A Guide to Buying the Best Security Camera
A 2017 estimate for the United States revealed that there is a break-in to a business or home every 26 seconds–and almost 47% of homes have no security system installed! Experienced thieves either look for homes without any security cameras or quickly learn how to disable them without being detected. We’ll see that a good security camera to protect your property are quite inexpensive, and can be easy to install. And many security cameras can alert you about any intruders on your cellphone in real time!
There are cameras that you can install near your front door which can enable you to see and speak with anyone who comes to the door. Or you can see when a package is delivered, and ensure that no one tries to snatch it from you. Alternatively, you can use an indoor security camera as a baby monitor, or to supervise a babysitter while they’re in your home.
We’ll look at the offerings in the Best Reviews Guide list of the best security cameras. Whether you need an indoor or outdoor security camera, you’ll see that it can be installed and configured easily, without any professional assistance!
Types of Security Cameras
We can distinguish between security cameras between indoor and outdoor cameras:
-
Indoor cameras: These are primarily for monitoring activity inside your home or office. For example, the Blink Mini is an indoor security camera that you plug into a USB port. It can be powered by any phone charger, or from your computer or laptop. It will provide motion detection, two-way audio, and night vision. It would also be adequate as a nanny cam or a baby monitor. But, the drawback is that a power outage will probably mean that the camera will stop recording.
Blink Mini Compact Indoor Plug-In Security Camera
-
Outdoor cameras: There are security cameras that are designed to be able to stand up to all weather conditions so that they can be installed outdoors. One option is another product by Blink Home Security: the Blink Outdoor Camera. It is a wireless, battery-powered HD security camera. You can also buy it together with the Blink Mini in a kit, to survey both indoors and outdoors.
Blink Outdoor Camera, and the Blink Outdoor Camera Kit
-
Indoor-Outdoor Cameras: There are also security cameras that offer you the choice of whether to install them indoors or outdoors. The Wyze Cam v3 gets its power from a USB cable, which you can hook up to a wall adapter. As for being water resistant, it has a rating of IP65. “IP” stands for “Ingress Protection”, with the first number (6) indicating being totally impervious to dust and other particulate matter, while the “5” indicates that it’s impervious to jets of water from any angle. That should be able to stand up even to heavy rainfall.
Wyze Cam v3
What reviewers say
Here are some impressions of customers regarding the security camera that they chose:
-
Flood lights: Another security feature that some cameras have is a flood light that goes on when it detects motion. Customers said that the Google Nest Cam has a floodlight, but it wasn’t bright enough. But at least it provides enough light for the camera to record in full color at night.
-
Backup storage: You’re probably wondering where can the security camera store all of the video content that it collects. Some cameras require that you insert a separate 32 GB MicroSD card for storage. Other cameras also include Cloud storage for a few months upon purchasing the device. If you want more time, you have to pay a subscription fee. Some cameras, such as the Google Nest Cam, which is battery-powered, provide one hour of extra storage of recordings if there is a power outage. That way, your home remains protected, even if the prospective burglar manages to cut the power.
Important Features
Here are some tips about selecting a security camera:
-
Field of vision: You’ll notice that security cameras differ in their field of vision. One of the most impressive is the Arlo Ultra 2 Spotlight Camera. It offers you a 180-degree view of the area (many competitors can only focus on a 130-degree field of vision). It runs on rechargeable batteries. You can also focus on particular activity zones so that you’ll only be notified when someone or something enters that zone of interest.
-
Object detection: The best security cameras nowadays have advanced AI capabilities, allowing them to identify objects that appear in their field of vision. For example, you can program them to start recording when a person enters the field of vision, or for animals, vehicles, or even packages. These are all features of the Arlo Ultra 2 Spotlight Camera.
-
Sound detection: Besides motion detection, many security cameras turn on when they detect an unexpected sound. They’ll also send a notification to your phone. If you install a security camera at your front door, you’ll be able to communicate with people who come to the door as well using your cellular device.
-
Night vision: You’ll certainly want to be able to keep track of what’s going on within your property during night hours. Under low light conditions, some cameras are capable of only filming in black & white. But, nowadays, many cameras feature full-color night vision. An example is the Wyze Cam v3, with Color Night Vision. It works like this: Normally, when there isn’t enough ambient light, a security camera switches to near-infrared instead, and the picture is purely black-and-white. But, as long as the camera is sensitive enough to utilize minimal ambient light, it can still capture color pictures, even at night, and reproduce a color image.
Final Verdict
We looked at some of the features of security cameras for the average homeowner. If you have several entrances to your home, you can buy an array of cameras, to secure each entrance. They can also help you monitor goings-on inside your home. Security cameras are a small expense, compared to the peace of mind that they bring!
