Comparison

FTD NB vs AmbientCast

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

FTD NB

Features
Read full description

TEST AND ANALYSE NETWORK COVERAGE This network tester provides accurate, real-time results on NB-IoT/LTE-M networks performance by measuring parameters such as RSRP, RSRQ, SNR, eDRX and transmission power. The FTD connects via Bluetooth to a mobile application that provides an intuitive user interface from which you can easily set up a network test, view the analysis results and export them. QUALIFYING AND VALIDATING CELLULAR NETWORK COVERAGE · Scan all the networks present of the various operators within range of the tester, and make a rapid initial assessment of their performance. · Test NB-IoT and/or LTE-M network coverage anywhere in the world, with any single or multi-operator nano-SIM card. · Qualify network coverage at different locations and view network quality indicators for each measurement point. · Automatically locate each measurement point. FEATURES · Simultaneous evaluation of NB-IoT and LTE-M networks. · View, store and export network test results via the mobile application. · 3 operating modes: · network scan: scan all networks and assess connection quality, · network test: select an operator and analyse network quality in detail, · radiomapping project: contextualise a network test.

About

AmbientCast

Monitor your 3D printer's live camera feed and real-time status directly from your iPhone or iPad. View print progress, temperatures, filament levels, and more, with optional YouTube streaming and timelapse creation.

Highlights
  • Live camera feed
  • Real-time print status
  • Temperature and filament monitoring
  • Picture-in-Picture mode
  • YouTube streaming
  • Timelapse creation
  • LAN-only connection option
Features
Read full description

Keep an eye on your Bambu Lab 3D printer without being tied to it. AmbientCast puts your printer's live camera feed and real-time status right on your iPhone or iPad. Add your printer once -- AmbientCast finds most of them on your network by itself -- and the dashboard comes right up. No account, no browser, no separate login. LIVE CAMERA, LIVE STATUS See exactly what your printer sees, plus everything you'd want to know at a glance: print progress, current layer, estimated time remaining, nozzle and bed temperatures, and which filament is loaded in each AMS slot. Tap the filament row for material and how much is left on each spool. TURN IT SIDEWAYS Landscape has a layout of its own: the video fills the height, with progress, temperatures and filament in a rail beside it. Pinch to zoom in on the nozzle -- the camera has more detail than a phone-sized picture shows -- and drag to look around. KEEP WATCHING WHILE YOU DO SOMETHING ELSE Native Picture-in-Picture keeps your print floating in a corner of the screen while you use other apps -- check email, browse the web, or switch over to something else entirely, and still catch the moment your print finishes (or the moment something goes wrong). ON YOUR APPLE TV, TOO AmbientCast is on Apple TV as well, from this same listing -- a print up on the big screen, or in a corner of it while you watch something else, plus its status on the tvOS home screen. Your printers and cameras carry over, so there's nothing to set up twice. NOTHING GOES THROUGH ANYONE ELSE'S SERVERS No account to create and no cloud in the middle: AmbientCast talks to your printer directly over your own network, so your camera feed and print status stay in the house. You'll need the printer's access code, which is on the printer's own screen, and "LAN Only Liveview" switched on. STREAM IT TO YOUTUBE (OPTIONAL) Share a print with someone who isn't home, or keep a public stream running. Turn on YouTube Live with one button, or set it to start and stop automatically with every print job. AmbientCast can also publish a timelapse of each finished print and keep the list on hand, the same on every device you own. YOUR DEVICES AGREE WITH EACH OTHER Printers and cameras you set up on one device show up on the others, so you don't rebuild the same list everywhere. TYPE THE ACCESS CODE ONCE, NOT ON EVERY DEVICE Turn on Sync Credentials and a printer's access code -- and a camera's username and password -- become available on your other devices. It is off until you switch it on. Each one is encrypted on your device before it is sent and kept in your own private iCloud storage, so neither Apple nor the developer can read it. Switch it off and the copies are removed; delete a printer or camera and its credentials go with it. If you'd rather not, leave it off and nothing is shared -- the codes simply stay on the device you typed them into, as before. NOTHING IS BEHIND A PAYWALL Streams and Picture-in-Picture carry a small AmbientCast watermark. Put your own name there instead -- a channel, a shop, a handle -- or remove it altogether. Publishing a timelapse when a print finishes is on for everyone too. There used to be a paid tier and there isn't one now. If the app has been useful there's a tip jar in Settings, and it unlocks nothing, because there's nothing left to unlock. Also works with any generic RTSP camera, if you'd rather point one at the bed yourself. Tested on the P2S and the H2C. The rest of the X1 family (X1, X1C, X1E) and H2 family work the same way, and the H2D and H2S are found automatically too. Automatic discovery doesn't find the A series yet (A1, A1 mini, A2L) -- you can still add those by typing the printer's address. AmbientCast is an independent app and isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Bambu Lab.

Screenshots

FTD NB4 screens
AmbientCast4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FTD NB at none against AmbientCast's 3. AmbientCast's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. AmbientCast sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. FTD NB asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
FTD NB versus AmbientCast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFTD NBAmbientCast
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequency—Every 2 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdeunisKevin McMahon

In-app purchases

None

FTD NB

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

AmbientCast

One-time3
  • Coffee$1.99
  • Lunch$4.99
  • Dinner$9.99

Questions

Is FTD NB free?
FTD NB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AmbientCast free?
AmbientCast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do FTD NB or AmbientCast have ads?
Neither FTD NB nor AmbientCast shows ads.

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