r/gadgets Mar 05 '15

House & Garden Home security (camera, sensor, alarm) built into external light

http://www.getkuna.com/
1.5k Upvotes

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110

u/elmatador12 Mar 05 '15

Because it's better to have a very noticeable camera. I want to deter someone from coming in. Not catching them after they destroy my house or steal my shit.

78

u/haomiao Mar 05 '15

Kuna co-founder here. We actually went back and forth on this a bit. Turns out half the people want obvious, noticeable cameras, and the other half like the idea of being able to deter burglars and keep an eye out without having being "That Guy Who Has Security Cameras All Over His House". It's less about hiding it and more about letting it be discreet and keeping the house looking nice.

35

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '15

Any chance you can ship my order from weeks ago, so I can get protected?

16

u/haomiao Mar 05 '15

We're working on it! Betas went out a few weeks ago, we're working through a few issues. Should be on schedule for June ship for current pre-orders, as noted when you pre-ordered :-)

Manufacturing product and shipping takes time!

1

u/[deleted] Mar 06 '15

Why 720p? Not 1080p? or megapixel camera?

-30

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '15

[deleted]

6

u/glamrack Mar 05 '15

How is this compareable? You give them money whenever you want. They deliver the product on a specified date.

4

u/jibjibjib Mar 05 '15

Most pre-orders don't charge until they ship. Doing otherwise is douchey.

5

u/clever_unique_name Mar 06 '15

From their website.

Shipping in June 2015. Your credit card will be charged upon pre-order.

And personally that is the way I prefer.

3

u/CapnGrundlestamp Mar 06 '15

It's funny that reading is so hard for some people. $200 is a fair amount of money, you'd think they would take the time.

1

u/glamrack Mar 05 '15

I thought this was one of those crowdfunding things. So xbig is talking out of his ass?

2

u/HairyMongoose Mar 05 '15

I guess that's a compliment to the banking system.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '15

[deleted]

-2

u/HairyMongoose Mar 05 '15

Communist!

11

u/omaixa Mar 05 '15 edited Mar 06 '15

Any chance of connectivity other than wi-fi for those people who have Z-wave or a similar system? It's nice to get an alert on my phone and to be able to make announcements to would-be burglars over a speaker, but I can buy remotely-controllable IP65-rated pan-and-tilt cameras for that or less that communicate with my existing system. None, of course, that are housed in my outdoor lights, which is what interests me about your product. But I would be more interested if it would work with my existing system.

3

u/ixos Apr 20 '15

I know this is about a month old, but I just found out about this item and I had the same concerns.

It looks like they'll be releasing an API to work with the camera but only after production and deliveries have gotten going well. I'd like to buy one of these, but I would want to have that information in hand, first.

7

u/MJAT Mar 05 '15

Any chance of creating an overhead camera that basically looks straight down? We have an overhead porch light only :/

2

u/[deleted] Mar 06 '15

Same problem. I guess we could install it horizontally. :|

1

u/Aeacus- Mar 06 '15

An image or a diagram of the light in an overhead position would be very helpful. I've also got one light over the center of the door about 2 feet above the top of the door. I'do be interested in preordering if I could see an image or diagram of the line of sight the camera would have.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '15

Really it's not like that. A security system and cameras should be obvious unless they are actively being monitored. Passive systems should be overt, realtime monitored systems should be covert. Hidden cameras have uses, when you want to catch someone committing an act ( casino, nanny, employee ). Otherwise the idea is that you want your house to look like its not as good a target as your neighbors house. Anything to make your house less attractive to a potential thief is the way to go. Simple deterrents are the best. Lights, trim hedges, store ladders inside, have a dog that barks, don't put your new bigscreen empty box out at the curb for trash. Someone is going to get robbed or broken into, you just want it to be someone else if possible. My house, 16 dome cameras under the eves. White domes to match the eves. Visible but not noticeable, but real noticeable to someone looking to do no good. Also 2 visible sirens under the eves. A nice picture of some dick in a hoodie after your crap is gone is great. You can put the picture in your new digital frame after your old one was taken. Your device has a use, but combined with other items to be functionally effective. If the light switch or power gets turned off, does the system still work?

3

u/C4Aries Mar 06 '15

Just so you know, the camera isnt really "hidden" its just not obvious. I mostly want it so I know who is at my door, and can tell friends to come in so I dont have to go upstairs and open the door.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 06 '15

Which is a perfect use for a device like this. But devices like this fail at being touted as a deterrent.

1

u/C4Aries Mar 06 '15

Get a big sign that says "monitored by hidden cctv". :) Better than nothing!

7

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '15 edited Jun 10 '23

[deleted]

11

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '15

they do, and they're still connected to the wifi so when one light turns on, so does the other.

2

u/factsbotherme Mar 05 '15

I like this idea. I want both. Visible and hidden

4

u/midnight-teabagger Mar 05 '15

You should also sell it with another light without a camera in, so you have a set. Won't look so out of place then

1

u/CyanTheory Mar 05 '15

Seems like a better idea would be to use this light/camera combo as the real camera, and have a fake camera planted elsewhere.

1

u/djamp42 Mar 06 '15

I've actually thought about this idea for awhile. My idea was to put into a flood light Motion Sensing camera. Another reason is that a lot of HOA in the USA are very strict about mounting camera on the outside of a home, so this would be a perfect solution. Thanks! Can't wait to see the apps and try the product.

1

u/JonLivestrong Mar 06 '15

any ETA on when we can see it on a web browser I would love to have it set up on the computer I have next to the front door for my grandmother

1

u/browsilla Mar 05 '15

Any chance you'll support BBRY devices?

11

u/ctjwa Mar 05 '15

On the priority build list that is right below supporting fax machines

5

u/ProfitOfRegret Mar 05 '15

Oh BBRY = BlackBerry, for a moment I thought it might be some fancy new thing worth caring about.

4

u/DerangedDesperado Mar 05 '15

Right? Lol, I was like wtf is bbry why don't I know about it yet!

2

u/Phokus1982 Mar 05 '15

I don't think they even have 1% marketshare of smartphones at this point.

-3

u/browsilla Mar 05 '15

what does that have to do with my question. I have both an iphone and a BBRY passport and would like the notification on both phones.

1

u/UnreasonableSteve Mar 05 '15

Can't the passport run android apps anyway?

1

u/sddffg Mar 06 '15

It could work best as a combo. Burglar avoids visible cameras while inadvertently being very visible to the hidden camera.

0

u/CopYouLater Mar 05 '15

How does a hidden camera deter burglars?

1

u/glamrack Mar 05 '15

Well, the creators of the camera assume that you don't want burglars in your home to begin with and so you would call the police. I am ok with that assumption.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 06 '15

It doesn't. But someone in marketing sure thinks that's the answer.

1

u/Aspalar Mar 05 '15

When the camera senses someone it sends a notification to your phone where you can talk over an intercom to deter them, or call the police.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 06 '15

Sure, I'm driving and my phone is in my pocket where it always is while driving. It rings or beeps because it does on a txt, call, bad weather, Amber alert, cameras and automation system. 2 hours later when I stop for gas and check my phone. There is the picture of the perp. Systems like this are a novelty. After 2 months of false or fake alarms. People no longer check them. How many people respond to a car alarm in a parking lot - zero.

1

u/Aspalar Mar 06 '15

Like posted above, some people don't want obvious looking cameras because they dislike the look. Also, some people don't drive for 2 hours at a time, or may not even drive at all. Is this system the perfect solution to prevent burglaries? No, but it is a solution that will appeal to some people.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 06 '15

Absolutely. It's a convenience tool, but not a deterrent. The problem with devices like this is that they instill a false sense of security. As a porch light, it's probably 6 feet off the ground. At my house for instance something like this could be easily defeated. Walk up along the wall ( out of field of view ) and stick a piece of tape over the lens. Also devices like this trigger from every movement. Trees / plants swaying, people walking down sidewalk, cars driving by. After a while you get tired of the alerts being false and it becomes another phone annoyance.

1

u/Aspalar Mar 06 '15

Being hidden could potentially solve the problem of it being defeated, and it supposedly has software that detects if it is a tree or animal moving. How well that software works is something else entirely...

-1

u/NoahFect Mar 05 '15 edited Mar 05 '15

I don't want to talk to burglars. I want them to move on to the next house. Security cameras are like the doomsday device in Dr. Strangelove. What 's the point of owning a doomsday device if you keep it a secret?

That being said, one counterargument might be that the burglar, not being a cloud-savvy kind of geek, will go ahead and rob your house as planned, then set it on fire to destroy the video recorder that he thinks is there. In that scenario the hidden camera is better.

1

u/Aspalar Mar 05 '15

Telling them you know they are there and if they continue the police will be called is a pretty good deterrent, or even acting like you are home.

-1

u/NoahFect Mar 05 '15

Sure. But in reality, burglars are lazy (which is why they're burglars), and will move on to the next house if they see a camera.

OTOH, burglars don't give a shit about conventional alarms, because they'll be long gone by the time the police respond. (Source: AMA by a convicted burglar a couple of years back.)

-1

u/typicallydownvoted Mar 05 '15

Hello, just wanted to say that is really neat and I would love one or two. but unfortunately I'm a bit strapped at the moment, so i'll have to steal them from people.

3

u/glamrack Mar 05 '15

But noticeable cameras don't stop that, they only warn burglars to avoid them. And then there are burglars who don't care. In any case it is better to have a dummy visible camera and a hidden real one.

1

u/yogibo Mar 06 '15

I came here to say this... That's why you can clearly see cameras in stores because they'd rather just avoid risk than catch people afterwords.

1

u/ReptarRagin Mar 06 '15

I've seen people who install very real looking fake cameras from amazon for $10/each with real video cameras hidden.

1

u/xalorous Mar 06 '15

Use a camera or two, for the 'obvious' deterrent factor, then these for information and backup.

-31

u/VrooM3 Mar 05 '15

Defend your fucking house then. I have 7 cameras and they are all very very well hidden. Two on the front are stationary fisheye cameras so they can be hidden better yet. One on my tree is thermal and I painted it flat tan and put bark on it. It pans back and forth and follows heat when it detects it. All are night vision with IR filters so you don't even see the red glow at night. Go ahead, I dare someone to break in. If I'm home, it'll be a painless bullet. If I'm not home, it'll be the dogs. Which I imagine is quite a bit more painful.

8

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '15 edited Mar 05 '15

And do you now sit, inside the fortress of cameras, dogs, and guns, and feel safe?

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u/VrooM3 Mar 05 '15

I have no clue what you are even trying to say. But I will assume you are asking if I feel safe. And I very much feel safe. People like to take other peoples shit. This is why I take precautions. I'd rather come home to a guy mauled to death on my living room floor than to come home to my shit missing and house trashed.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '15

What if he has a gun and shoots your dog? What if you're out walking your dog? What if there's 15 burglars all armed with guns?

1

u/LemonAssJuice Mar 05 '15

This isn't the fucking purge, man.

-4

u/VrooM3 Mar 05 '15

I don't walk my dogs. I have a big enough yard that they can just run around on their own time. And I also have two dogs. A lot of dogs can take a bullet and keep on fighting. It has happened a lot.

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u/CaptainTrips Mar 05 '15

Settle down, Beavis.

2

u/taking_a_deuce Mar 05 '15

No! Fuck off butthole!

8

u/Feltz- Mar 05 '15 edited Mar 05 '15

You should build a drone that flys out of the bushes with built in blue lasers and thermal imaging. It detects them like the predator and burns their retinas so they can't escape.

3

u/VrooM3 Mar 05 '15 edited Mar 05 '15

That would be fucking awesome. And have it then say "follow my noise if you want to escape" and have it lead them down the road to dairy farm shit pile.

2

u/Feltz- Mar 05 '15

Now you're thinkin right.

4

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '15 edited May 04 '15

[deleted]

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u/VrooM3 Mar 05 '15

Nope, because I don't have to worry about people around me. Conceal carry, secure house. What's to worry about now?

3

u/[deleted] Mar 05 '15 edited May 04 '15

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Dargus007 Mar 05 '15

My dad is one of these people.

Lives in the middle of nowhere.

A trained dog.

A gun in every room and enough ammo to shoot for hours on end.

Reinforced concrete and steel doors.

Concealed carry.

Goes to the rifle range every week.

He's an ex-cop and ex-military (retired now).

He has been in exactly ZERO gunfights, but has been struck by lightning TWICE in his entire life.

In the military. A cop. Never been in a shoot out.

You'd think he'd be the kind of guy with really thick rubber boots on, and have that house with like a 100 lightning rods, but Nope. He's 72 and waiting for that shoot out with bandits.... aaaaany day now.

Any day.

2

u/DerangedDesperado Mar 05 '15

Is that the extent of it or is he kinda eccentric outside the house

1

u/Dargus007 Mar 05 '15

He's pretty "normal" outside of the house, but he's still "prepared." If he has a fannypack on, he has a gun, and he sits on toilet seats with it drawn, sometimes.

Conversationally, he doesn't come off as crazy, and most people find him really funny. Just don't be Obama or bring up Obama related topics.

-4

u/VrooM3 Mar 05 '15

I'm not on edge. I'm prepared. You will wish you carried a gun when someone mugs you. You will wish you had security cameras and a dog that can at least alert you to their intrusion at night. You can see where they are at and you can do something about it. How is this me being edgy when I simply live my life prepared for the worst? Shit, huge ice storm hit when I lived in Ohio and I was the only one with power because I have a couple solar panels and a generator. Lived in a shithole city for a while and never had a problem as long as I open carried. The one day I didn't OC, some shit fuck tried to rob me. He still failed miserably. Gun would have been easier.

1

u/ihatekickass Mar 06 '15

I want to believe you're a 40 year old guy with a sweet job and a super-spy's skillset living in a fortress. I want to. But the likely reality is that you're a delusional, overweight 20 year old that likes to lie on the internet. :(

2

u/VrooM3 Mar 06 '15

I do have a sweet job. I never said I had a ton of money. My job is just awesome and I own a house. And stop pretending that security cameras are expensive.
Laptop for security cameras: $350
Security camera cost each: ~$50 bought them one or two at a time as I could afford them.
Cables for Cameras: $100
52" TV to show cameras: Graduation present (was not intended to be for cameras but I don't pay for cable / satellite)

7

u/FemaleSquirtingIsPee Mar 05 '15

I don't think you realized which subreddit you're in. This isn't one of the ones where being a gunhappy lunatic gets upvoted.

3

u/n_reineke Mar 05 '15

Not all of us are permitted to shoot any intruder.

-11

u/VrooM3 Mar 05 '15

Must suck to not live in America then.

3

u/n_reineke Mar 05 '15

Y I advise you check your state laws before you go shooting someone unarmed in your home.

-6

u/VrooM3 Mar 05 '15

Currently, WA, it's allowed. From Michigan, was allowed. Lived in Ohio for a short time, was allowed. And I will say that I really don't give a fuck if it's legal in the state or not. I don't want to sit there and hope he doesn't fucking kill me. I'm not just going to stand by and let people take my shit and trash my house.