Amazon Cloud Cam (Key Edition) Indoor Security Camera, Works with Alexa

When I replaced my garage door opener, I set up Amazon's in home delivery service which I felt a lot better about than having packages sitting on my porch. I live in a great area, but why tempt fate or worse - bad weather?This took all of 10 minutes to set up, 5 of which were me figuring out the "perfect" (translation: overengineered) location to position the camera. This is a great camera and the way it works with Amazon Key is amazing. It took me a few minutes to connect it to my garage door opener and Amazon Key but it's been a dream.Now, when packages are delivered, I get notified on my Amazon Echo or my iPhone - and I see the video of my garage door opening and the delivery person placing the package on the marked spot in my garage, then the door closing.I can sign up and retain these videos with a subscription. That's a tempting idea because I could easily add more of these cameras to my front and back door to increase my range of monitoring. But, I'm okay for now and the videos are deleted after 24 hours. That helps to ensure my family doesn't feel "spied" on, because that's not the idea with these devices.So far, I'm really impressed with how this works. I travel a lot for work and sometimes, I'm not home for a couple of days after a package arrives.This is just an ideal add on for anyone who wants to ensure packages are reliably delivered, but without constantly calling. Think of an elderly relative who is independent and has internet - this could be reassuring.I look forward to Amazon extending integration with other partners, like PillPack, in the future.

I was looking for a relatively inexpensive method of providing keyless entry and being able to see my kids (or whomever) come home from school. For that purpose, this has worked flawlessly. The camera part is really easy to set up. Basically set it on a surface aimed at the door and plug it into the wall. Connect it to your home internet and done. Took me longer to unpack it. I like that I can see clips of the door opening or locking for up to 24 hours. I can d/l if I need them longer. I like that it records in the dark as well and it visible (though thoughts of me in my underwear letting the cat out at 3am being on cloud storage makes me shudder a bit). It also records sound and provides 'push to talk' type communication as well. All this is done via their app which I have secured with my phone security. The app also provides me an interface to create lock codes and distribute them via text message as well as remove lock codes (I paired this with Schlage Connect Smart Deadbolt)

I'm one of those people who took a leap of faith to try the Amazon Key solution. I already have a Dropcam (now Nest Cam) for indoor video monitoring and a Kuna webcam porch light for outdoor video monitoring and really enjoy those products. After installing the camera, I noticed a lot of similarities with the software between the Amazon Cloud Cam software and Nest software.Similarities:* Ability to turn off/on the camera manually* Ability to set home/away based on phone location* Ability to set motion sensitivityDifferences:* Cannot schedule camera to turn off/on like on Nest Cam* Cannot turn off status light like on Nest Cam* Cannot rotate image like on Nest Cam* Cannot change microphone sensitivity like on Nest CamIn terms of video performance, the Cloud Cam provides very good images. The image quality is very smooth and the color reproduction is good. However, when compared to the Nest Cam, I would say that the Cloud Cam is not as sharp in image quality. I'm certain that the majority of consumers would still find it acceptable. The Cloud Cam is also slower when rendering video compared to the Nest Cam. There is a half second delay when comparing real-time motion and rendered video on the Cloud Cam. The Nest Cam has less than a quarter of a second of delay.In terms of price, the Cloud Cam provides tremendous value at $120 compared to $200 for the Nest Cam. The Cloud Cam also provides 24 hours free recording whereas the Nest Cam only provides still images without a plan. Also, when you factor in 3 cameras, Nest charges $10/month for each device or $30 total. Amazon charges ONLY $7 TOTAL a month for all 3 cameras for a 7-day recording plan. IF YOU DO THE MATH, THAT'S $276 IN YEARLY SAVINGS! Yes, you lose some features mentioned above in Differences in the short run, but you save a lot in recurring monthly subscription costs in the long run.Keep in mind that there are no other solutions out there that does what Amazon Key does so this makes the Cloud Cam unique and irreplaceable if you wish to have an option for Amazon in-home delivery service. I bought the Cloud Cam and Kwikset Convert not just for Amazon Key, but for also the added flexibility and security associated with wireless smart locks and WiFi security cameras.