Cameras 2019: stand alone, smart, standalone

In addition to traditional processors and video cards, innovative modular and flexible screens, the main international exhibition of consumer electronics CES this year was pleased with the clear formulation of the technological agenda for home security and unexpected collaborations with manufacturers of video surveillance equipment.

In today's review, we’ll tell you what significant functions for cameras will be in demand in the near future, and how non-video surveillance companies use VSaaS technologies in their products.

New features: zone control, object recognition, thief scare

Kasa’s standalone CCTV camera system is designed to be used as part of a smart home and is equipped with a hub that adds a siren and audio recording function that simulates the presence of people.

Almost every U.S. equipment manufacturer added a battery or a solar power function to their cameras for battery life.



The Arlo Ultra camera scares thieves with a real searchlight. You can turn on a powerful lamp at any time, mounted in the camera body, to scare away uninvited guests. A spotlight also helps to illuminate dark areas of the room, so the camera records a color image at night. Recall that standard infrared illumination makes the image black and white.



California-based startup Deep Sentinel has equipped its futuristic camera with LiveSentinel predictive analytics module. Watching the activity around the house, the video surveillance system predicts situations that lead to theft, damage to property, penetration into the house. In case of suspicious activity in the security zone, the system automatically sends a notification to the owner or security service.



The trend of the year is voice assistants. Device manufacturers are fighting for the right to be the first to incorporate voice technology into their products. It is not only about the inclusion of voice assistants in new products, but also about the evolution of speech recognition technology itself.

Australian company Swann integrated cameras with Google voice assistant. Now the basic functions available through the application can be called by voice. In the near future, we expect further development of this area - cameras will learn to respond to user voice commands and maintain conversation.

Swann devices identify the difference between mail delivery and its theft, running at night by a pet and a person, an authorized user and a stranger. The smart system itself decides whether to send a push notification in a dangerous situation, or whether the alarm is false.

Object Recognition

Nortek Security & Control integrated the face recognition system in the ELAN smart home control panel. The new touchpad identifies the person as they approach, and then displays a custom menu of parameters, sets the preferred lighting and temperature, turns on your favorite music. ADT also introduced a similar solution - their 7-inch wireless touch control panel connects to third-party smart things.



Ambarella, a well-known manufacturer of chips for CCTV cameras, introduced the CV2 single-chip system with built-in support for object recognition technologies. CV2-based cameras are capable of recognizing people, pets, cars directly on the device. CV2 provides efficient AVC and HEVC video encoding to minimize cloud storage costs.



Startup UVeye introduced the technology for detecting security threats by shooting on the cameras the bottom of passing vehicles. The startup uses several synchronized high-resolution cameras to create a digital 360-degree model. Three seconds after the vehicle passes the UVeye ground device, the system processes the video data to create a 3D model of the chassis with a full-color high-resolution image.

The combination of object recognition technologies with data obtained in the manufacture of vehicles allows you to compare and track the characteristics of various car models. The service can recognize a foreign object the size of a USB drive. Moreover, such a system is effectively used to detect leaks, detect wear of parts and any damage.

Video surveillance using drones

In the Sunflower Labs system, drones with cameras work in conjunction with high-tech garden lights. A drone called a "bee" recharges its batteries in a hub or "hive." Flashlights are “sunflowers” ​​with built-in motion and vibration sensors, which, according to the developers, distinguish between people, pets and cars. When a suspicious activity is detected, the “sunflower” sends a warning, and the user sends a “bee” through the mobile device to control the security zone.

Custom solutions

The more “smart” things, the more “eyes” are required to control the situation and adaptive behavior. The Deebot Ozmo 960 Robot Vacuum Cleaner offers all the usual features in its class of devices, but it also has a camera that helps it detect potentially dangerous objects and then decide whether to remove them or avoid them.



Lenovo introduced a 360-degree VoIP video conferencing camera.



The cameras got to the fridges and microwaves. So, Samsung’s built-in refrigerator uses the touch screen to order the necessary products, view recipes, and display images from shelves. And no need to open the door.

How will all the major camera manufacturers based in China respond to all the new products? We will find out soon. We work with leading Chinese equipment manufacturers to get design and technical support for joint products as a matter of priority. Updates are coming from us .