Vivint is a popular provider of smart home security systems. Their systems include a variety of cameras that allow you to monitor your home from anywhere. A common question for Vivint customers is “can I view Vivint cameras on a computer?
The answer is yes! There are a few different ways to view your Vivint security cameras on a desktop or laptop computer. This article will explain the options for accessing Vivint camera feeds via computer.
What is Vivint?
For those not familiar, Vivint is a home automation company that specializes in smart home devices and security systems. Their systems utilize cameras, sensors, and other devices that homeowners can control and monitor from their smartphone or computer.
Vivint designs wireless home security camera systems tailored to each customer’s needs. Part of every Vivint package includes HD security cameras, most frequently placed at home entryways. These cameras integrate with the central Vivint Smart Hub.
Vivint Camera Options
Vivint offers both indoor and outdoor home security cameras to match different needs:
Indoor Cameras
Indoor cameras available from Vivint include:
Indoor Camera – Compact 1080p camera with wide viewing angle, night vision, motion detection. Ideal for monitoring high-traffic areas of the home.
Indoor Camera Pro – All the perks of Vivint’s Indoor Camera plus a 180-degree field of view and 4x optical zoom for expanded coverage. Has color night vision capability.
Outdoor Cameras
Outdoor Vivint security cameras built to withstand the elements include:
Outdoor Camera Pro – Completely wireless outdoor camera with 1080p video, infrared LEDs for crisp night vision up to 50 ft, and 120-degree viewing angle.
Ping Camera – Battery-powered weatherproof camera that mounts anywhere outside. Can run up to a year on two AA lithium batteries between charges. Records 20-second video clips when motion events are detected.
Doorbell Cameras
Vivint’s Doorbell Camera blends home security and convenience:
Doorbell Camera – Lets homeowners see and speak to visitors at their door. Has night vision mode, weather resistance, HD video, 180-degree field of view, and motion detection. Support two-way communication with visitors.
With an array of indoor, outdoor, and doorbell cameras available from Vivint, they offer flexible options to meet most home security camera needs.
Viewing Vivint Cameras on a Computer
Fortunately, Vivint provides a couple different methods to access and view security camera footage from a desktop or laptop computer:
Vivint Sky App
The Vivint Sky app gives complete mobile control over your Vivint home system. An added benefit is that the Sky app also works on computers.
Simply download and install the Sky app for either Mac or PC. Then log in with your Vivint credentials to pull up live feeds from cameras around your home. Playback recorded video clips as well. With the app open on your computer, it gives a central dashboard showing all connected Vivint devices. Click on any camera tile to instantly open the live feed in full-screen view for clear monitoring.
Vivint Web Portal
Alternatively, users can log into their online Vivint account through the web portal with any desktop web browser.
Open a browser window on your computer and enter the URL https://www.vivint.com/login. Enter your Vivint account email and password to sign in. Once logged into the Vivint portal, click the “Cameras” tab toward the top of the web page. This will display still snapshots from each of your Vivint cameras, which you can then click on to open the live video feed. The web portal also lets you quickly review camera video history and recorded events. Plus change camera settings if needed.
Tips for Viewing Vivint Cameras on a Computer
To ensure your computer can smoothly stream video from Vivint home security cameras, keep a few tips in mind:
Internet Connection
Be sure your computer has a fast and reliable internet connection, either via broadband or a strong WiFi signal. Vivint cameras stream HD quality, which demands solid network bandwidth especially when viewing multiple cameras. Slow or disrupted connectivity can negatively impact video performance.
Browser Compatibility
The Vivint Sky app works on both Windows-based computers and Macs. As for browser choice, Vivint recommends using the latest version of Chrome or Firefox for the best experience with the web portal camera interface. Older browsers or Safari on Macs may not fully support all online portal features. Keep browsers updated.
Video Quality Settings
Under Profile Settings on the web portal, or in the Sky app’s Settings menu, you can adjust video quality as needed based on your computer hardware and internet speeds. If video is choppy, dial the quality down to 720p or lower temporarily. This reduces bandwidth demand.
Vivint Camera Storage and Retention
Any footage captured by Vivint cameras can be stored locally on the devices themselves, or backed up to the cloud for extended storage. Here’s an overview:
Local Storage
Video is stored locally right on the memory cards inside Vivint indoor cameras and the Ping outdoor camera. This allows replay of recent events without needing cloud storage. Local capacity ranges from 16GB to 32GB depending on model. When max storage is reached, the oldest footage is automatically overwritten by new video.
Cloud Storage
For long-term archiving beyond what local camera storage permits, Vivint offers cloud storage add-ons starting at $4.99 per month per camera. Cloud backup provides 30-day retention, meaning video from the past 30 days remains accessible in the cloud at any time for playback. Useful for reviewing older incidents.
Video Retention Times
Vivint cameras save clips for different time durations depending on local vs cloud storage:
Local Camera Storage: Up to 24 hours of video retained before being overwritten, depending on memory card capacity.
Cloud Storage: Video remains available online in the cloud for 30 days from the original recording date.
So cloud backup helps preserve important video much longer.
Additional Features of Vivint Cameras
Beyond just streaming live video to your computer, Vivint cameras have other helpful features:
Motion Detection
Vivint cameras utilize heat and motion detecting sensors to automatically begin recording when movement events occur. This triggers video clip recordings that are saved locally to be reviewed later if needed.
Night Vision
All Vivint outdoor and most indoor cameras boast infrared night vision. This enables clear video capture in dark rooms or outdoors at night without the need for external lighting sources. Night vision has ranges up to 50 feet.
Two-Way Audio
Doorbell cameras and most indoor/outdoor cameras support two-way talk features. When viewing a live camera feed on your computer, simply click the mic button to broadcast your voice through the camera’s built-in speaker. Listen to responses too.
Conclusion
Vivint home automation cameras integrate with the company’s custom smart home interfaces to deliver remote monitoring from anywhere. As covered in this article, it is possible to view camera footage from Vivint systems using the Sky app or web portal on desktop and laptop computers. So with the proper software setup, computers can stream Vivint camera feeds, enable two-way audio communication, analyze recorded video events, modify settings, and take full advantage of Vivint’s home security camera offerings.
FAQs
Do I need a Vivint subscription to view cameras on my computer?
Yes, an active subscription to a Vivint smart home plan is required to access cameras remotely on computers or mobile devices. Only account owners can view feeds.
Can I use Vivint cameras without internet?
Local video playback is possible without internet connectivity. But streaming video to apps and the portal requires an internet connection to transmit data.
How long is cloud video storage history for Vivint cameras?
Vivint cloud storage retains recordings for 30 days. After that videos are permanently deleted from cloud servers. Local camera storage varies from 24 hours to a few days typically before being overwritten.
Can I view multiple Vivint cameras simultaneously?
Yes, the Vivint app and web portal allow you to view multiple cameras simultaneously, providing a comprehensive overview of your property.
What internet speed is required for smooth streaming?
A stable internet connection with a minimum speed of 2 Mbps is recommended for smooth streaming of Vivint camera footage on your computer.
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