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| Best security camera for home 2020 - Update Camera |
1. Arlo Pro - Wireless Home Security Camera System with Siren | Rechargeable, Night vision, Indoor/Outdoor, HD Video, 2-Way Audio, Wall Mount | Cloud Storage Included | 5 camera kit (VMS4530)
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| Best security camera for home 2020 - Update Camera |
The Good:
The setup for the cameras is really simple. Put in the batteries, plug in the base, get the app and sync the cameras. I was recording in 10 minutes out of the box.
The picture quality is good, I could make out license plates on cars in front of the house, about 50 ft away. The night vision was clear as well, you can make out faces clearly. You can also increase (or decrease) the quality at the sacrifice of battery life. I didn't see a need as the middle setting was clear enough for me.
The app is really simple to use. You can tell the thought and work went into making it. You can save and create custom settings for each camera or multiple cameras. There's a scheduling option to have different settings for the cameras on different days/times that's fully customizable. There are GPS options to change modes when you leave the house with your phone. Motion sensitivity and audio sensitivity are all adjustable for each individual mode and camera. There isn't anything I wanted to adjust/test or have the cameras do that wasn't in the app. It's great.
The motion and sound capture works great. The motion has a range of about 25 ft. It doesn't work through a window, because no motion detector will. But it picks up any and all movement in its field of view. I got lots of videos of small birds and animals that I was surprised it could pick up.
The camera records 10 second clips BY DEFAULT, but you can adjust the record time from 1 second to 120 seconds after detecting sound/motion or until the sound/motion stops up to 300 seconds.
The not so good:
The range of the base to the camera is limited. About 40 ft. I put one in the basement and one outside, both happened to be in that range and work fine, but if you have a really big house, this might be an issue.
The supplied mounting bracket is a strong magnet. It won't fall off when bumped or rattled, the magnet is quite strong. But someone could remove the camera if they wanted to quite quickly and easily. I bought a different bracket that threads into the camera for$25 for the outdoor camera. It can still be removed but would require both hands and sometimes, so I figure you'd at least get some video of the thief.
The system is not 5G compatible. That means if you have a 5G router and internet( which I have), you can't plug the system into THAT router. However, you can plug a normal router (mines an airport router) into the 5G router and then plug the camera base station into the normal router and it will work fine.
Overall it's a great camera system, not cheap to buy, but also not cheaply made. You get what you pay for. I'm very happy with it and would recommend.
2. All-new Ring Stick Up Cam Battery HD security camera with two-way talk, Works with Alexa
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| Best security camera for home 2020 - Update Camera |
I have a much better security camera system for my home's exterior but thought I might try one of these cams indoors since I have the Ring alarm system and a Ring Doorbell already. I made the silly mistake, I guess, of assuming there would be some kind of integration with other Ring products - there isn't. None. Not a single thing.
It seems like common sense to me that they'd integrate into a couple of ways. I assumed that I'd be able to tell these cameras to only sense motion if the alarm was armed. Nope.
I figured I could at least set it to detect motion when I wasn't in the house. Nope. There isn't even any kind of proximity setting for it to even know if you're home or not. They are not location-aware in any way. The Ring alarm system isn't either, so I suppose I should have known better already.
I also assumed that if my Ring alarm went off the cameras would automatically come on and start recording. Nope!
The only motion option at all is to not alert you to motion during specific hours. Note, this doesn't stop motion detection during these hours, it only stops the alerts.
Motion detection/recording is only an on or off thing... absolutely no options whatsoever.
Annoyed by the lack of integration I still mounted the camera in my great room. I figured I try it for a few days and see how long the battery would actually last with motion recording on. This is a high traffic area so I wasn't holding my breath... and sure enough, after not even 1 full day the battery is down to 80%. This is with all the 'battery saving options' on. This was only a test as I don't actually want a recording of any kind going on in my house while I'm home unless the alarm is armed or going off.
With absolutely no options, no integration with Ring alarm and no settings to limit it's recording this thing is really only good for one thing; on-demand video with no automatic recording. So, the thing is turned off now, doing nothing. I can still activate it from my phone to occasionally check my house isn't burning down.
Hopefully, someday Ring will update the software and provide some common sense integration with its other devices.
This is all a shame as the build of the camera is quite good considering the low price as is the video quality. The audio isn't great but it never is on cameras of any kind.
***UPDATE***
Ring support reached out to me directly almost immediately after I posted my review (Good on them) and told me how to link the Alarm, somewhat, to the camera. You have to go into your Base Station settings, then linked devices, then you can set the cameras to record when the alarm goes off - but only then. Make sure you have the updated app that just came out to do this. I didn't. Again, the setting is in your base station, not in the cameras.
This solved probably the biggest issue I had with the camera. The rest of my review is still accurate though per Ring support. Hopefully, they'll add the other much-needed features in the near future.
***ANOTHER UPDATE***
From Ring Support: "The Modes feature will be released in November and will allow you to have the option to record motion only if the Ring Alarm System is set to Away Mode". This will be a great update and should have been available on launch. I wonder if they are only just now thinking of it from all the negative feedback and reviews, but glad it's 'coming soon' either way.
***ONE MORE UPDATE***
Ring provided me early access to the 'Modes Feature' and I've been using it for the past few days. It resolves all the issues I had with the alarm integration. With modes, you can set your cameras to only record when your alarm is set. They can all be set independently and act differently depending on if you have your alarm set to off, home, or away. For instance, you can set your exterior cameras to record when your alarm is set to home mode, but have your interior cameras are turned off. You can set your interior cameras to only record while in away mode, etc. etc. Or any combination. The cameras can now be sent the same way motion and door sensors can. This is a great improvement. They haven't told me exactly when this feature will be made public but have said it will be released 'by the end of the year'.
I've increased the rating from 3 stars to 5. This software update really has resolved every issue I had with the cameras. I've now ordered and installed an additional 6 for my home.
***LAST UPDATE***
Having the modes features and my cameras set to only pop on and record during an alarm event (which is rare) and be off at all other times, I've had 2 months to evaluate battery life, almost exactly 60 days now. All my cameras were down to below 10% battery level when I checked them last night. Given the rate of battery drain, I had expected them to last 3 months - though 2+ still isn't bad. I have two external cameras on my entry gates outside with the solar panel add-on, they stay fully charged at all times even though it's pretty much been non-stop dark and cloudy days here since installation. They are set to record all motion and since they point at a street they record events dozens of times per day... so if you're thinking of getting the solar panels for outdoor use, I highly recommend them.
3. Echo Show 8 (Sandstone) with Wyze 1080p indoor smart home camera
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| Best security camera for home 2020 - Update Camera |
I bought an Echo Show (& a couple Dots) for my home first. I knew some of the Skills from seeing one at my sister-in-law's house. After having it in my home for less than 2 days, I ordered another as a gift to my mother. I am generally scatterbrained; my mother is more so & even has some concerns about possible early Alzheimer's. I am "techy" or at the very least, not terrified or overwhelmed by technology; my mother usually gets overwhelmed & frustrated. So here's the scoop from our experiences on each end of that spectrum...
Me:
Took less than 15 min to set up all the devices (Show, 2 Dots, & 2 plugs). My 11yr old & I immediately started playing with some of the Skills. Within 2 hours, I was adding calendar events, playing Christmas music (via my Amazon Prime membership), setting timers & reminders, and my daughter was finding silly jokes & giggling as she'd turn the Christmas tree lights on/off from another room. By day 2, I was creating custom routines & responses in the app... and ordering another set of devices to gift to my parents. By day 4, my daughter had the flu. I don't know about you, but when I'm alternating fever reducers, it's difficult to remember what time I gave a medicine & what time meds can be given again especially when your kid wakes you up in the middle of the night & you're barely functioning. ALEXA to the rescue! I simply told her to remember that I gave (medication name) to (kid's name) at (time & day). Later, I could ask her what she remembered about (kid's name) and the Echo Show would show a list of my notes, which also included her upcoming dentist appointment... which triggered me to tell Alexa to remind me at 9am the next morning when the office was open to calling the dentist to reschedule her appointment since I knew the flu would hinder that appt. Within the first week, I was adding to my shopping list as I was packing lunches & realized we were almost out of juice or whatever random item (no stopping and digging out a notepad or finding a pen; just said "Alexa, add jelly to my shopping list" while still spreading PB&J on bread). I also realized I could create my own list and call it whatever I needed to be called. With our upcoming winter vacation trip, I started a packing list... "Alexa, add wool socks to my packing list" or phone chargers or passports or chapstick. I've also used the list skill to create a list of things I need to do, study, review or general tips for my upcoming nursing board exam. What's even better than not sidelining your current activity to find a physical list (which usually ends with me getting totally sidetracked & forgetting to complete the task I was originally working on)? With the app on my phone, I can access my lists ANYWHERE.
So if I'm out running errands and realize I have time to hit the grocery store before picking up the kid, I don't have to rack my brain trying to remember what we needed or waste more time by driving back home to dig out my list). I also can add things to my lists via the phone app so if I'm sitting in the school pick up line & realize I forgot to get teacher gifts for their Christmas party, I can just add it to my list on my phone.
My mom:
Listened to me gab on & on about all the neat things I was doing with the Show & plugs & Dots. I sensed a hint of genuine interest & decided this would be the "big" gift I got my parents for Christmas. I was a bit hesitant due to her lack of tech-savvy & how she often gets so frustrated she will just refuse to use something new, but I thought because its voice-activated, it may be less scary than buttons. The score for the daughter who gives good gifts!! She was shocked and super excited when she opened it (my dad was reluctant because you know "big brother is always listening" but we got him over that pointless anxiety and he was 100% on board when I showed him the song quiz game & movie quiz games).
I set my parent's Show, Dot, & plug up for obvious reasons. My mom already had a regular Amazon account that I successfully taught her to use last year so I just linked her account to those devices. She didn't sign up for Prime but when they tried to play music, they were offered a trial of the music service, then 3.99/mth and they didn't hesitate to sign up for that because of being able to simply tell Alexa to play literally whatever music genre, artist, decade, etc. I also, like any good daughter, typed an 8-page "basics" of things to say based on what I knew she'd use it for & categorized the list (bullet form) based on general use, music, timers, reminders, calendar, fun things, etc. because I knew this would make her more comfortable & also save her having to call me to ask how to do those things. I demonstrated a few things, let her take it for a test drive with me next to her, then I went home. I was going to give it a few days then ask what she thought about it, but my aunt beat me to it. My aunt visited on day 2... and after leaving my mom's house, she texts me and said "Brilliant gift for your mother. She loves that Alexa stuff!" So I followed up with my mom a couple days later & asked her directly. Once again, she was beaming about it and how incredible it is & helpful & fun & how it makes so many things easier for her. Literally, life-changing for my mother, who can now ask Alexa to remind her to let the dog back inside in 15 minutes or can ask Alexa to remind her to call the doctor when she's lying in bed at 10pm & starts getting anxious over the things she forgot to do that day or can speak her shopping list & even (gasp) see it on her phone at any time!!
Other perks we've found::
Need help finding new things to cook? Just ask for dinner recipes or be more specific & ask for healthy recipes, vegetarian, chicken, side dishes, desserts, whatever! Then if you find one you like, you can add it to your recipes and it will save... or go a step further & ask it to add the recipe to your shopping list (it not only adds the items, it also adds quantities which is super helpful when you're making something new).
Want Alexa to soothe you to sleep? Just ask for sleep sounds and you have a list of things to choose from (rain, thunderstorms, ocean, cat purring, white noise, crickets, campfire, rainforest, & on & on). Don't want it to play ALL night? Just ask Alexa "in 2 hours, stop playing sleep sounds" and ta-da, she turns off after you've fallen asleep peacefully imagining yourself at the beach.
Set a nighttime routine so when you tell Alexa goodnight... She can tell you goodnight, start a guided meditation, give you some random encouraging words, start your sleep sounds, turn on your nightlight or whatever skill you program in that routine.
Set a morning routine that's triggered by you dismissing your alarm. Then set your alarm for every weekday at your usual wake time for work. Then at 6am (or whenever your alarm alerts), just say "Alexa, dismiss alarm"... and she will start your morning routine. Mine includes her saying good morning, the date, if I have anything on my calendar that day, & the weather for the day. You can have her start playing a type of music that gets your day started or a playlist from your Amazon Music account. You can get more in-depth with more smart home devices, like the plugs or even the thermostats changing to heat/cool now that you're not under the covers.
I can't wait to add more smart home devices, for security features of setting routines to turn lights on/off when we're gone & having access to external cameras all on the same system I can put my packing list on! Or setting thermostat programs, etc. We really do love our Alexa devices & I'm glad I got the Show to have as the main "hub" & in our main living/kitchen area (the Dots are great for the bedrooms & the plugs have been helpful so far with controlling the Christmas tree & not having to dive below branches & between gifts).
4. Arlo Pro 3 - Home Security Camera System | Wire-Free 2K Video with HDR, Color Night Vision, Spotlight, 160° View, 2-Way Audio, Siren | Works with Alexa | Add-on Camera | Requires Arlo Smart Hub
Customer Review:
This is my first security camera setup. I really just wanted a camera for basic alerts and to make the potential thief think twice before stopping at my home. Similar to a yard sign indicating an alarm system, sometimes just the appearance of extra security is enough to make most bad guys move on. Installation, mounting, and charging up the camera was painless and I had everything up and running in no time. It took about 30 minutes to create an account and set up the camera and base station. Charging the camera to full capacity took about 2 to 3 hours. My goal was to set up a security camera for the Thanksgiving holiday since I was planning on going out of town for the week and Arlo did not disappoint. I promptly received alerts from someone leaving flyers on the front door and I even got a few notices of a cat that apparently likes to roam in front of the house late at night. The cat looked surprised by the motion light when it came on as it walked by. Most impressive of all, the camera battery only went down by 3% during the entire week so I can tell that it will easily last for most of the month or longer before I need to recharge it. The only negative that I did notice was a slight delay between the camera recording and the event taking place. It seemed like it may have been a 1 to 3-second delay. This could be a concern to other potential buyers because a lot can happen in a few seconds when you are talking about criminal mischief. I wasn't as concerned about it because as I mentioned earlier I mainly wanted basic event alerts and the appearance of security. That's enough to scare off 99% of most thieves. For that remaining 1% of criminals, no security camera or alarm system will deter them so for me the Arlo pro 3 met my needs. I am definitely considering a second camera to monitor the back yard or inside of my house in the near future.
5. Swann 8 Channel 4 Camera DVR Security System, Wired Surveillance 4K HD DVR-5580 + 2TB HDD, Audio Capture, Color Night Vision, Heat/Motion Sensing Warning Light, Alexa + Google, SWDVK-855804WL
Customer Review:
Setting this up was a little bit of a chore but nothing my husband and I couldn’t manage. We ran the cables and installed the cameras as we saw fit, a couple on the outside and a couple throughout the house. I think I want two 2 more 🙈 These can be installed both indoor and outdoor. Picture quality is super nice, bright and great image quality. The night vision is also great. It detects motion and heat and will sound alarmed and sensor lights. This is the main reason we put two outside if there are intruders they will know you got surveillance. In this house, we don’t only rely on cameras for protection but it’s good to let intruders know they’re being watched. These cameras are small but large enough to be noticed during the day and without setting them off. This surveillance system comes with a 2TB drive and all the recordings are being stored there. It is supposed to override and continue recording once full but we haven’t filled it up yet. So far all our footage is on there.
The system doesn’t depend on the internet but if you want to have remote access to your camera you will need a wired internet connection which is way better and safer than wifi.
My mom:
Listened to me gab on & on about all the neat things I was doing with the Show & plugs & Dots. I sensed a hint of genuine interest & decided this would be the "big" gift I got my parents for Christmas. I was a bit hesitant due to her lack of tech-savvy & how she often gets so frustrated she will just refuse to use something new, but I thought because its voice-activated, it may be less scary than buttons. The score for the daughter who gives good gifts!! She was shocked and super excited when she opened it (my dad was reluctant because you know "big brother is always listening" but we got him over that pointless anxiety and he was 100% on board when I showed him the song quiz game & movie quiz games).
I set my parent's Show, Dot, & plug up for obvious reasons. My mom already had a regular Amazon account that I successfully taught her to use last year so I just linked her account to those devices. She didn't sign up for Prime but when they tried to play music, they were offered a trial of the music service, then 3.99/mth and they didn't hesitate to sign up for that because of being able to simply tell Alexa to play literally whatever music genre, artist, decade, etc. I also, like any good daughter, typed an 8-page "basics" of things to say based on what I knew she'd use it for & categorized the list (bullet form) based on general use, music, timers, reminders, calendar, fun things, etc. because I knew this would make her more comfortable & also save her having to call me to ask how to do those things. I demonstrated a few things, let her take it for a test drive with me next to her, then I went home. I was going to give it a few days then ask what she thought about it, but my aunt beat me to it. My aunt visited on day 2... and after leaving my mom's house, she texts me and said "Brilliant gift for your mother. She loves that Alexa stuff!" So I followed up with my mom a couple days later & asked her directly. Once again, she was beaming about it and how incredible it is & helpful & fun & how it makes so many things easier for her. Literally, life-changing for my mother, who can now ask Alexa to remind her to let the dog back inside in 15 minutes or can ask Alexa to remind her to call the doctor when she's lying in bed at 10pm & starts getting anxious over the things she forgot to do that day or can speak her shopping list & even (gasp) see it on her phone at any time!!
Other perks we've found::
Need help finding new things to cook? Just ask for dinner recipes or be more specific & ask for healthy recipes, vegetarian, chicken, side dishes, desserts, whatever! Then if you find one you like, you can add it to your recipes and it will save... or go a step further & ask it to add the recipe to your shopping list (it not only adds the items, it also adds quantities which is super helpful when you're making something new).
Want Alexa to soothe you to sleep? Just ask for sleep sounds and you have a list of things to choose from (rain, thunderstorms, ocean, cat purring, white noise, crickets, campfire, rainforest, & on & on). Don't want it to play ALL night? Just ask Alexa "in 2 hours, stop playing sleep sounds" and ta-da, she turns off after you've fallen asleep peacefully imagining yourself at the beach.
Set a nighttime routine so when you tell Alexa goodnight... She can tell you goodnight, start a guided meditation, give you some random encouraging words, start your sleep sounds, turn on your nightlight or whatever skill you program in that routine.
Set a morning routine that's triggered by you dismissing your alarm. Then set your alarm for every weekday at your usual wake time for work. Then at 6am (or whenever your alarm alerts), just say "Alexa, dismiss alarm"... and she will start your morning routine. Mine includes her saying good morning, the date, if I have anything on my calendar that day, & the weather for the day. You can have her start playing a type of music that gets your day started or a playlist from your Amazon Music account. You can get more in-depth with more smart home devices, like the plugs or even the thermostats changing to heat/cool now that you're not under the covers.
I can't wait to add more smart home devices, for security features of setting routines to turn lights on/off when we're gone & having access to external cameras all on the same system I can put my packing list on! Or setting thermostat programs, etc. We really do love our Alexa devices & I'm glad I got the Show to have as the main "hub" & in our main living/kitchen area (the Dots are great for the bedrooms & the plugs have been helpful so far with controlling the Christmas tree & not having to dive below branches & between gifts).
4. Arlo Pro 3 - Home Security Camera System | Wire-Free 2K Video with HDR, Color Night Vision, Spotlight, 160° View, 2-Way Audio, Siren | Works with Alexa | Add-on Camera | Requires Arlo Smart Hub
Customer Review:
This is my first security camera setup. I really just wanted a camera for basic alerts and to make the potential thief think twice before stopping at my home. Similar to a yard sign indicating an alarm system, sometimes just the appearance of extra security is enough to make most bad guys move on. Installation, mounting, and charging up the camera was painless and I had everything up and running in no time. It took about 30 minutes to create an account and set up the camera and base station. Charging the camera to full capacity took about 2 to 3 hours. My goal was to set up a security camera for the Thanksgiving holiday since I was planning on going out of town for the week and Arlo did not disappoint. I promptly received alerts from someone leaving flyers on the front door and I even got a few notices of a cat that apparently likes to roam in front of the house late at night. The cat looked surprised by the motion light when it came on as it walked by. Most impressive of all, the camera battery only went down by 3% during the entire week so I can tell that it will easily last for most of the month or longer before I need to recharge it. The only negative that I did notice was a slight delay between the camera recording and the event taking place. It seemed like it may have been a 1 to 3-second delay. This could be a concern to other potential buyers because a lot can happen in a few seconds when you are talking about criminal mischief. I wasn't as concerned about it because as I mentioned earlier I mainly wanted basic event alerts and the appearance of security. That's enough to scare off 99% of most thieves. For that remaining 1% of criminals, no security camera or alarm system will deter them so for me the Arlo pro 3 met my needs. I am definitely considering a second camera to monitor the back yard or inside of my house in the near future.
5. Swann 8 Channel 4 Camera DVR Security System, Wired Surveillance 4K HD DVR-5580 + 2TB HDD, Audio Capture, Color Night Vision, Heat/Motion Sensing Warning Light, Alexa + Google, SWDVK-855804WL
 |
| Best security camera for home 2020 - Update Camera |
Customer Review:
Setting this up was a little bit of a chore but nothing my husband and I couldn’t manage. We ran the cables and installed the cameras as we saw fit, a couple on the outside and a couple throughout the house. I think I want two 2 more 🙈 These can be installed both indoor and outdoor. Picture quality is super nice, bright and great image quality. The night vision is also great. It detects motion and heat and will sound alarmed and sensor lights. This is the main reason we put two outside if there are intruders they will know you got surveillance. In this house, we don’t only rely on cameras for protection but it’s good to let intruders know they’re being watched. These cameras are small but large enough to be noticed during the day and without setting them off. This surveillance system comes with a 2TB drive and all the recordings are being stored there. It is supposed to override and continue recording once full but we haven’t filled it up yet. So far all our footage is on there.
The system doesn’t depend on the internet but if you want to have remote access to your camera you will need a wired internet connection which is way better and safer than wifi.
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