iCam – Webcam Video Streaming (SKJM, LLC $4.99) Universal App (Not to be confused with just ‘iCam’ which is a different app)
This app has been featured on various news website as well as news programs. I am sure there are several other like it that have been featured as well. I found this app though through one of those news reports. I had previous been using AirCam Live but was having trouble with the server side (Mac side) portion of it. It would crash a lot and cause all sorts of problems. The CPU usage was off the charts, and eventually I couldn’t get it to work at all anymore. Fortunately, Ii found this app and now I have a lot of the added benefits that it brings. This app is a universal app and functions identical on both the iPhone and iPad. It is great for keeping up on the security of your home or office, especially while you are away.
One of the big pluses of this app is that it is running all the time allowing you to view what is going on at the location you are securing. The server side will ‘record’ motion events if you set it up to do so. Allowing you to review things that have happened. When a motion event occurs you can get a push notification to your iDevice alerting you. This can help you catch someone in the act and has been reported by many as having caught robbers in the act. Sound of course is sent over to your iDevice as long as the camera supports it. You can also have up to 12 cameras, that means you are not just securing one area, but many. To run it you’ll need a desktop application (server) for managing your cameras. This server handles recording motion events and sending push notifications to your iDevice. It is configurable with local cameras as well as IP cameras. It also allows you to setup a schedule for your cameras, which you can use to turn off/on alerts and/or recording motion. This app has become quite handy for me and I find myself checking it often when I am out of the house. I have a couple of cameras positioned just so, to ensure I’ll see anything that is out of place.
FEATURES:
- Download the server software from the developer’s website and install on Mac or windoze machines.
- Setup, up to 12 cameras at a time.
- Have a schedule for turning on/off two options: record motion and send alerts.
- Zoom in on a particular camera or view 4 at a time.
- When zoomed in, you can hear sound from a that camera if enabled.
- View all recorded motion events, send screenshots by email or save to your camera roll.
- Get push notification alerts when motion is detected.
- Modify on the go, the sensitivity of the motion sensor.
- Modify on the go, your options for push notifications and recording motion events.
- Configure based on a user name to access all of your cameras minimizing the hassle for setting up through a router.
I have loved this app ever since I got it. I use it heavily especially when i am not around the house. The alerts really do work, if motion is detected, I will know about it. This gives me a real sense of security. I know it is not perfect and of course there are ways around this, I have a bunch more security measures in place. I can always tell though, that my family and home and office are safe when I see the cameras on, and see that everything is as it should be. This app doesn’t ever crash for me, the desktop server doesn’t use too much CPU or memory (as others have). I don’t have to worry about my files sitting on someone else’s server or paying a subscription cost. This app is definitely worth the cost. Some of the screen-shots below are of the desktop server.
