Remember when the cloud promised storage and computing for a low monthly fee? Only as time went on, our subscriptions increased and the prices went up.
So it’s no wonder that at this year’s IFA exhibition there were several local artificial intelligence servers for smart homes and cameras, so the monthly fee was eliminated and the control was back in your hands.
In many ways, this is a throwback to the days when NAS devices were the home accessory of choice, but I’m totally down with the likes of Anker MindBase or UGreen HomeAgent as the new local server.
Cessation of Subscription Fees
I don’t hate subscriptions, but looking through my bank account, it’s pretty scary how many things have monthly subscriptions: video streaming, music, broadband, phone, software, cloud storage, etc. Where I once had a few small subscriptions, now I feel like I have to pay for everything every month.
Home servers promise to destroy many of these, even in a slightly more limited way, with a focus on security.
More functions, more control
The big change we’ve seen with security cameras is that there are multiple tiers of cloud subscriptions, and changes between them affect not only storage size, but often features as well. Pay more for Ring, for example, and you get AI-powered video search; by choosing the more basic package, you get more basic services.
Abandoning this and having a central “brain” provides all the functionality you could want. With Anker MindBase and UGreen HomeAgent, for example, local AI can process advanced object detection, enable video search, and apps can all tell you what’s happening in the video. No subscription visible.
A centralized system also means that the storage is in one place. Upgrade when you run out and you’ll have enough space for all your cameras and all your footage, safely in your home.
Beyond the cameras
Local servers promise more than security camera support. Anker will have the Eufy Smart Security Shield, a radar-based sensor that detects strangers, and promises to add new software AI agents for smart energy management and cleaning.
UGreen’s HomeAgent offers voice control that provides a smart speaker experience just by managing all data and processing locally.
Of course, there is a higher upfront fee for the server hardware, but I see it as an investment. With local artificial intelligence, I control what gets shared, and new features are rolled out instantly without increasing your subscription. You can see a full overview of these systems soon.
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