Dropcam now does more than watch your home — it can ID people and alert you to open windows/doors

NEW YORK — Dropcam’s latest gadget isn’t a camera at all.

Dropcam CEO Greg Duffy unveiled the Dropcam Tab today at TechCrunch Disrupt. The tiny new wireless motion sensor will work together with the company’s connected cameras to give you more information about what’s moving around your home.

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The $29 sensor can be attached to just about anything — windows, fridge doors, and even outdoor objects like gates. It will last for two years running on two coin-sized batteries. The Tab could be a useful addition for heavy Dropcam users, since it opens up the home surveillance platform to objects that its cameras can’t see.

The Tab is only compatible with the new $200 Dropcam Pro sensor, so users of the older Dropcam unit will have to upgrade. It’s unclear how the Tab will interact with Dropcam’s cloud recording service, which lets users view recorded video from their cameras for up to seven days for $100 a year, and up to 30 days for $300 a year.

Duffy also revealed a new “people detection” feature that will let Dropcam’s cameras identify specific people in a given scene. (I’m sure parents would love getting an alert when their kids bring home unrecognized people.) Duffy noted that the detection feature is the most computing-intensive feature yet from Dropcam, and he hinted that we can expect similar features in the future.

Both the Dropcam Tab and people detection feature will be available later this summer.