Wi-Fi security cameras have emerged as a popular smart home security solution. At a time when manufacturers of such cameras are working to differentiate their products on the basis of features such as app-based control interfaces, Wi-Fi connectivity and smart home integration, one company has taken a big leap to come up with the next-generation of Wi-Fi cameras for home security. SimCam has released a true ‘”smart” device and it happens to be the world’s first on-device AI camera to help you secure your family, home and surroundings.
About the company
Before we move to detail the product, first, let’s talk about the company for a simple reason – if you don’t trust a company, you won’t have faith in its products as well. With SimCam, there is no such thing as there is nothing to doubt its credentials.
SimCam is part of Simshine, which is Intel’s primary partner in the AI field. The company even won an innovation award at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2019. SimCam started as a Kickstarter project, but soon gained over 1200 backers, who have pledged over $300,000 (well beyond its original target of $30,000) to bring the product to life.
About the features
Talking about the product, SimCam’s on-device AI camera comes with facial recognition and an object monitoring feature, and is powered by an Intel Movidius vision-processing unit. Intel’s chip possesses machine learning technology, which ensures that the camera differentiates between strangers and the regular faces it sees around.
The company claims 99% facial recognition accuracy. When it comes to facial recognition the possibilities are endless when it comes to business uses. Manage a big factory with people going in and out and need to monitor inventory? A regular security system no matter how good the picture, won’t be able to tell you who should not be near the production line. SimCam, which claims to be the first AI type security, seems ideal for such a scenario and dozens of similar ones. This can also be very useful for house use for example getting alerts when one of your kids who might not have a cell phone gets home.
It’s other useful feature is the ability to set activity zones. This means if the camera identifies any activity in this zone, it immediately alerts you and also starts recording a video using the object monitoring feature. Even when you are monitoring an object, SimCam’s will send you an instant alert if it sees any movement. This makes it a perfect guard for your main entrance.
Both the features together – ability to set activity zones and differentiate between strangers, regular faces and pets – ensure no false alerts from the camera. This, we believe, would prove to be a key selling point for the SimCam.
Other handy features of this smart camera are 360-degree panning, emergency calls and more. Moreover, the camera offers all this without any subscription plan (yes, no plan needed). Also, the camera uses SD cards for storing videos and images. This relieves you from paying recurring cloud fees and ensures your privacy as well.
About the hardware
In terms of hardware, the camera has a robust body with IP65 waterproof rating. This means you can use it outside of your home. The camera features a 5-megapixel sensor that can record HD video in 1080p (ability to zoom in eight times) and supports night vision as well. SimCam AI supports two-way audio, meaning you can speak to the person to whom the camera is pointing to.
To ensure that you get quick real-time video feeds and alerts, the AI camera features dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity. Setting up the camera is simple as well, just plug in and connect to the Wi-Fi. And yes, it works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Moreover, it looks elegant as well. It comes in two colors – Black and White, and no matter which room you put it in, it easily blends with the surroundings. SimCam AI is targeted at home users, and after using it for some time, we have no doubt that it will meet all your home security needs as well.
If you are also impressed with this camera, then you can buy it (starting at $149) from the SimCam website and Amazon.
Disclosure: SimCam was kind enough to send us a unit to try in return for an honest sponsored review post on the topic.
