
Peeple Is a Smart Peephole to Upgrade Your Door with Caller ID - ColinWright
http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/06/peeple-is-a-smart-peephole-to-upgrade-your-door-with-caller-id/
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sb23
It sends every picture to a server somewhere before sending the push
notification. Not sure I like that very much.

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dogma1138
Well whats the other alternatives? Sending images to devices on a shared
network, or having a server in your house/phone which receives the images. All
of them are quite unpractical, most people don't know how to setup a server in
their home, heck most people won't know how to even forward ports (hence UPNP
in CPE/SOHO routers).

Running a server on your mobile device isn't an option on all platforms, many
cellular ISP's don't provide you with a "legal" internet IP but rather use
NAT, and running server software on mobile phones is probably a bigger
security risk than this.

And while some might say well they could've used dropbox or any other similar
storage yes they could, but no one in their right mind would ever design a
product which relies on a 3rd party like that since that 3rd party can (and
they often do) change the TOS or scrap the service you rely on completely.

This device isn't for people who are paranoid about their security and
privacy, you don't put a device which takes a picture of anyone who enters
your house if you worry about privacy in the first place. This device is for
people who want convenience and as long as it's cheaper than an intercom with
a camera in it or is much easier to use it's fine. This is actually quite nice
solution for various apartment / condo complexes, you can buz a delivery guy
into the hallway when you out and about if they hook it into the buzzer.

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nodata
> Well whats the other alternatives?

E-mail.

An ftp server.

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dogma1138
email isn't any more secure than their solution, heck it's probably less
secure. FTP again insecure, FTPS/SFTP maybe but 99.9% of user don't know how
to setup an FTP server and it's again goes back to the problem that then you
need a server hosted somewhere which is a limitation that will kill the
potential market for the product.

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Futurebot
Something closely related I would like to see: a system to identify people
ringing apartment doorbells that is visible to tenants. Buildings without
video systems or doorpeople rely on "who's there?" as their only means of
authentication. Something that could be created and installed cheaply without
a major retrofit (so that landlords would actually pay for it) would be great.
This device comes close, but seems to be targeted more at homeowners. The
device I'm talking would need to be shared among many tenants, and robust
enough to deal with drunken buzzer pounders.

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tarikjn
As soon as you start working on the building, you pretty much have the replace
the panel, as 1) it has to be secure, and 2) you have no guaranteed network
connectivity.

The closest to what you are asking could be a 2N IP video intercom with a 2N
2Wire connector (uses the old copper/coax cable of the analog intercom system
for IP), costs around $1,000.

People would then have to connect the network cable from the 2Wire box on
their apartment side to their home router and setup their phone to connect to
the intercom in P2P mode (intercom acting as SIP server).

Other options is connecting the intercom directly online, which makes setup
much simpler but incurs a recurring cost for the building association.

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tarikjn
A hack suggestion for someone who wants to build something that is more an
upgrade than a replacement and address this better -- specially for panels
which have individual buttons for each apartment:

    
    
      - build a camera only panel that can be added on the wall
      - camera has a built-in power supply that uses the doorbells panel power
      - camera has built-in PLN module that uses modulations on the doorbells panel ground
      - in your apartment, you setup a box that connects to your entry phone and grab the video feed from the ground PLN, grabs the triggering from the entry phone line, the box connects to your Wi-Fi network
      - the rest is software

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iask
I agree with @dogma1138. This device isn't for people who are paranoid about
security. I am in NYC. They made attempt on my premises 4 times. These mofos
came in broad daylight. I got cameras and sensors everywhere plus alarm
service. They have multiple lookouts on phones. Another walks off the road,
head facing down. Will knock a few times not facing door. Two times he had a
hoodie. After no response they will start. In one incident the cops came 8
hours after. Seriously!!!

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maneesh
note: this kickstarter did launch and is on it's way to meet the minimum (50k)
goal to get funded: [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1544392549/peeple-
calle...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1544392549/peeple-caller-id-
for-your-front-door/video_share)

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hasenj
Wouldn't it make much more sense to have a device that allows you not only to
see who's at your door, but also talk to them directly?

If the only thing you get is to see a picture of the event after-the-fact, I'm
not sure that's so useful.

I think it's a terrible under-utilization .. if that's the right word ..

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nodata
The big downside is that you cannot see who is at your door while you are
home. Imagine you are standing in the hall, or behind the door, or near the
door and somebody knocks. You don't want to get out your smartphone and unlock
it to see who is there, you're right next to the door!

This thing needs a screen.

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totallynotcool
I agree. A simple fix would be to keep the 'peep hole' and put the camera
under it using refraction to separate the images... or 1 smart peep hole and
one regular one would work too I guess.

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metaprinter
there are trail cams that do this and more...what am i missing?

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pbreit
Marketing.

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moioci
So if I happen to be standing inside the door when someone knocks, do I then
have to run around and find my phone, because this blocks the actual peephole?
If so, maybe the inside component should have a small display that powers up
after a knock is detected.

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flycaliguy
You could just answer the door. Sorry to be snarky to you specifically, but
this comment section is weirding me out. Maybe I live a sheltered Canadian
life but this seems like information overkill. When somebody knocks on your
door you should just answer it and not live in a bubble. If you find yourself
on the other side of a door with a knock and walk away to find your phone
first... I'm worried you have retreated from the normal world into a sheltered
modern depression.

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gknoy
We've had some home invasion robberies in neighboring parts of town. We won't
open the door unless we can see who it is first.

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petemc_
Do they not have any regular doors they can put this on to take their
pictures?

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hbhakhra
How would this work in the case of opening a door from the inside? If a kid
opens the door and goes outside, they would only be in the view of the camera
briefly.

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sologoub
The article keeps referring to knocking on the door as the method for
actuating the device. Not sure if opening/closing the door would produce the
same type of trigger.

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pbhjpbhj
>In short, Peeple lets you keep a log of people who knock on your door. Chuter
thought about this project when his two little boys left the house and played
in the street without his consent. Even if your door opens from the inside,
Peeple tracks these events. //

It uses an accelerometer.

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rayw
A isreali high security lock manufacturer already have the idea first.
[http://www.mul-t-lockusa.com/6689.html](http://www.mul-t-
lockusa.com/6689.html)

Smart security gadgets like this are very hard to do without a distribution
network of locksmith who actually does most door installations.

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nodata
Hm: wireless, runs on batteries, has a screen so you can still use the peep
hole.

But... requires an obvious camera on the other side of the door.

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neilellis
Now that is a good example of internet of things, especially for the
vulnerable (ain't we all?). I like the idea that a record is kept of who
visited.

