When it comes to protecting your home, one of the most trusted smart home devices there is is the Smart Camera, as in Smart Security Cameras. These cameras give you eyes and ears in places where your own eyes and ears can’t always be. They also come in numerous different designs and styles and offer a variety of additional features and specs beyond just keeping a lookout for you. In fact, there are dedicated indoor and outdoor models designed to protect your entire realm.
Such cameras frequently deter trespassers and burglars, and they can catch and record crimes in progress should any occur, making them ideal witnesses in the event of legal proceedings. If you’d like to learn more about the many benefits of smart security cameras and why you should add them to your own smart home setup, just keep on reading.
What Can Smart Cameras Do?
Smart cameras, depending on the brand and model chosen, have a number of useful features that you might not even initially suspect.
For example, many models (like the Q-See Wired Indoor/Outdoor 4MP Add-On IP Dome Camera, shown above) have night vision capabilities to a significant distance (in this case, 100 feet).
This model also offers 4MP resolution (most smart cameras today offer at least HD resolution), an IP66 weatherproof rating (meaning it can easily stand up to Canadian weather), and even Power over Ethernet, as do many others.
Some smart cameras are also wireless (making them easy to place wherever you like), and others still offer wide-angle lenses (a typical size being 120 degrees) that can capture events that would be wholly out of frame in many lesser models.
If you’d like to be friendly with your trespassers and communicate with them verbally—perhaps invite them in for a late night snack, many smart security cameras today have built-in microphones with 2-way audio. Some models even have a built-in siren that you can blast at will to scare the tar out of unwelcome guests.
Another key benefit of smart cameras is app based control. App control allows for many useful features that work right there on your existing Android or iOS based smart phone.
For example, many smart cameras allow you to take in a live feed view of whatever your camera is capturing at any given moment (and at your own leisure). This means that you can stream your live feed at any time of day (and no matter where you are in the world as long as you have a way to connect to the Internet).
Additional (potential) features include motion triggering (the camera begins recording when movement is detected in front of it), text messages and alerts on your smart phone (to let you know when something triggers your camera to begin recording), cloud based storage of your video recordings (this feature may or may not require a fee), easy setup (most cameras today seem to boast this feature), and the ability to work with numerous other smart home products or smart home ecosystems (such as IFTTT, Works with Nest, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and more).
Of course, not every camera will have every one of these features, so some research is necessary to make sure that the model you choose has all of the top features that you’re interested in having. Be sure to think through which features are most important to you before you make your final selection.
Why Add Smart Cameras?
Smart cameras are all about security. The wish to protect our home is something we all can relate to. Everyone wants to defend their property, but, even more-so, we all want to protect those we love.
The real benefit, however, in obtaining smart cameras for your home is the peace of mind that comes with knowing you are in some way protected.
The vast majority of homes will likely never be broken into, so your camera may never get the opportunity to actually save your life.
Still, just having it there is part of how it will protect you, because criminals and trespassers that see a video camera in someone’s yard are far more likely to just move on to an easier target rather than risk being recorded, identified, arrested, and ultimately prosecuted.
What’s more, even if you never experience a trespasser or a break-in in your lifetime, there’s great peace of mind simply in knowing that you’ve already taken some pertinent action to protect yourself and your family.
If you don’t have a security camera (or some other security measures in place), the mere thought of something bad potentially happening can be a major worry. This may not be the case for everyone and in every neighbourhood, but most of us could be targeted at virtually any time, and it just feels better knowing you’re doing something about it.
You needn’t be wealthy or have valuables in your home to be targeted either. Desperate people don’t always think rationally, and some may target even the most modest of homes simply because they are nearby and convenient.
The great thing about having smart security cameras in place—even when they don’t deter the bad guys, is that you’ll have a clearer understanding of what happened, why it happened, and who the perpetrator was. All of this evidence will come in very handy when it’s time to involve the police.
What’s more, if your camera has a built-in microphone with 2-way audio, you might even be able to stop a break-in in progress without even being at home.
For instance, when a criminal hears your voice addressing him or her as they skulk around your property looking for a way into your home, they won’t stick around for long when they think that you are not only inside, but also awake, alert, and ready for them.
The bottom line is that smart security cameras can save you a lot of difficulty in the event that something unfortunate happens on your property, and they’re an excellent insurance policy for your own peace and tranquillity in the event that something doesn’t.
Where Should I Begin?
The search for the perfect smart home security system is not a quick or easy one. However, with the large selection available, there’s no reason it can’t be fun!
Among the most trusted brand names in smart security cameras are Arlo, Nest, D-Link, and Swann, just to name a few. In fact, there are so many different smart camera brands out there that it would take an absolute age to try and learn them all.
If you’re ready to get some smart cameras of your own, the best thing to do might simply be to start by looking at the top brands on the Best Buy Security Cameras main page and go from there. Good luck!
