[HN Gopher] Show HN: Privacy-first home security on mobile with ...
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       Show HN: Privacy-first home security on mobile with smart alerts
        
       Author : Huongngtm
       Score  : 44 points
       Date   : 2021-02-13 14:28 UTC (8 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.ai-cam.app)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.ai-cam.app)
        
       | Gys wrote:
       | Looking at your website this seems well done.
       | 
       | > require device with iOS 14.1 or later
       | 
       | This means an iPhone 6S or newer. Not often an unused device, I
       | think ;-) I have a 6 that I use for tests, but otherwise I could
       | get good money even for that one.
        
         | samstave wrote:
         | I have been on 6S+ for YEARS - and have no desire to upgrade
         | due to, I believe, this is the last iPhone before facial
         | recognition - which I DO NOT WANT.
         | 
         | ---
         | 
         | We bought a house recently and it came with a Cobra 8-camera
         | security system - which comes from Harbor Freight (inherited -
         | I didnt install it) -- but its remote mobile app is some shady
         | 3rd party app from China - and it rarely works, but I am
         | convinced it allows for backdoor access by the dev... so I
         | don't use it...
         | 
         | Is there any way to use this with the cameras I already have
         | installed (inherited) with this app?
        
           | wp381640 wrote:
           | Your upgrade path would be the new SE, which is fingerprint
           | and not faceID and has the A11 processor
           | 
           | I still use a 6S as a burner and have another for tests,
           | they're a great device
        
           | taxidump wrote:
           | If your cameras are IP and not coax you can just run a NVR
           | locally. If they are coax then another dvr would work. Blue
           | Iris is great for home use as a windows NVR server.
        
       | sloshnmosh wrote:
       | There is a similar app for Android called Haven that can use TOR
       | to access remotely.
       | 
       | https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/turn-your-old-android-phone-...
        
       | eat_veggies wrote:
       | For Android, there's a project called Haven [1] made by Edward
       | Snowden. It doesn't use fancy AI, but it does monitor the camera,
       | mic, and other sensors for changes, and sends notifications via
       | Signal.
       | 
       | [1] https://guardianproject.github.io/haven/
        
         | 1MachineElf wrote:
         | Smartphones in the 21st century have become surveillance
         | devices for unaccountable corporations, and governments by
         | extension. It's cathartic to see that capability being put into
         | the common individual's hands.
        
         | franky47 wrote:
         | Thank you, I've been looking for a privacy-first baby monitor
         | app for Android, and it looks like Haven was inadvertently made
         | into one of the best options [1].
         | 
         | [1] https://guardianproject.info/2017/12/22/haven-building-
         | the-m...
        
       | zigzaggy wrote:
       | Is this always on? Or event triggered?
       | 
       | I have a use case and an iPhone 7 that stopped reading SIM cards.
       | But I wont have a cord long enough to keep it plugged in all the
       | time. And the battery doesn't hold a charge very long...
        
         | anh_n wrote:
         | You need to plug it to a power source because the AI algorithms
         | run on-device require energy.
        
       | devwastaken wrote:
       | In this day and age with all sorts of different cameras we also
       | need a better NVR system to be doing continual recording and
       | accurate away from home motion alerts. Perhaps such a thing could
       | be shoved into a raspberry pi 4.
       | 
       | The current state of consumer cameras are either spend $300 for
       | an indoor one that's "cloud enabled". Or $100 for a bullet that
       | you need an NVR to have effective.
        
         | ed25519FUUU wrote:
         | I use Shinobi, which works okay. You can run a modest system on
         | a raspberry pi but really needs something with hardware
         | accelerated h264 such as an Intel CPU or geforce card.
         | 
         | https://shinobi.video/
        
         | minitoar wrote:
         | Totally agree. Sadly, outdoor pi cams are not cheap. In the
         | meantime I think Ubiquiti might be the best option.
        
           | taxidump wrote:
           | I can't recommend them anymore. Hikvision cameras with a
           | Synology NAS is far better in every way.
           | 
           | Ubiquiti cameras are way overpriced. The NVR has no real
           | advanced functions. And their small indoor cameras are wifi
           | only but require POE to power up. Everytime a power interrupt
           | happens the wifi cams don't reconnect and start broadcasting
           | their setup ssid and have to be manually reconnected. Their
           | awesome tech support has turned into absolute garbage and can
           | have hours long queues to only have an inexperienced person
           | tell you they will follow up with an email. I was once a fan,
           | but now will not install anymore of their equipment.
        
       | Black101 wrote:
       | "No footage is sent to any server."
       | 
       | Hopefully, it can be sent to my own server for backup.
        
         | anh_n wrote:
         | You can optionally turn on iCloud synchronization, then videos
         | will be uploaded to your iCloud account.
        
       | lazzurs wrote:
       | Isn't this just exactly what Eufy does?
        
       | CapitalistCartr wrote:
       | I'd like the best of both Worlds, remote access to my (as yet
       | hypothetical) cameras while being secure from others. Plus being
       | wireless, with decent encryption. It seems reasonable, yet
       | everything I've looked at is a joke.
        
         | paulryanrogers wrote:
         | Maybe take a look at RTP cameras on a no-Internet network with
         | Shinobi for remote control and monitoring.
         | 
         | https://moeiscool.github.io/Shinobi/
        
       | Huongngtm wrote:
       | This app lets you turn your unused phone into a security camera.
       | It has AI event detection (person, face, animal) and smart
       | alerts, but the smart functionality runs offline. No footage is
       | sent to our server. Actually we don't have a server. You don't
       | need to sign up or create a profile. Notification is sent through
       | Apple's server (we currently have only iOS app).
       | 
       | We are doing beta program (free). We'd love to hear your
       | feedback, and especially learn about your use case.
        
         | user568439 wrote:
         | I would give it a try if there was an Android version. I don't
         | have an unused iPhone, basically because their value in the
         | second hand market makes it worth to sell it insted of keeping
         | it.
        
           | anh_n wrote:
           | An Android version is also planned.
        
         | bartvk wrote:
         | You say "unused phone" but the minimum iOS version is 14.1. As
         | a comparison, I think apps like Baby Monitor 3G required iOS 9
         | until recently.
        
           | anh_n wrote:
           | This app focus on running on-device AI algorithms so it needs
           | latest OS software in able to do it.
        
         | hedora wrote:
         | We have cameras on driveways, etc where there is no power or
         | ethernet. These cameras (and perhaps a solar powered wifi mesh
         | network, which these could form if they had the right software)
         | are a reasonable solution to that problem:
         | 
         | https://m.reolink.com/
         | 
         | I'd love to have it take video feeds from something like those.
         | (Perhaps via a standard network protocol.)
         | 
         | Store + ml recognize them locally, and simultaneously client-
         | side encrypt and stream them to an s3-compatible bucket (eg
         | backblaze b2).
         | 
         | Bonus points if the gizmo has a sim card and backup battery so
         | it keeps working if power / internet are cut. (Most of the time
         | it'd upload via residential broadband (wifi/ethernet), but
         | while the house is being broken into, it's fine if it burns a
         | few GB of cell plan data.)
         | 
         | Make sure the box is compatible with some sort of ssd/nvme
         | drive (no moving parts), and not just hdd.
         | 
         | One model for monetizing it: AGPL or BSL it, and offer some
         | cloud side services for convenience features like managing the
         | encrypted bucket, pruning "boring" videos after 30 days, etc.
         | edit: or, provide a nice (open source, simple) nat hole
         | punching vpn service so phones can see the video in real time.
         | Maybe charge for access to bounce servers and automatic setup.
        
           | 1MachineElf wrote:
           | Thanks for sharing this. I was not aware that Reolink was
           | introducing solar-powered cameras. I like their brand because
           | back in 2017 I was searching for 802.3af PoE IP cams and they
           | were the most recommended. Been running a couple since then
           | and have had good results overall. I hope they are still
           | producing them as good now as they were back then.
        
       ___________________________________________________________________
       (page generated 2021-02-13 23:01 UTC)