Top wireless home security cameras that will put your mind at ease
We've all seen the news reports, and you know you're in your local community Facebook group seeing the complaints about break-ins or youth crime. So what can you do about it at your home?
Well, the first thing we can all do is think about security cameras. Gone are the days when it was an expensive idea to get a home security system, which required a company to come to your home, run wires to cameras and set you up with a monitor to view it all.
Today, you can have them delivered to your door, and set them up yourself in no time.
What to look for when buying wireless security cameras
This is a huge, and booming area of technology with so many brands and offers on the market.
However, there are cameras and then there are cameras. Honestly, when it comes to your home security, this is one time I beg of you to stick with the big brands, and know you're getting value and quality.
Then there's the placement, is this an indoor or outdoor camera, because indoor ones can be powered by a power point, while outdoor ones need batteries or charging.
Each brand has its own capabilities and their apps will do different things. No matter what you do, stick with one brand because you don't want to have to open three apps to look at three different cameras.
Here are a bunch of options to get you on your way.
NOTE: Prices are accurate at time of publishing.
Outdoor cameras
Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight
Probably my pick for the best value out there, the Arlo Floodlight is quite amazing in that it's a full and powerful Arlo Pro camera, which means 2K video recording and all the smart functionality of the Arlo cloud.
But it's also a floodlight. Not a spotlight. That's like comparing a smartphone light to the headlights on a car.
This thing lights up your front yard, not just the front porch.
I live by this at our front door for making walking to the door safe at night and acting as a strong deterrent at the same time.
Like all these outdoor cameras, it also offers two-way talk so you can use your smartphone to talk to the person near the camera too.
Arlo Essential Spotlight
Arlo is the market leader in this space and has been around for a long time. With that comes a refined product, both in design and capabilities, but also an app that just works.
Like all these outdoor cameras, Arlo Essential Spotlight has a battery you need to charge. On the 'Essential' range from Arlo, that means take the camera down and plug it in, just like you would your smartphone. You'll need to do this every 2-4 months depending on how sensitive you have it for capturing motion.
The best thing about this camera is it doesn't require any base station to work, so will just connect to your Wi-Fi network and you're running.
I see the Essential Spotlight as a bit of a gateway into a bigger system – learn what you love about having this, then look to the broader Arlo range for expanding to more cameras, those might have removable batteries, solar panels or even larger batteries.
Arlo has a monthly subscription program you can sign up for which also enables a bunch of smarts on the camera to detect people, animals, vehicles and packages as well as giving you extended cloud storage.
Uniden Appcam Solo
This is another out-of-the-box solution that can be a single camera or expand to multiple cameras around your home.
Controlled in the Uniden App, the big selling point here is seven days of cloud storage, plus an onboard SD Card slot so you can store videos locally on the camera.
Uniden also has "thermo sense" technology, which detects heat and movement, so you're not getting alerts when a tree blows in the wind, but you will when someone walks by it.
Eufy 2K Solar Spotlight
A popular brand on the market is Eufy, and this particular camera is unique in that it has a solar panel built into it.
While Uniden and Arlo will sell an accessory solar panel to charge your camera, this one is built into the camera.
It also offers a higher resolution 2K picture, and built-in 8GB of storage for your footage, which should give you two months of capture!
Because of the on-board processing, motion detection is faster on this than many cloud options and the light that surrounds the camera will be a strong deterrent for those creeping around your home.
Indoor
Uniden Smart Wifi Pan Tilt
This Uniden camera is great for looking around inside your home.
You can use the app to zoom in and out and also move the camera to look left or right and up and down. Is your cat over there? Or over there? Move to look around. Or if you're worried that the window is open you can pan to see for yourself no matter where you are.
It's a very unique feature that for some people will be the perfect option.
Arlo Essential Indoor
For many people having cameras inside their homes is not a consideration. Who wants a constant recording of what you're doing and wearing walking around your own home?
Of course, your footage is safe and only you can view it, but still, it's the idea of it that worries people.
Arlo found the perfect solution, a privacy shield.
When this camera is 'watching' the shield is open and recording. When the camera is off and your home security is not armed, there is a white shield that literally covers the lens. You can simply glance at the camera to see if it's on or off – giving you the ultimate peace of mind.
Ring Indoor Cam
Ring was one of the first to do wireless video doorbells and has taken that technology all around the home now. Their Indoor Cam is a simple, affordable indoor option. Plug it into power, get it on your Wi-Fi and you're off and running.
One of the best things about Ring is the 'timeline' of videos that you get, like scrolling through all the capture, to find that moment you need to ID that person or thing.
I find inside the front door is a great place for these kinds of cameras as it's the last point of entry before someone unknown is wandering your home.
Great value without question.
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