Amazon-owned Ring cameras have become something of a cultural phenomenon since their conception in 2013. Footage from the cameras regularly makes its way onto social media with happy, sad and sometimes downright terrifying clips. Some people have even made careers out of creating content using Ring cameras.
Well now, they've got competition.
Two months after Amazon released its first-ever integrated Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Camera, priced $79.99 / £69.99 / AU$129, SwitchBot has announced the launch of its new Pan/Tilt Cam Plus 3K – an indoor security camera with 360° horizontal and 115° vertical rotation. It is also equipped with AI human recognition technology and two different ways to store footage.
Available to buy from Amazon, the SwitchBot camera starts at $69.99 / £79.99 (Australian pricing to be confirmed).
It has a 5MP lens and a high-sensitivity sensor, and with the help of its 940nm infrared light it promises to work well day or night. The infrared light used in Night Vision Mode is invisible to the naked eye, so images won't turn red, and the light won't disturb sleep.
An f/1.6 lens helps improve light intake by 50%, according to SwitchBot's website, compared to f/2.0 lenses, helping make the images brighter and clearer. Other features include automatic present point tracking when the camera is linked with the SwitchBot Motion Sensor and the SwitchBot Hub, which will automatically activate and start recording when it detects movement.
Ring has had some bad press in recent months, after shelling out more than $5.6 million / £4.3 million / AU$8.3 million to 117,004 consumers after its data was hacked. Ring also made the news earlier in the year after customers complained about a 43% price increase for subscription services to safely store their video footage on the cloud, download clips and get discounted products.
According to SwitchBot's website, "Recorded videos and photos are saved only to our app, or the SD card you use to help protect privacy. AES-encrypted video data is transferred over an encrypted TLS channel. With our cloud system using GDPR and CCPA storage certification."
With disgruntled users potentially looking to replace their Ring systems, SwitchBot could pose a very attractive alternative.
Check out our guides to the best indoor security cameras , the best fake security cameras, and the best Ring cameras.
