Sales of video surveillance cameras using cloud software developed by Skolkovo resident Ivideon have hit the 50,000 unit mark – just months after the Russian company teamed up with electronics giants Philips and Samsung.
Ivideon’s system allows customers who install the Philips or Samsung cameras around the home to watch the live feeds they produce from anywhere in the world on their smartphones or tablets.
The Moscow-based company announced this week that sales of the Philips In.Sight camera system, sold at 50 Apple Stores around Central Europe, were expected to hit 50,000 alone by the end of the year.
Samsung produced 10,000 units of its SmartCam, which runs on the same system, in July, and those have been selling well in Russian outlets Merlion, Evroset, Eldorado and others, the company said.
“The demand for such a service has turned out to be very high,” said Ilya Pukhov, Ivideon’s vice president for business development, told sk.ru.
“Our competitors haven’t managed to get anywhere near us. It’s a big technological challenge to ensure the video doesn’t lag, to ensure there are no cut-outs,” he added.
The Russian company announced in June that it had teamed up with big multinational companies, but did not disclose who they were.
The Ivideon system is designed to work with any existing cameras including those on personal computers and laptops. The cameras capture video and audio from a given environment and upload the data to Ivideon’s cloud storage system. The client can access the cloud server remotely through a mobile device and view the images live.
Cameras that already come with Ivideon’s operating system – such as the In.Sight and the SmartCam, are able to act as motion detectors and alarm the client in real time when they are triggered. Should any lag occur with the video, audio sensors perform the same function. When the motion detector is activated, the camera automatically begins recording, and a video of the event is uploaded to the cloud, where it is instantly accessible by the client.
The cameras must be connected to a WiFi network at all times for the system to work. Their feeds can be accessed via WiFi and fast mobile networks, using special apps available from the App Store and Google Play, depending on the device.
There is no monthly tariff if a client has one or two cameras using the Ivideon cloud. For two to 16, the company charges 60 rubles per camera ($1.66).
Pukhov said the company’s success has prompted an expansion in the sales department, leading to the signing of “a whole raft of new contracts.”