I think there are use cases that requires a specialized hardware. Such as the one you mentioned: outdoor, no power, multiple cams. And there are use cases that using a phone is more appropriate. Like when you have an unused phone lying around. Or when you are often on the go and want a security camera to carry with easily.
This app lets you turn your unused phone into a security camera. It has AI event detection (person, face, animal) and smart alerts, but the smart functionality runs offline. No footage is sent to our server. Actually we don't have a server. You don't need to sign up or create a profile. Notification is sent through Apple's server (we currently have only iOS app).
We are doing beta program (free). We'd love to hear your feedback, and especially learn about your use case.
App creators own the data and decide who get access or get to use their search model. We don't. But yes, the more recognition models are made, the more benefit public users will get out of it.
My team has been working on a B2B visual recognition startup, but we think we may make our platform available for anyone. The idea is that anyone can make an image recognition app without coding. The app could be used as an object recognizer or a visual dictionary.
The app has image management and content management features for creators. Then public users can use its search function. If you have a team, you can manage access control within the app.
We are not in the situation where we can make automatic sign-up yet. Though the product is ready, our idea in terms of business is still very early. For now, you all can try our app, just give me an extra step to create an account for you.