Are Home Security Cameras a Good Idea?

You may be thinking about installing a camera for home security and wondering if it’s a good idea. After all, they can provide protection for your home and your possessions without having to spend a fortune. Plenty of security systems for homes exist nowadays at an affordable price, and they even come with a lot of customisable options.

This article will take you through how these cameras work, as well as their benefits and drawbacks. To give an overview of whether cameras make the best home security system, you can compare the pros and cons outlined below.

How a Home Security Camera Works

Whether inside or out, a camera for home security captures footage and either stores it in the cloud for wireless viewing or on a hard drive. Some types of camera can be wired in - the more traditional ones - but newer models work through Wi-Fi to allow smartphone integration. They are mostly customisable nowadays, allowing for better control for your home. If you have a smart home, you could even start a camera recording if a light sensor is triggered, for example.

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The Benefits of a Security Camera

There are a number of immediate benefits that a camera for home security can bring you.

• Home protection

• Communication

• Medical aid

• Insurance

Home Protection

The most well-known advantage for installing a home security camera is to improve the protection of your home and valuables. If they start to record, cameras will alert you to movement, which you can easily check on your smartphone when you’re away from your home. Even if a break-in happens, you will have video footage which you can share with the police, to aid the investigation, help capture the criminal and return your items.

Communication

A standard of any camera for home security is two-way audio, which is useful for communicating with anyone at home when you’re away. Check in with children, pets or childminders to make sure everyone is behaving as they should. As well as them being able to hear you, you can hear their response, straight from your smartphone.

Medical Aid

Any loved one with a medical condition can be a cause for concern, especially if they live at home alone. By installing a home security camera, you can perform a check on them to make sure they are okay and nothing bad has happened. The two-way audio can also help here in case they aren’t in shot.

Insurance

Lowering insurance premiums is always a bonus, and a camera for home security has the potential to do just that. By providing your insurance company with an indication that your home is protected, you can signal to them that you are less likely to use their services. It can also work as capturing proof, should something happen, giving you the peace of mind that the insurance company will pay out.

The Drawbacks of a Camera for Home Security

Despite their many benefits, home security cameras can also be disadvantageous in some ways.

• Tampering

• Crime prevention

• Placement

• Power

Tampering

One of the biggest downsides to any camera for home security is that they can be easily tampered with. They can be stolen, damaged or disarmed, which is even more likely for those fixed outdoors. Unless your camera is placed at height, it can be in danger of being tampered with. Some models on the market feature tamper detection, which helps keep them safe.

Crime Prevention

Cameras themselves cannot stop a crime. They are designed to act as a deterring presence instead. If a burglar is determined enough and breaks in anyway, the camera can’t do anything more to stop what’s going on. You might also miss any notification your home security camera sent to your smartphone, if you have no signal or you’re away from your phone.

To get around this, an integrated alarm system with professional monitoring can make sure the police are contacted if a break-in occurs. They will watch over your home when you’re not in and make sure that you are protected, even if any camera for home security is ignored.

Placement

It’s imperative that a home security camera is placed where it will be most effective. It’s no use having a low quality camera at hand’s reach as this can easily be disabled and won’t be of much use to you. Higher quality cameras are best because they can be placed out of reach without compromising on record condition. You also want to make sure any camera for home security is placed where it can’t be avoided.

You should also make sure to pay attention to what field of vision your home security camera has. Bigger viewing angles make for better security, leaving fewer blind spots. If your camera doesn’t have a good field of vision, you can leave yourself vulnerable. Either get a security camera with as close to 360° vision as possible or one that automatically tracks and records unfamiliar faces.

Power

A camera for home security can either run on mains power or through its internal battery. At any rate, a drop in the power supply is never a good thing. Mains powered cameras can be useless in a power cut unless they have a back-up battery. This should always be checked to make sure you’ll be covered in any scenario. Cameras with their own rechargeable batteries should be checked frequently, or they can quickly become redundant.

Are Cameras Good Security Systems for Homes?

In balance, installing a camera for home security is a good idea. While they do come with drawbacks, there are ways in which you can improve them, so they can actually end up being more beneficial for you. As well as the many advantages they can bring, even the best home security camera can make your home more secure. The peace of mind they can bring, to a small flat or a large residence, can be the difference between worrying about your unattended property and remaining calm throughout the day. Linked with other security systems, they can be even more effective.

The Best Security Cameras can help you decide which model you should get.