Get to know the web interface for Vue personal video network, VueZone.com

Recently, we brought to your attention the Vue personal video network. The device allows you to set up video cameras that connect to the internet easily. Gadgetell had a chance to take a more in-depth look at Vue’s web interface with Dan Gilbert, Vice President of Marketing for Avaak.

Recap on the Vue personal video network

The Vue personal video network is a package that consists of two wireless cameras that communicates with a base station (the Vue gateway) to send your video to a website for $299.

Getting started

Since Vue’s draw is its simplicity and ease of use, the VueZone site is pretty easy to use. Logging in shows you your cameras and you can drag them into the “My Vue” area to view them. Once in the My Vue area, you click play to watch your camera.

While you can have multiple cameras communicate with one gateway, you can have only one camera live per gateway. That does seem to be a shortcoming. However, Vue is not positioning the device as a surveillance device as noted by the “Vue personal video network” name.

The video player interface is self-explanatory. To take a snapshot or record video, click the appropriate button under the video. Additionally, image adjustments are possible to compensate for low light or bright situations using buttons under the video itself.

Watch your friends

There is a social element to the Vue. You can share your cameras with your friends. You can see their cameras in the “My connections” area. Since they are probably using a separate gateway, you can watch their video as well as your own simultaneously. If you want to keep an eye on a friend’s fish or your relatives, it’s nice to be able to watch all from one interface.

The window for the video is a tad small. I was told that this is going to be addressed shortly as the team behind Vue will be working to streamline the interface.

Recordings and Snapshots

Recorded video and snapshots can be accessed from the Playback tab. Chose a day from the calendar that is marked with a bold font and you can view a timeline of videos and images.

The service gives you 2GB of storage space, which is expandable for a fee or you can just download your clips to save space. A 10 minute clip typically takes up only 15MB of space.

Images and video are also uploadable to Flickr and YouTube thanks to a dedicated “upload” button in the VueZone. Integration for social networks like Facebook and MySpace is coming.

Sharing your cameras

Sharing your cameras with friends just takes a drag and drop from your friends list to the “Permissions to view” area. Once a friend wishes to watch a video, they sign up for a free VueZone.com account, but they do not need to own the product itself.

Settings

In the future, you will be able to schedule recordings, but that feature is not yet enabled. Right now, you have to actively record clips. There isn’t much to change in the settings other than the camera or gateway name. The settings area also shows off the battery life of your cameras.

Vue and the future

The folks at Avaak seem to have a solid base in their web app, VueZone. It is a little rough in spots, but very functional. That being said, the application is very easy to use and is clearly laid out. Look for the Vue to get upgrades in the future such as audio to better monitor areas and motion detection.