Amazon will offer a free camera to Cloud Cam owners when the service goes down

Amazon is shutting down its Cloud Cam service, but is giving a gesture to camera owners: a camera and a year of free subscription.

Home automation has been on the rise for several years now. Where solutions were once expensive, costs have now come down significantly, thanks in part to the cloud, which means you no longer have to worry about all of the data storage and processing. Unfortunately, these services can be stopped by the manufacturer overnight, which will put you in an awkward position. Amazon is well aware of the situation and is taking action.

Amazon shuts down its Cloud Cam service, but gestures to camera owners

Amazon is about to shut down its dedicated Cloud Cam service, but that might not be a problem if you’re hesitant to buy an alternative. MacRumors and The Verge have learned that the US giant will offer Cloud Cam owners a Blink Mini security camera and a Blink Subscription Plus service, normally offered for $100 a year, before the service is terminated on December 2 next year. Key Edition owners will also get a fourth-generation connected Echo speaker. This way you won’t have to pay a dime to protect your home.

One free camera and one year subscription

In an email sent to its customers, Amazon explains that it has decided to close its Cloud Cam service in order to focus on Blink, Ring and other products used to “make your home smarter.”Closing this service will make it impossible to store video recordings, but people who use Cloud Cam Key Edition as a Zigbee hub will also lose the ability to connect to their smart locks or manage their Amazon Key PINs.

The closure of this service did not come as a complete surprise. Amazon stopped selling Cloud Cam at the end of 2019 when Blink and Ring products hit the market. You clearly have reason to be angry. So Amazon is joining Wyze and other brands in ending support for their security cameras after a short time. It may also increase fees for some users. Some free features of Cloud Cam, such as quick video access and motion-based recording, require a basic $30/year paid subscription with Blink. A small amount, yes, but an additional cost.