![]() While convenient for sharing (anyone can view the camera if you give them the address), it’s also insecure, especially if the camera or microphone might pick up something sensitive. The scary part about exposing the Airbeam camera app to the internet is that the default settings don’t require a password to view the video stream. Appologics have made the process fairly simple assuming you have a router with Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) or Apple’s similar NAT-PMP technology enabled, it will handle all the port forwarding configuration on the router automatically. Without a central server to coordinate everything, you’re responsible to configure (and secure) remote camera viewing via your home internet connection’s IP address. In contrast, enabling Airbeam’s remote viewing capabilities is more like loading a gun and aiming carefully to avoid your foot. Unless you regularly take a dip in your Scrooge McDuck money pool, decent remote viewable camera tech is an unaffordable luxury. Presence doesn’t have any official way to share a camera stream with a friend, but you could always give someone your login and password in a pinch. Another tap sends you back to normal camera viewing mode. Presence also supports a basic two-way communication feature just tap the camera icon while watching a stream, and both ends go FaceTime-style to let you holler at the dog or calm your kid’s meltdown without a trip home. Assuming you trust People Power not to snoop on your video streams passing through their servers, this is a very safe, secure, and simple way to get remote video monitoring. When a monitor request is made from another device that’s logged into your account, the camera video is securely streamed to the central server and out to your phone or iPad. ![]() Presence’s no-configuration-required remote viewing is made possible by a cloud relay: a central server that acts as a coordinator between cameras and monitors. Unlike Airbeam, no further configuration is required to monitor cameras in your home from anywhere there’s a decent internet connection. On other devices, just log in with the same email address and password, and the stream from any running camera in your account will be available at a tap. The first time you run the Presence app, you’ll need to provide an email address and password to create an account, then enable the local device’s camera. Presence is nearly as simple to get up and running. Presence is a free app, supported by a built-in marketplace for Presence-compatible gadgets, while Airbeam is a very reasonable $3.99 (and also has a MacOS version available). The video responsiveness and quality is nearly identical. Most importantly, both do a fine job with these basic features. Both offer a dirt-simple initial setup that consists of little more than installing and running an app on two devices. Both support email notification of motion events as they occur, and live camera video and audio streams can be monitored from another iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Each allows you to turn an old iPhone, iPad, or even a camera-equipped iPod Touch into a small surveillance camera, with audio and robust motion detection capabilities. We’ll shed some light on why this matters so you can decide which is right for you.īoth Airbeam and Presence share a common set of basic features. ![]() While similar on the surface, the underpinnings of the two apps are very different. People Power’s Presence and Appologics’ Airbeam apps serve roughly the same purpose: repurposing iOS devices you already own into always-connected cameras that you can check in with anywhere. ![]() It’s a premium feature for many alarm companies, even though the tech behind it is pretty old, and the prices on warehouse-store offerings can be steep. Problem is, unless you regularly take a dip in your Scrooge McDuck money pool, decent remote-viewable camera technology is still an unaffordable luxury for most. Odds are, sometimes you wish you could check in on what’s happening around your home from your phone. ![]()
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