iSpy is mainly intended to work as a video surveillance tool. It supports various types of cameras, including not only local but also remote ones. Luckily, it allows connecting to an unlimited number of cams and microphones simultaneously. In addition, it lets you open floor plans and recorded video.
Every time you add a new camera, you may customize it to meet your specific needs; and there is even a wizard to help you in this task. Among the configurable parameters, you can find video source, name, timestamp and mask image. Luckily, the tool can capture audio along with the video. Not only that, if the camera does not have a built-in microphone, you can pair it with an external one.
This program’s most appreciated asset in terms of surveillance is its capacity to issue alerts on given circumstances. One of them is when the tool detects motion. In this respect, it is great that you can avoid false alarms by setting tolerance levels. Another option is to select the region you want to monitor so that any movement detected outside it does not trigger an alarm. What is more, you can set it to ignore objects of a given color. Finally, the program supports starting alerts on noise detection as well.
Fortunately, iSpy allows setting various types of alarms. For instance, you can have it play a specific audio file, send a text or email messages and post messages on Twitter. Moreover, the tool can upload the footage to an FTP server or a social website. It is great that this product can be used not only to issue alerts on intrusion events. It may also stream video over the Internet, and you can even embed an iSpy viewer in your website.
In general, iSpy is an excellent tool. It works steadily and the only limit to the number of cameras connected simultaneously is your own hardware. If you fear that the program can be used as a backdoor to spy you, you will be relieved to know that it is open-source; which means that you can inspect its code. However, some of its features are only available by subscribing to the developer’s services.
Comments (2)
Would be nice if this became available to use on Linux, Raspberry Pi as the hardware is there, less power consumption, and you can use a bunch of thumb drives on a USB hub for storage. If this could happen, it would be that much better!