for helping a homeowner detect a burglary in real-time. Here is the news story.

While the news story is interesting, we think the press has missed the overall value and technology that iCam is offering. In this report, we share our findings from our test of iCam via web browser, iPhone and iPad. We are impressed. At a $4.99 one-time cost, not only is it a viewer, it records video and provides 'plug n play' remote access. We are tracking over 20 managed/hosted video offerings. iCam compares very favorably both in price and performance. While there are a number of important limitations for iCam, home surveillance users are likely to find significant competitive value in this offering.

Compare to our test results of 3 iPhone/iPad video surveillance applications to contrast iCam's approach with other applications. Contrast to our test results of Milesone Go, a free VMS offering.

Inside the Pro Section

Pro members may access the entire report including 3 video screencasts examining iPhone monitoring, web browswer viewing and system setup/optimization. We examine best uses, key limitations and strongest fits for the offering.


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