Contractors often keep tools and equipment in the bed of their truck, where they can easily be stolen by thieves. However, there’s help on the horizon as Canopy has introduced their all-new Pickup Cam.
The company, which is a joint venture between Ford and ADT, was originally announced last year to “provide peace of mind for truck owners with an aftermarket, app-driven video security device” that fits any truck. Their first product is now available for pre-order and it’s a bit like a Ring camera for your truck bed.
While the company said surprisingly little about the Pickup Cam, it consists of a Hub and Camera unit. The latter is mounted onto the rear window and provides a 180° view of the truck bed and surrounding area. Besides the camera itself, the unit is equipped with a dynamic light bar that acts as a deterrent and signals when the truck is under “intelligent surveillance.”
More: Ford And ADT Team Up For Connected, AI-Powered Security System
The Hub, on the other hand, is the brains of the operation as it provides cellular connectivity to send alerts and streaming video to your smartphone. The Hub also has a rechargeable battery to power everything while the truck is turned off and it recharges via an OBD-II cable when the truck is running.
Canopy says installation can be done at home in as little as 15 minutes. Once everything is setup and installed, owners will receive a push notification on their smartphone whenever suspicious activity is detected. This is also recorded and users can contact an ADT professional monitoring agent if needed.
While the system sounds like a smart idea, it’s not cheap as the Pickup Cam is $299 and requires a subscription that costs $14.99 per month. The latter is a necessary evil as it provides internet connectivity as well as cloud storage and access to ADT monitoring agents. While the setup isn’t cheap, Canopy is temporarily lowering the price to $149.50 for the first 1,500 devices.
For comparison, the Ring Car Cam costs $249.99 and doesn’t require a subscription. However, to get the most out of it, you’ll need a Ring Protect Go plan that costs $6 per month. Besides being cheaper, the Ring Car Cam has front and rear facing cameras – although neither is designed to monitor a truck bed.
