IC Realtime Video Surveillance Cameras Integrate with Amazon Echo Show

By way of development work with Amazon’s camera API, IC Realtime has made it possible for more than 100 of its video surveillance cameras to stream live video to Echo Show. Sent securely through IC Realtime’s ICMyCloud service, the video is activated by simply saying ‘Alexa, Show My Camera’

  • Jun 22, 2017

IC Realtime announced today a surveillance camera integration with Amazon Echo Show. The result of a significant development project wherein IC Realtime’s R&D team worked with Amazon’s camera Application Programming Interface (API), more than 100 existing IC Realtime surveillance cameras have the added ability to stream live video to Echo Show.

IC Realtime offers a wide array of video surveillance cameras and recorders. The brand is well-recognized within the professional security channels for its products’ performance attributes and ability to natively integrate with complex home automation systems. The company’s products are sold and installed worldwide by security systems and audio-video integration specialists.

IC Realtime models compatible with Echo Show include the brand’s suite of ‘ICIP’ series IP cameras (68 models in total) as well as dozens of its Standard- and High-Definition cameras that work in conjunction with an IC Realtime digital video recorder.

According to IC Realtime Technical Manager of Software Integration Chris Callaway, because the Amazon Alexa architecture is primarily Internet-connected, a requirement of the Amazon integration is that connectivity of cameras must take place through a back-end cloud service.

For several years IC Realtime has offered subscribers a cloud storage service called ICMyCloud, which grants users in home and business settings the ability to stream and record high-definition video footage from their IC Realtime cameras as often as 24-hours a day, 7-days a week.  IC Realtime’s Echo Show compatible cameras connect through ICMyCloud.

Locations in the home where security cameras are commonly placed include nursery rooms, entertainment and living rooms, front/side/back doors, garages, pool areas and more. 

The ICMyCloud camera works with Echo Show the following way: “The Alexa ‘skill' pulls the ‘Camera Name’ you’ve assigned within ICMyCloud,” says Callaway. “Let’s say for example you have named a camera for the Nursery.  You simply say, ‘Alexa, Show the Nursery camera.’ Alexa would respond with ‘OK, showing Nursery camera’ and begin its stream. When you are finished, you would simply instruct Alexa to ‘Hide my Camera.’”

Callaway also notes that keeping the video data safe is of the highest-priority. “IC Realtime implements stringent security protocols for the cloud- and internet-connected camera integrations, ensuring support of strong encryption methods, password complexity, and unique session URLs to guarantee the strongest integrity possible,” says Callaway.

“The ability to share video from our security cameras via the Cloud to Echo Show is a prime example of today’s ‘Smart Home’ graduating to an ‘Internet of Things Smart Home,’” says IC Realtime CEO Matt Sailor. “IC Realtime and its parent company IC Real Tech continue to bring to market innovative ways for people to capture and interact with their video surveillance - from crime/forensics to 360-degree lifestyle video.”Expanding upon the popular Alexa devices such as the Echo and Echo Dot, Echo Show adds a 7-inch touchscreen, dual Dolby optimized speakers, video-calling and a front-facing camera.

IC Realtime is the leading IP video surveillance camera brand in the custom residential channel. The company makes a vast array of security cameras and video recorders. Notable achievements include the company’s pioneering of the Cloud Video Recorder™ and the IC Real Tech ALLie Home 360-degree x 360-degree Lifestyle camera. 

For more information on IC Realtime cameras compatible with Amazon Echo Show, visit www.icmycloud.com/alexa.

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