Dropcam Pro Wifi Wireless Video Monitoring Camera Review

Dropcam created two camera, the HD and the Pro. Their latest camera is the Dropcam Pro and needs a review here is smart surveillance cameras. The Dropcam Pro has a serious advantage over the HD one. For example, the Dropcam Pro increases your field of view from 107 to 130 degrees. View expansion was created in response to complains regarding the camera’s inability to pan, tilt and pivot. The camera cannot pan, tilt and pivot, but it can zoom 8x and the video quality was improved was greatly over the HD model.

What are the problems with Dropcam?

The Dropcam Pro captures video that you view live using their free app or by logging into their system that works for your laptop or desktop machines. It also works well in full daytime and can record in darkness using the latest built-in vision feature. In addition to that, the high quality video camera includes a built-in-two-way communication.

Push, Email, or Texts Notifications?

Dropcam has now the ability to send you activity alerts if motion was detected. Some users complains that the alerts are quite annoying though we think it’s important that you set it during night time, or when you are not around. You can set the notifications every 15 minutes, every movement that the camera sees or custom alert. We highly suggest to set it whenever you’re not around, in case you get annoyed with the notifications and won’t bother checking the alerts.

Another thing that they did was created a sensor. You can use these sensors as an alert system as your eyes to check movement that the camera sees. In order for this to work, you would disable Dropcam’s alerts notifications.

Dropcam of the Future

Dropcam + Nest Protect = free emergency video recording. When Dropcam is paired with Nest Protect, Dropcam can now monitor alarm. If your Nest Protect senses smoke or carbon monoxide it will notify Dropcam to record or save a video clip for future use. This feature works with or without a Cloud Recording package giving to customers true emergency protection.

Dropcam + Nest Learning Thermostat = a new step towards home automation. Nest can communicate with Dropcam to set on motion detection. When you set up your Nest to Home, Dropcam motion alerts will turn off automatically.

Dropcam Wi-Fi Wireless Video Monitoring Camera Reviews

Dropcam Pro

Dropcam HD

If you’re interested in comparing both Pro and HD, here is the visual side by side screenshot. These screenshot are taken the same day, at the same time. Even though the two cameras are recording the experience simultaneously, the Pro offers a higher quality capture that is also significantly brighter. The Dropcam Pro does provide a wider viewing angle that is not accurately depicted below.

How hard for Dropcam to setup?

The set up was simple, it took us a total of 10 minutes and most of that spent was checking the packaging. The Dropcam is a plug ‘n play into your PC via USB, just follow the instructions and set up an account with Dropcam, connect the camera to your wireless network, download the app (App works with android and iphone) and then find a home for it.

Dropcam app is rated as 4 stars on iTunes, the app requires iOS 6.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The app is optimized for iPhone 5 and 6. Android version is rated with over 4 stars in Google Apps. The app is compatible with version 2.3 or higher.

How Many Dropcam Camera on a Single Account?

The most popular question that we see about Dropcam is how many cameras can you use per single account. The answer is as long as your bandwidth allows it. Each Dropcam uses .2 – .5 MBPS of dedicated upload speed. You may want to contact your ISP to discuss this further before deploying multiple Dropcam cameras. You can reduce the amount of bandwidth usage by turning off or not using the Cloud Video.

It is also possible to monitor multiple Dropcams camera from one account even if they are in multiple locations. Example, you have one in your house, one at your lake cabin and another for your office. If this is the set up you wanted, you will need to check your wifi network upload at each location.

How much is Dropcam Pro?

Dropcam Pro currently being sold at Amazon.com for $199.99 , that is free shipping included.

Dropcam Pro is video streaming only, if you want to capture the real-time evens or store images you will need to pay for Dropcam’s monthly cloud video storage, the 7-day cloud recording for $99 per year and other offers such as 30 day for $299. This prices includes storage for one camera. You will also need to pay for additional monthly fee if you have more than one camera. Dropcam offers a 50% discount for any additional camera. During this time, there’s no way to record your own video without paying the cloud storage.

Things to Think About

• Dropcam Pro provides HD video, night vision, and cloud storage options in one device.


• Installation is simple and takes less than 11 minutes.


• Cloud Storage Requires a Monthly Subscription


• The camera cannot pan or tilt.


• The camera must remain plugged into a USB port or outlet.


• Poor Audio Quality


• Bandwidth Usage May Bog Down Network


• The Dropcam Pro is prone to overheating especially when using night vision.


• Can be wall-mounted or you can use the included stand.


• The Dropcam app can send emails or push notifications but cannot send text alerts.


• Dropcam works with Nest for limited home automation.

You can read more reviews on the Dropcam at Amazon: Dropcam Pro Wi-Fi Wireless Video Monitoring Camera

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