About Peter Ocasek

Posts by Peter Ocasek:

🇺🇦 Ukrainians: use your security camera to fight disinformation, expose the reality, and document the history (for free of charge)

I believe transparency is the best way to fight disinformation. Deeply concerned over the latest development in Ukraine my team prepared this special offer:

  1. Free secure cloud recording
  2. Free broadcasting
  3. Free concierge onboarding

Every camera connected increases the chance the reality will be spread and captured.

Do you have a security camera located in Ukraine capturing the public area?

❗️Since Friday 25th, we are not broadcasting cameras in Kyiv city, as The Kyiv City State Administration requested everyone to do so.

Apply

If you have any questions, concerns, or even ideas on how to increase the impact of this initiative, just say hello@angelcam.com. Thank you.

If you decided to flee, these are the best sources I’m aware of:

  1. Apply for accommodation in Slovakia. You can enter to Slovakia even without passport.
  2. The Czech Republic official help: website, +420974801802, ukrajina@mvcr.cz. You can enter Czechia for 90 days with biometric passport.

Stay safe, stay strong. Everyone I know stands behind you. 

Few more personal worlds

During recent weeks I was terrified reading the news coming from Ukraine.

Yesterday morning I had tears in my eyes. And today morning? I was nearly crying, yet I want to frighten my children.

While Angelcam is an American company and we consider ourselves as a global and distributed company (we don’t have any offices and we are working solely remotely, and are serving customers in 100+ countries), our heart belongs to Europe. Particularly in The Czech Republic where most of our team have been born.

I grew up just next to the Russian military base in the westernmost region of the Czech Republic. I was 11 years old when I had witnessing leaving the Russian army from my country – after 23 years of occupation. Many times since then I found myself wondering how it is possible that the whole world didn’t care and allowed Russia to invade.

And that wasn’t the first time. Something similar happened during the military occupation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany in 1938. Media also found dangerous parallels to Adolf Hitler’s actions before the Second World War with Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognize two breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine.

One of my possible explanations was – “they just didn’t know”.

But there is one huge difference – now we know.

The US and other countries are sharing publicly some of the intel gathered. Even the general public has access to almost real-time commercial satellite images. Everyone has an internet-connected phone with a camera & social media. We can see, share, and like.

But what an ordinary man can do, besides sharing social media posts with #PrayForUkraine hashtag or sending some money to a charity?

That is why we (actually more team-mates at the same time independently, which makes me proud!) came with this initiative.

Besides this public offer, we had also sent some money to where we believe it may have a quick impact, and we had offered accommodation to our 1,300 Ukrainian users. 

Maybe all these activities will have small or even no impact. Yet I hope if every individual and company will do their best, it matters.

Peter
Co-founder and CEO

Garland Food Success story

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Today we’re presenting you another one of our success stories – a use case we delivered to one of our customers. There’s so much you can do with Angelcam. We hope you’ll be inspired to pursue your tech endeavors!

1. The company

With 25 years of market presence, Garland Food is one of the largest suppliers of fresh products throughout Southern and Northeastern United States. Headquartered in Miami, FL, with another distribution center in Orlando, FL, they’re one of the the major suppliers of garlic and other natural and organic products for regional retail chains and food service companies in Florida and other regions of the country.

2. The challenge

Garlands IT and Finance departments were seeking an effective way to monitor food production activities in an effort to enhance quality control, reduce liability, and better protect equipment, while allowing all executives to quickly get the pulse of  facility operations at any time, from anywhere in the world.

In addition, they were looking for a solution that would hopefully not include the burden of having to replace their entire camera system, build their own mobile app, or use a consumer-based app that wasn’t enterprise-grade.

Many solutions on the market would have forced them to implement a new camera system, costing them tens of thousands of dollars upfront, with another few thousands per year in licensing costs for a cloud-based solution.

3. The solution

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Tboxtour.com Success story

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Today we’re presenting you one of our success stories – a special use case we delivered to one of our customers. There’s so much you can do with Angelcam. We hope you’ll be inspired to pursue your tech endeavors!

1. The company


 


Founded by amateur golfers and veterans of the tech industry, TboxTour is a Virginia-based startup that is looking to enhance and simplify the process of sharing your love of golf with your friends. Livestream your best shots, have open competitions with your golfing buddies, or even save clips of your top shots for later viewing.


 


2. The Challenge


 


When building a consumer application, designing a top-of-the-line UX and getting the MVP completed and to market as soon as possible is vital. With that, when dealing with video it’s equally important to be able to quickly process video content and present it in a way that is highly-relevant and of the highest quality, driving user engagement and growth. 


 


This was what TboxTour was looking to achieve, and doing so involved tackling a number of challenges:


 


    

  • Connect video clips and streams to their respective cloud-based application while preserving the highest quality video from Axis IP cameras 
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  • Ensure adequate quality of video from IP cameras in outdoor environments and/or with unreliable internet connections 
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  • Avoiding vendor lock-in for IP cameras 
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  • Embed live streams and video recordings into mobile application 
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  • Provide end users the capability of scaling to any audience size, on demand, without the need to build their own video streaming CDN delivery network
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  • Produce a cost-effective, market-ready MVP, complete with APIs, within 90 days 
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  • Partner with a service provider that could scale with their business model
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3. The solution


 


Confronted with the daunting challenge of rapidly developing and deploying an MVP application and associated APIs that effectively captured, processed, and displayed high-quality video content from an outdoor environment, TboxTour connected with leading camera and video consulting firm, RadiusVision. Together, they selected Angelcam as their platform of choice due to the simplicity of it’s plug-and-play, DIY device, the AngelBox, which could be deployed along with their custom hardware, on site. In addition, Angelcam’s Broadcast and Video Clip APIs ensured they would be able to get their MVP to market, for rapid testing, on time. 


Angelcam products used:


    

  • AngelBox deployed and linked to on-site Linux-based OS devices, connecting the IP cameras to the Angelcam cloud with an encrypted stream
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  • Cloud Recording Application with 7-days retention of stored video in the cloud
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  • Cloud Recording API used to embed a video player that plays recorded footage into the mobile application
    • 

  • Video clip API was utilized for fast, custom retrieval of clips of interest
    • 

  • Broadcasting API was employed to embed live streams of video footage into the mobile application
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Angelcam services included:


Our US Sales and Support team, along with our Engineering team, provided solution support from the outset and app development throughout the pilot project. The team often met twice, if not three times, per week to discuss the various technical challenges and how Angelcam could assist. 






4. The results


 


TboxTour has successfully implemented their solution at multiple golf facilities throughout the country, with the AngelBox system continually streaming high-quality video from Axis cameras to their cloud application. 


 


As they continue to meet each successive project milestone, the team is now into the latter part of the MVP phase of finalizing development and performing user testing of the mobile application. The testing will help bring any further technological and product needs to the forefront, while the success of their video stream implementations allows them to forge relationships with select launch partners before moving onto the launch phase.  


 


Would you like to get more insights on our products? Happy to see you here! … or contact us directly on support@angelcam.com for tech or sales enquiries.

					
				
	

	

		




						
					
													



	
			
	
	
	
	

	
		

				

			3 reasons why your construction business should time-lapse the next project
		

		
					

				

				 
				
									
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There are a number of ways keeping track of progress and investing in video production can benefit your business. Here are our top 3 use cases for timelapse video, an essential when it comes to the construction industry.


    

  1. Endless marketing opportunities
    2. 



The work speaks for itself. In this case, indeed, a video speaks for itself. A time lapse video tells the story as construction unveils. There’s something catchy and addictive about time lapse and no matter the audience, it’s one of the most engaging formats. 


A few ways how to utilize a time lapse video in your marketing mix:


– your website


– social media 


– trade shows


– client presentation


– TV ads


Extra tip: Sell an edited copy of the construction video as an extra product to your client.


See this IKEA time lapse – 2 years in 2 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/


    

  1.  Document
    2. 



Your video material has a bunch of implications and uses internally:


    

  • 

      

    •  Keep track of your procedures and project management
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    • 



    

  • 

      

    • Showcase the progress on the site with colleagues that are not involved in the project
      • 

    

    • 



    

  • Document your projects for archiving purposes
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  1.  Jobsite safety
    2. 



On site monitoring coupled with time lapse can help document unpredicted events or errors. Going through footage in this scenario can save resources – and help prevent repeat incidents. 


Construction timelapse checklist:



					
				
	

	

		




						
					
													



	
			
	
	
	
	

	
		

				

			Product updates: remote camera administration, enhanced Camera Connector, and more!
		

		
					

				

				 
				
									
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At Angelcam we’re dedicated to continuously enhancing your user experience. To that end, our most recent efforts have just come to fruition and we’re bringing you a bunch of new updates and features:




Live camera overview


Users have been utilizing our smart multi-camera view on mobile devices for a while now, and we’re excited to announce that our web app will be following suit and integrating this popular feature. For those unfamiliar with it, the multi-camera view provides an instant overview of all your streams at once. You’ll be able to utilize this new functionality directly from your camera dashboard. With that, we replaced the static snapshots with a live snapshot stream (see example below).






Remote camera administration


Managing your cameras just got a lot easier because now all cameras connected to an Angelbox are manageable via a remote connection. Here’s a glimpse of what you would see from your camera’s administration panel.






Take your cameras to the next level


All cameras using Angelcam are now IFTTT-ready (if you’re unfamiliar with the magic of IFTTT, you can learn more about it on our blog). With that, it’s now possible to create an event on the timeline of your mobile app using any IFTTT-compatible device. To see if your IFTTT-compatible sensor, lock, or automation system are Angelcam-ready, have a look at this compatibility list. With IFTTT and Angelcam working in tandem, the only thing that limits your cloud-recording experience is your imagination 🙂


Navigation between IFTTT events in mobile app


Jump from one event to another to quickly go through important moments your camera recorded.




Download the mobile app now




Camera Connection Assistance


We know if you say, “I need help”, that you really need help, ideally immediately. Because of that, we are now offering new Camera Connection Assistance. For a deposit of $30, you’ll be able to schedule time with one of our experienced technicians, who will help you solve any technical issues – may that be connecting your camera, embedding a stream, managing your ports, etc. If the technician is successfully able to assist you, then you’ll be provided a credit of $30 for our cloud services. If the technician is unable to assist you and get your cameras/NVR up and running at Angelcam, your deposit will be fully refunded.




Improved camera connection functionality


We have enhanced our camera connection functionality (https://my.angelcam.com/connect) to be faster, more responsive, and compatible with even more cameras. Learn more.




Join our beta testing


We are happy to announce that beta testing is finally open to all interested users. If you’re up for helping us improve our products and services, delivering an even better experience for all of our users, you can apply to the beta testing program by simply sending an email to support@angelcam.com. Please include, “Beta testing program,” in the subject line.


What’s new in the BETA? Create events from e-mail


Every camera will now have a unique email address, when upon receiving an email, an event will be created on the camera’s timeline within the mobile app, ready for you to discover. Learn more.




How has Angelcam helped you? We’d like to know! Please send us an email and share your story with us.


Thank you!


Angelcam team

					
				
	

	

		




						
					
													



	
			
	
	
	
	

	
		

				

			Your cameras are now one click away from becoming friends with IFTTT
		

		
					

				

				 
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We are excited to announce that Angelcam is now integrated with IFTTT, which means your Angelcam-connected cameras just became IFTTT-compatible!


You asked, and we listened! Integration with IFTTT was a top user request, and now your compatible cameras, doorbells, and other video devices are all capable of integrating with other smart home/IoT devices, including sensors and plenty of other IFTTT products and services.


For those unfamiliar, IFTTT is a free service that allows you to automate interactions between your cameras and other devices and services. For example, you can have your cameras start recording automatically upon leaving your house. How do they know you’ve left? Perhaps it was your Nest Thermostat’s schedule, the usage of your Nuki door locks, or any other IFTTT-compatible device’s event that could have triggered it. Even something as simple as leaving your home Wifi network can initiate your security cameras. For those that prefer manual control over recording, you’re set as well as you can easily set up a button in the widget area of your IFTTT mobile app and enable it with that.


 


       


You can mark events on a camera’s cloud-recording timeline with any IFTTT-compatible sensor (i.e. the D-Link Motion Sensor), allowing you to track events and watch related recordings at a later time (currently only available on the mobile app).


Want to be sure your garage doors are closed after you’ve left home? Capture a snapshot each time your garage doors close, giving you peace of mind.


 






How about scheduled cloud recordings to save bandwidth or protect your privacy? Maybe a scheduled public broadcast of your camera? Or even receive a text message when your camera goes offline? With IFTTT, you can do all of these things easily through the creation of custom applets. 


Ultimately, with prices of IFTTT-compatible sensors starting at $30, combining Angelcam with IFTTT is a very cost-effective way to unlock some unique and powerful possibilities for your cloud-recording solutions.


Have you used IFTTT and Angelcam? Share your experiences with us!

					
				
	

	

		




						
					
													



	
			
	
			

			
							
		

	
	
	

	
		

				

			Camera detector update
		

		
					

				

				 
				
									
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If you’ve been using Angelcam for a while now, you already know we believe in the “always evolving” approach to our products and services. So much so that updates to many things that are “under the hood”, which are hardly noticed by our customers, go unannounced.


Take the recent update of our Camera Detector for example. While it went live largely unannounced, this update will go a long way to better helping you connect your cameras faster and in a much more convenient manner, regardless of whether you’re connecting directly, via an NVR, or through an AngelBox. More specifically, here’s what’s been updated:


    

  1. We have added or updated the video stream path for more than 60 camera brands, including AVTech, Hikvision, Dahua, Ubiquiti, Vivotek, Amcrest, Edimax and more.
    2. 

  2. When the Camera Detector finds multiple video streams on a camera, the primary stream is now used (not the secondary, as we did in past).
    3. 



If you have any questions, feel free to reach us.


Happy connecting and have a great summer! 

					
				
	

	

		




						
					
													



	
			
	
	
	
	

	
		

				

			Important product updates
		

		
					

				

				 
				
									
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Thanks to your input we’re constantly improving our product. Usually it’s a bunch of minor changes each week that you probably didn’t even notice. But we’ve just released a handful of improvements which will positively affect your experience with angelcam, so please check these out.


    

  • Live View – another reason to connect all your cameras
    • 

  • Responsive video player
    • 

  • Sound on mobile devices
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  • New player design
    • 



Read on for the full scoop!


 




Live View – ANother reason to connect all your cameras


With Angelcam, now you can view live streams from all cameras, no matter what brand or device. So go ahead and connect all your cameras and then choose one or more of the apps from our app-store: broadcasting, cloud storage, time-lapse and more.


angelcam liveview




We’re gradually rolling out a following updates over time to all users. If you still don’t have these features accessible and you desperately need any of these them, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll upgrade your account preferentially.


Responsive VIDEO player


For live streaming app users: Your player will never be wider than the screen, because it will change size automatically. Especially useful on mobile devices. But on the other side, it could have exactly the same width as the screen.


Sound on mobile devices


In the past, we only supported sound streaming on desktops. Now you can hear your security camera’s sound across all mobile devices.


Player design


During these days we will change the design of all streaming players. If you have any questions, please contact our support.


 


As always, let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.


There’s more on the way…

					
				
	

	

		




						
					
													



	
			
	
	
	
	

	
		

				

			Mobotix is opening their cameras to make integration with open platform systems easier
		

		
					

				

				 
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mobotix logo


I was excited to hear that new Mobotix CEO announced they’ll finally open their cameras. This will make Mobotix camera owners definitely happier. Today you can find their customers complaining on support forums. And few of them, the most experienced, are sharing the horrific procedures hacking the lack of industry standards h.264 & RTSP. Soon they’ll be able to use any open platform, including Angelcam, to get more value from their cameras using any application from any developer.


Klaus Gessman, who became Mobotix CFO in 2013 and CEO in February 2014, comment his decision:


“It is a complete strategy change for Mobotix. We used to say that we didn’t care about H.264, ONVIF and so on – we’ll go our own way with Mobotix, including with our outstanding video codec. But then you have to convince customers who have already invested in a huge way in – let’s say Avigilon Vision or analogue systems – get rid of those and use only Mobotix systems. … We would take care of H.264 on all cameras. … I want to be open in the market.”


 


Our company always have “openness” as one of our values. The ability to connect any hardware to any software can mean more competition for suppliers, but we strongly believe that it brings many new opportunities for them too. It’s not only about providing freedom to your customers to change the supplier anytime. Today with the world of connected devices (and APIs and platforms like IFTTT or Zapier), openness is mainly about letting users to do with their cameras much more than any closed system will ever offer.


Just imagine some really useful use cases. Switching on Philips’s WiFi enabled light when camera detects movement during night hours? Switching off the video recording when you come to your office? Receiving a push notification to your smartphone, when a car with unknown car-plate number parked on your reserved parking lot? There are thousands of different use cases any company can make a use of.


I’m very happy that our team is part of this huge movement.

					
				
	

	

		




						
					
													



	
			
	
	
	
	

	
		

				

			We wish you a happy holidays!
		

		
					

				

				 
				
									
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We know you must be busy with Christmas shopping these days, so let’s go straight to the point.


We wish you a happy holidays!


Honestly, we were really tempted to create something original. You know, some animated, maybe even interactive! A Christmas card on its own domain. All shiny and worth sharing, just like last year!


But then we thought: hey, what if we devote that time to working on our apps? Wouldn’t it be more useful for everyone?


We believe it was, over the next few weeks we’ll be launching three new apps! Time-lapse, cloud recording and one more.


However, we believe your 2014 has been at least as great as ours. Thank you for being with us, and let’s make 2015 even better!


Enjoy your holidays:)


Warm Regards,


Peter Ocasek & other 16 angels from Angelcam

					
				
	

	

		




						
					
				

				

				
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