Butteryfleye

Butterfleye was an American company that developed and manufactured smart security alarm systems. Founded in 2013 by engineer Ben Nader and headquartered in San Francisco, California, the company became known for its wireless, learning security camera. The idea originated from Nader's personal experience with break-ins and his dissatisfaction with existing security systems, which led him, then an engineer at Texas Instruments, to create a better alternative. The company initially raised $1.6 million in angel funding and later secured over $600,000 through an Indiegogo campaign in 2015, far exceeding its $100,000 goal.

The Butterfleye camera was designed to be a combination of streaming camera and home automation technology, described by its founder as "Dropcam meets Nest". Its core features included facial recognition technology to reduce false alarms by learning to ignore residents and recognize pets. The camera also incorporated audio recognition to detect specific sounds like breaking glass, a thermal imaging sensor, and iBeacon technology to recognize homeowners' smartphones. It was a wire-free device with a rechargeable battery life of up to two weeks and included internal storage (16GB or 32GB) to ensure recording continued during power or internet outages. Users could access a live feed and archived footage through an iOS or Android app, which also provided notifications. While basic cloud storage was free, advanced features like facial recognition and two-way audio required a monthly subscription.

In December 2017, Butterfleye was acquired by Ooma, Inc., a smart communications platform, and became a wholly-owned subsidiary. The camera was integrated into the Ooma Home security solution while also being sold as a standalone product. However, on September 22, 2021, Ooma announced it would be discontinuing the operation, maintenance, and support for the Butterfleye and Smart Cam security cameras. The service officially ended on October 22, 2021, at which point the cameras stopped functioning and all video recordings became inaccessible.

Keywords: smart security camera, facial recognition, audio recognition, wireless camera, home security, battery-powered camera, internal storage camera, Ooma, Ben Nader, Indiegogo, IoT device, video surveillance, smart home, thermal sensor, pet detection