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Smart camera systems are the latest tech trend invading homes

If you’re a proud homeowner you’ll seriously want to think about getting one of these for your place — and they offer a wide range of capabilities.

How to Keep Your Home Secure--Without a Creepy Camera

The trend in home security cameras is on the rise, whether it be indoor or outdoor models.

We’re installing them faster than ever and best of all, we’re doing it ourselves.

No fussy cabling, no electrician required and you don’t need a security bunker with a monitor to see what has been going on. With many of us leaving our homes unattended during business hours or when we go on holidays, we look to cameras like these to alert us of what is happening but they also allow us to take action in the form of two-way communication, a siren or by simply recording a moment in time.

With the simultaneous rise in online shopping meaning more packages being left all day on our doorstep, this type of capability is increasingly useful in deterring so-called porch pirates.

When it comes to these camera products, we’re getting spoiled for choice. So we’ve tested them and it’s time to show off our favourites.

ARLO BABY — $250

Primarily used as a baby monitor, this cute little product is so much more than an indoor camera. While normally living in the kids bedroom the Arlo Baby also monitors temperature, noise and can also act as a night light and play some tunes to give you a hand putting bub to sleep. It comes in a couple of styles and is hands down one of the best, fully featured baby monitors we’ve seen.

Arlo’s answer to the baby monitor.
Arlo’s answer to the baby monitor.

D-LINK PAN AND TILT CAMERA — $220

This camera can really move. While it may live in a stationary location, the camera can actually turn left and right and also look up and down. You can monitor everything the camera is seeing from your smartphone anywhere in the world including full control of the movement. With eight metres of night vision you’ll still be able to capture activities when the lights are off too.

This D-link offers a great field of vision.
This D-link offers a great field of vision.

NEST IQ — $480

This is certainly the sexiest model when it comes to indoor cameras, we were more than happy to have this live in the kitchen and show itself off. The camera inside the Nest IQ is a 4K sensor which means that zooming in still produces a very high quality image.

It will also detect faces and can be taught to remember them so you can get alerts when your son comes home from school. So, rather than person detected you’ll see “Alexander has been detected”.

The other handy feature about this camera from Nest is the Google Home Assistant is built-in. Using the on-board microphones and speaker you can ask your Nest IQ about the weather, control your smart home and ask to play music.

The camera inside the Nest IQ is a 4K sensor which means that zooming in still produces a very high quality image.
The camera inside the Nest IQ is a 4K sensor which means that zooming in still produces a very high quality image.

UNIDEN GUARDIAN APP CAM XLIGHT — $189

This camera is the jack of all trades for the outdoors. It has so much packed into one camera you’ll be wondering why we would list any other model. The weatherproof camera won’t alert you about the moving tree thanks to thermal imaging built in. The sensors will detect heat and alert you about people that are being seen and will capture the footage in high definition. While the camera boasts night vision up to 10 metres, it also has a built-in spotlight to welcome you home or to scare people away.

With the ability to carry out two-way conversations through the camera from your smartphone anywhere in the world, you might be able to convince a courier to leave your delivery or inform guests you’re almost home. The main downside to this camera is that it does need to be powered and that may restrict where it is located.

The camera’s sensors detect heat and alert you about people that are being seen and will capture the footage in full high definition.
The camera’s sensors detect heat and alert you about people that are being seen and will capture the footage in full high definition.

ARLO PRO 2 — $599 (TWO CAMERA BUNDLE)

These guys are the FitBit of security cameras. They were some of the first to make it so simple, through an app and only requiring Wi-Fi.

The Arlo Pro 2 range are high definition, can record to the cloud for up to seven days and also record to a central hub for longer durations. The system has an expensive upfront cost however additional cameras are simple to add on.

The weatherproof cameras do run on batteries which means you can put them wherever your Wi-Fi network will allow and they won’t need to be changed until close to a months time. If you’d prefer not to replace the batteries, you’ll find a solar panel attachment made by Arlo, at an extra cost.

Arlo’s system is for those who really want to monitor their whole property.
Arlo’s system is for those who really want to monitor their whole property.

— Geoff Quattromani is a freelance writer with a love of tech, cars and good wine. Continue the conversation @GQuattromani

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/cameras/smart-camera-systems-are-the-latest-tech-trend-invading-homes/news-story/34e3d198015f6a628291308f2df725b9