Webcam for $14

I primarily use my laptop for all of my video conferences, but getting a $14 web cam for my desktop is a no brainier so that I have a backup. Apply code 6PF2T4RY to get the cheaper price.

Wyze Cam v2 - Update

A couple of updates on my Wyze Cam v2 order...

1. Wyze experienced a manufacturing problem and had to delay lots of shipments. They sent a very nice note with a lot of detail explaining the issue and the actions they were taking. They included a link to easily cancel your order if that's what you wanted to do. If you were willing to wait, they said they would include a 5 foot long USB extension cable. I thought it was a great job of recovering from a problem.

2. An anonymous commentor pointed out that the cameras are sending data to services besides AWS. I was planning on placing this in my garage pointing outside, so I'm not super concerned, but I will be curious to follow Wyze's response and actions to address the concerns.

Wyze Cam v2

I've been looking for a camera solution for the house. At $20 (plus shipping), I figure the Wyze Cam is worth a try.


CPU
1.0GHz

Memory
128MB

Resolution
1920 X 1080 (1080p)

Camera
Lens: F2.0 aperture, 2.8mm focal length
Image sensor: 1/2.7" CMOS
Digital zoom: 8x

Field of View
110° lens

Night Vision
4 Infrared LEDs (850nm) with IR cut filter
Illuminates up to 29.6 feet (9m)

Video
H.264 encoding
10 FPS (both HD & SD video modes)

Audio
Built-in speaker and microphone
Class-K power amplifier

Alerts
Push notifications

Cloud Storage
Free rolling 14 days of alert videos stored in the AWS Cloud

Local Storage
Supports 8GB, 16GB and 32GB microSD cards in FAT32 format

Data Usage
1-2MB per minute in SD, or 4-7MB per minute in HD

WiFi
802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz

Connectivity Requirements
Upload speed 1.0 Mbps for SD and 1.5 Mbps for HD

Operating Systems
Supports iOS 8.0 and Android 5.0 or later

Operation Temperature
32℉ – 104℉ / 0°C – 40 °C

Operation Humidity
< 90% at 104℉ / 40°C

Weather Resistance
Indoor use only

Cameras

I'm thinking about picking up this camera solution - Arlo Pro Security System with Siren – 3 Rechargeable Wire-Free HD Cameras with Audio, Indoor/Outdoor, Night Vision (VMS4330).

One key feature of these cameras is that they are battery powered/wireless. It makes for an easy deployment since you don't have to run wires everywhere. (Obviously you will have to periodically charge the batteries, but I have a friend that has been very pleased with the battery life.)

The system includes 7 days of cloud storage, so you don't have to worry about local storage. The software seems pretty slick, too.

Cameras Everywhere - Sousveillance

Clive Thompson talks about sousveillance:

"Sousveillance is the monitoring of events not by those above (surveiller in French) but by citizens, from below (sous-). The neologism was coined by Steve Mann, a pioneer in wearable computing at the University of Toronto."

I like the term and the balance of power it suggests.

Examples of videos providing evidence of when people do bad things is all around. Most commonly, we think of catching people in positions of authority misbehaving as in the video below:

Sometimes it even gets people fired -  like the officer that threatened to kill permit holder in what seemed to be a simple incident.

LawDog points out that doing good may have a price. Even knowing the potential consequences, I would hope that I would be like Mr. Green, who recorded the video above, and do the right thing.

LYTRO - Light Field Camera

So there is a new kind of camera on the block. The LYTRO camera uses Light Field technology to take pictures. This tech captures light information which allows the picture to be "refocused" after the picture is taken. An example is worth a thousand words (click on the photo to change the focus):



The camera must be simple to operate - there aren't a thousand menus settings accessible via a dial and half a dozen buttons. Controls include a power button, a shutter button, a zoom slider, and the touchscreen. That's it. Check out the full specs here.

Maybe this is what I need to keep up with Oleg, Les, and Linoge. Realisticly, this won't make my must have list (especially since they start at $399), but I really, really like to see cool new ways of doing things we've been doing for years. It could be like the Apple Newton that eventually evolved into a pretty cool product - the name escapes me right now.

Links:
Lytro: A True Point-and-Shoot Camera

Lytro launches Light Field camera

Lytro: Like No Camera You’ve Ever Seen Before

Battle At F-Stop Ridge

Great. Now we will have a ban on "automatic" assault cameras with high capacity SD cards. Think of the children. I can't even begin to calculate the number of children that have cameras waved in their face each day. Cameras should only be allowed to take 10 pictures and the film should have to be advanced manually! I say we start by locking up threats like Oleg Volk and Les Jones



Via ENDO.

I See What You Did There.

And this is why I put electrical tape over my laptop's camera.

How many are prevented?

Via Slashdot, the Met is reporting that cameras help solve six crimes a day in London.

I know this is a harder question, but shouldn't we be looking for ways to prevent crime? I don't have the reference handy, but I've heard that lights are a better deterrent to crime than cameras.