Butterfleye is a home security camera that combines smart technology with video surveillance. Find out how Butterfleye works today in our review.
What Is Butterfleye?
Butterfleye is an Indiegogo-backed product that achieved its funding target in 2015. The $200 home monitoring camera began shipping in October 2016. Today, it’s available for anyone to purchase online.
The main difference between Butterfleye and a normal security camera is that it uses smart technology to record the stuff that matters. The makers of Butterfleye call this “Activity Based Recording”, or ABR.
With a normal security camera, you record video data 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, regardless if anything is happening in front of the camera. This is wasteful.
Butterfleye, on the other hand, rests in a lower power, idle state until it monitors movement in a room. The batteries in the camera can last for 2 weeks in this idle state while only recording the stuff that matters.
Once movement is detected in the room, Butterfleye can start recording. The camera automatically uploads data over Wi-Fi, although it can also hold up to 12 hours of video data if no Wi-Fi connection is available.
Your purchase of Butterfleye comes with 12 hours of free cloud storage space.
You can purchase additional cloud storage space for $5 per month, or you can connect your own cloud storage to the device, which means all your video gets automatically uploaded to the server, and then you can decide what you want to do with it.
Butterfleye Features
- Activity Based Recording
- Wireless and cordless
- Smart motion detection
- Sound detection
- Human and pet detection
- Full HD 1080p recording
- Offline and cloud synced storage
- Cloud storage included with your purchase
- LAN, WAN, and IP Direct streaming
The “smart motion detection” feature is more than just a marketing slogan. Smart motion detection means that the camera won’t start recording if insignificant movement is detected.
For example, Butterfleye will not activate if a tree outside the room starts moving, or if the ambient light in the room changes (say, if the sun goes behind the clouds).
Another key feature is the “human and pet detection”. Butterfleye is popular among people who want to monitor their pets throughout the day. Using Butterfleye, you can get alerts on your phone saying things like “Adam’s Cam is watching a pet”.
You can name your cameras for different parts of your home – like “Living Room” or “Kitchen” or whatever you like.
Butterfleye Tech Specs
- Camera: 1/3” 3.5 MP camera sensor with 95 degree field of view, capable of 1920x1080p full HD video recording
- Sensors: Passive infrared sensor, ambient light sensor, and accelerometer
- Weight: 12.5 oz (355g)
- Dimensions: 3.3” x 3.8” x 1.6”
- Wireless: 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 Ghz with WEP, WPA, WPA2 support
- Connectivity: Bluetooth LE (BT 4.0)
- Audio: Half Duplex 2 Way Audio
- Power: Micro USB 5v DC, 2A input; AC adaptor
- App: Available for iOS and Android
Butterfleye Pricing
Butterfleye is available in packages of 1 or 3 cameras. If you want to cover a multi-room home, then you’ll want the multi-camera package.
Or, if you just want to monitor your front door, then a single-camera package might work for you. In any case, here’s how pricing breaks down:
- 1 Camera: $220
- 3 Cameras: $547
Butterfleye comes with free cloud storage, although it’s only capable of storing 12 hours of video data.
After your free amount is filled up, you pay $4.99 per month for ongoing cloud storage. You can also connect your own cloud storage platform and automatically upload video data to that server, if you wish.
All purchases come with a 30 day refund policy. You can return your Butterfleye within 30 days for a full refund.
How To Setup Butterfleye
Setting up Butterfleye is famously easy. You just download the Butterfleye app for iOS or Android, unbox the camera, turn it on, and use the Butterfleye app to connect your camera to your home’s Wi-Fi network.
Who Makes Butterfleye?
Butterfleye is made by a San Mateo, California-based team that operates under the same name. Butterfleye’s About Us page describes the company as “creators of beautiful, engaging experience” who “believe in freedom, love, and connection”.
Key members of the team include Ben Nader (CEO and Founder), Sean O’Connell (Principal Architect), Govind Vaidya (Head of Embedded Software) and Stan Demarta (Head of Technology).
The team has previously worked for Texas Instruments, Apple, FlipVideo, Frog Design, Dolby Labs, Legrand, and other major tech companies.
You can get in touch with Butterfleye by email at [email protected].
Butterfleye Summary
Butterfleye is popular among all different groups of people.
Some people buy Butterfleye just to monitor what their pet is doing when they’re not at home. Other people buy Butterfleye to monitor elderly relatives as they move around the home.
Some people use Butterfleye as a baby monitor, and some use it as a home security device when they’re away from the home.
As the Butterfleye FAQs page explains, “the most common use cases are security, child monitoring, pet monitoring, and elderly care”.
If you’re looking for a wireless camera that lasts for about 2 weeks on a single charge and only records the stuff that matters – like movement in your home – then the Butterfleye is one device that can help you track and record everything important in your life.
