About the Cloud Storage Service on Indoor Cam

There are two options for the SwitchBot Indoor Cam to the storge recording date. One is by implementing a micro SD card, and the other is via the Cloud Storage Service. Here are some rules that we need to pay attention to when using the Cloud Storage Service.

1- By subscribing to the Cloud Storage Service or redeeming on the App, it will be activated from the day we proceed. The payment is only required once for each package. The service can be recovered during the valid period no matter how many times we disconnect the Indoor Cam from our SwitchBot account.

2- Once the Indoor Cam is disconnected from the SwitchBot account, the auto-renewing subscription will be suspended. We need to re-subscribe to the Cloud Storage Service by ourselves when it is expired.

3- One SwitchBot Indoor Cam can only subscribe to the Cloud Storage Service once at a time. If an Indoor Cam has already subscribed to the Cloud Storage Service, there will not be a subscription button on the purchasing page.

4- When the Cloud Storage Service is about to expire, a message will be sent on the notifications page of the APP 24 hours in advance. A second message will be sent when it almost hits the expiration date. Please noted that this message is not editable.

5- For new subscribers, we will offer an extra 30 days of use. Unsubscribing to the Service will not affect the extra 30 days of use.

Here are some Q&A to make know more about the rule of the Indoor Cam.

Q: Can I transfer the Cloud Storage Service subscription to another account?

A: If two SwitchBot accounts are created from the same region, the subscription can be transferred. If two accounts are created from different regions (e.g. one from the US and the other from the UK), the subscription cannot be transferred.

Q: What kind of storage plan can we choose for the Cloud Storage Service? Does it support self-configuration?

A: Currently, there are two kinds of storage plans. One is 7-day event recording, which will record the past 7 days of the event detected by the Indoor Cam while the other is 30-day event recording, which will record the past 30 days of the event under the same rules. Users can choose to pay for the subscription monthly or annually. All video cloud storage plans are configured in a unified manner. Self-configuration is not available for users.

Q: What services does the Cloud Storage Service provide?

A: The Cloud Storage Service consists of video life cycle, video uploading mechanism, and service validity period.

The video life cycle refers to how long a video uploaded to the cloud can remain in the cloud. If the video life cycle is 7 days, the cloud will retain the data sent by the device in the past 7 days. On the 8th day, the cloud will automatically clear the data of the first day and upload the latest data, and so on. During the validity period of the service, users can view the videos of the past 7 days (excluding the situation that there is no data in the cloud when the service is just purchased, data cannot be uploaded when the device is offline, and data cannot be uploaded when the device is damaged).

The video upload mechanism refers to the rules that the device uses to determine when to upload the video to the cloud. The current video recording mechanism is that when the device detects a motion in the video picture, the video is uploaded to the cloud, and all the video with actual events will be recorded.

The service validity period refers to how long the service will last after the user purchases it. When the user places an order and pays successfully, the service will start timing. During the service validity period, the device will upload video data to the cloud under normal working conditions. When the service expires, the device stops uploading new video data to the cloud center. The uploaded video data will be deleted day by day according to the video life cycle rules specified in the service.

Let's take the 7-day monthly event storage plan as an example. The video life cycle for it would be 7 days, the video upload mechanism is event detection and the service validity period would be one month.

Q: It is safe that users upload their videos to the cloud system?

A: The Cloud Storage Service uses the AES128 algorithm to encrypt the video data and the dynamic secret key is used in the encryption process. The transmission process of data upload also uses a financial level secure TLS encryption channel. In the case of double encryption of data and channel, data cannot be intercepted during transmission, and video data cannot be played without the password to the user's account, ensuring the absolute security of user data. The Cloud Storage Services use dual encryption of data and channels, which complies with privacy regulations such as the GDPR.

Q: What is the default storage stream for video cloud storage?

A: It is consistent with the main code stream storage of memory card recording. The App interface cannot be modified.

Q: Is there a speed limit for uploading the videos to the cloud after the cloud storage service is enabled?

A: There is no upload speed limit, but there is a limit on the camera's bit rate, which is 1.5Mbps.

Q: How can I access the videos that have been saved after the subscription to the Cloud Storage Service is expired?

A: After the service expires, the device stops uploading new video data to the cloud. The uploaded video data will be deleted day by day according to the video life cycle rules specified in the service.

For example, if a user subscribes to a 7-day monthly event storage plan for his Indoor Cam on January 1, 2021, the device will continue to upload video data as long as it stays online and connected to his account before January 31, 2021. All the videos are saved for 7 days. Users will be able to view footage from 3rd January 12 pm to 10 January 12 pm at 12 pm on 10 January. When the service expires but the user does not renew the subscription in time, the device will no longer upload videos to the cloud, but users will still be able to view some of the video content uploaded by the device before the service expires until 7 February 2020.

Q: How do I extend my Cloud Storage Service purchased on the App?

A: The Cloud Storage Service does not support service refund and change of payment plan. You need to replace the service after the current service ends.

Q: Why can't I see the Cloud Storage Service I purchased after I changed my phone?

A: First, please make sure that the same SwitchBot account is logged in on your new phone.
Second, please be aware that the Cloud Storage Service is specific to both the account and the device. If the Indoor Cam that has subscribed to the Video Cloud Storage service has been disconnected and reconnected to a new account after the reset, the new account will need to purchase the service again if you want to use the Cloud Storage Service.

Q: If the Indoor Cam is shifted to a new account, can we see the historical cloud storage videos?

A: Newly bounded account cannot view previously stored video in the cloud. If user wants to use the Cloud Storage Service in the new account, he needs to make a new subscription to the service because the service is not transferrable.