Nest, who was recently acquired by Google for $3 billion, has announced that they have purchased Dropcam for $555 million in cash.
Dropcam is a WiFi-enabled security camera ($149 or $199, depending on video quality) that requires little-to-no-effort to maintain. You plug it in, set it up on your WiFi, and you’re set. If you just want to be able to check in on your cameras remotely, that’s free; if you want Dropcam to keep an archive of recorded footage on their servers, that’ll cost you anywhere from $10 to $30 a month, depending on how long you want archives kept.
Nest founder Matt Rogers stated,
“Our companies actually have a lot in common… Eventually, the plan is for us to work together to reinvent products that will help shape the future of the conscious home and bring our shared vision to more and more people around the world. For now though, not much will change.â€Â
Greg Duffy, founder of Dropcam, said,
“Nest and Dropcam are kindred spirits. Both were born out of frustration with outdated, complicated products that do the opposite of making life better…
Our products and technologies are a natural fit and by joining up with Nest we can fully realize our vision.â€Â
Until the deal get the official approval from all the parties involved, Dropcam will eventually be rolled into the Nest, specifically “how we handle everything from customer support to customer privacy.â€Â
Rogers noted that Nest will not share any Dropcam data with anyone, “including Google,†without your permission.
Dropcam users will continue to use their Dropcam accounts.[signoff predefined=”Enjoy this?” icon=”icon-users”][/signoff]
