New Home Monitoring App’s Proving A Big Hit
Fancy setting up a home monitoring solution, but concerned about costs?
Well, it can be done for free! All you need is an old Android phone and a new app.
Does that sound a bit fishy? Well, so does the name of the app, which is Perch. But users are falling for it hook, line and sinker.
Almost half of the reviewers on the Google Play Store site have given it the full five stars, despite it still being a “beta” solution. In other words, users are still helping to iron out any bugs.
To use Perch, all it takes is an old Android phone or tablet, version 4.1 or higher, stuck on a stand plugged into the mains and within in reach of wifi.
The app uses the device’s rear-facing camera to record activity on to Perch’s own cloud storage, from which it can be played back.
It can be also be set to send an alert if movement is detected and to allow real time remote monitoring.
There is even an option to interact with two-way video to the room being monitored, for instance to check in with a babysitter or older kids, left home alone, in the style of Skype conversion.
Perch will keep seven days of captured video in their servers before overwriting it. There is talk of a paid for premium service, but they give an assurance that the basic app and short duration video retention will always be free. They also promise an iOS version to come.
Check it out at the Play Store. It may not be a small fish in the big pond for too long.
