- Home security cameras have become affordable and offer a basic entry point into the world of connected home security;
- There are many options on the market specifically tailored to your needs;
- Knowing how to get the best performance out of your home security camera is crucial for its effectiveness.
You may notice more and more home security cameras popping up around homes these days. That’s because security cameras have become ridiculously affordable over the past few years, and they offer a great, basic entry point into the world of connected home security. Add that these devices are easier than ever to set up, and there are dozens of options on the market specifically tailored to your needs (including video doorbells, indoor cameras and outdoor cameras), and suddenly you might wonder why everyone doesn’t have a security cam. But if you’ve bought a home security camera, the question remains: How do you get the best performance out of it?
Home security cameras can have a lot of features, functions, and capabilities, so we’re here to help you find what’s really most useful for you. You can also find tips on the worst places to put your home security cameras and how to keep your security cameras from getting hacked. People invest in home security cameras for many reasons. It could be because you’ve had porch pirates steal your packages or because you want to keep an eye on your children when they are home alone. So the question is, given your particular purpose, where should you put your security camera?
If you have a video doorbell (you can find CNET’s tested picks for the best video doorbells here), Ring recommends mounting it 4 feet above the ground. This allows you to capture the faces of would-be visitors but also to see packages left near the door. If you’re primarily concerned with package monitoring, it might be worth considering more expensive video doorbells that feature wider-angle lenses, such as Arlo’s excellent devices. If you’re using an outdoor security camera that’s not a video doorbell to monitor your entrances, it should go above a window or a doorframe, facing downward to cover the area a few feet in front of the opening if you’re looking to track deliveries. Check your camera’s range, too: you’ll want as wide an angle as you can get for outdoors, and ideally a 1:1 aspect ratio, too. Indoor cameras may be used for different purposes. Again, if you’re hoping to monitor general activity, say, of children in the house, placing a wide-angle lensed camera in the corner should work. If you’re hoping to monitor entryways for security purposes, a narrower lensed device, perhaps with night vision, would be the best option. Either way, it’s a good idea to keep indoor security cameras pointed away from private areas to avoid breaches of privacy.
Video doorbells offer helpful monitoring if you’re concerned about porch pirates stealing your packages. If the reason you’re setting up a home security camera is to deter package thieves, know that while a live stream could help you catch the act in the process, it won’t help you submit the evidence to the police if it’s not recorded. While it may seem like a no-brainer to make sure the footage your home security captures is recorded, many cameras simply don’t have cloud storage or a storage chip, or SIM card, included with them. If you’re using devices from Ring or Arlo, for instance, you’ll need to purchase a $3-a-month subscription along with the camera to access their cloud storage. Some devices, like Wyze’s cameras, have slots for SIM cards.
Nothing is more annoying than constant push notifications on your phone because the tree in your front yard is blowing in the wind. On the other hand, it would be incredibly frustrating to shell out for an expensive video doorbell, only for a package to be stolen off your doorstep without any notification at all. The home security video camera cannot work to the utmost of its abilities just by capturing and/or recording video. While those features certainly help identify a burglar, it doesn’t do too much to deter them from going about their intended actions. Motion detectors are very useful on security cameras, even if it’s just to let you know someone’s walking up to your door with a package. Some cameras offer people-only alerts, package alerts, or a camera to watch or engage with your pet. Ring cameras — and many others, too — allow you to adjust motion detection sensitivity and set a schedule to turn off alerts when you know that certain people will be going in or out. You can also adjust your notification window for many cameras — so you get notifications if there’s motion on your doorstep, but not on the sidewalk beyond it. Many video doorbells allow you to select certain zones to monitor for motion and to ignore others. Motion detection is an important security feature on home security cameras, but different types ofmotion detection may work better for different situations. For example, if you have pets or wildlife in your yard, you may want to use a motion detection setting that only alerts you to human-sized movement. If you have a busy street in front of your house, you may want to adjust your motion detection settings to avoid false alarms. It’s important to experiment with different settings and find what works best for your situation.
Finally, it’s important to make sure your home security camera is secure and not at risk of being hacked. Choose a strong password for your camera and your Wi-Fi network, and make sure your camera’s firmware is up to date. Avoid using public Wi-Fi networks to access your camera’s feed, and consider using a virtual private network (VPN) for added security. It’s also a good idea to regularly check your camera’s activity logs to make sure there haven’t been any unauthorized access attempts.
In summary, to get the best performance out of your home security camera, it’s important to consider its placement, recording and storage capabilities, motion detection settings, and security measures. With the right setup, a home security camera can be a valuable tool for keeping your home and family safe and secure.