With so many new advancements in the world of smart home technology, it can be difficult to narrow down what features you actually need, and which ones you probably won’t use.
Today’s best security cameras are more technical than ever before, so you really won’t miss anything taking place inside or outside of your home. But do you really need AI notifications and expensive subscription fees? In some cases, the simpler the features the better – and these are the three you’ll use the most.
Before I get into the list, I have a few things to point out. Firstly, it probably goes without saying but you should always look for a security camera that’s suitable for the chosen environment, for example an outdoor camera should be weather resistant.
1. HD video quality
High definition video quality should be number one on your security camera features checklist. To keep a close eye on what’s going on around your home, you need to be able to see everything properly without blurriness or wiggly lines. If the worst case scenario happens and your home is burgled, you also want a camera that captures all the details as you can use this footage to identify the persons who did it.
The majority of security cameras come with 1080p resolution as a standard, which captures clear images and is budget-friendly. 2K resolution is the next ‘strength’ up which delivers even crisper images, and 4K quality is the highest you can get which offers even more detail but is more expensive – see our 2K vs 4K comparison for more.
(Image credit: Amazon)
2. Colour night vision
Colour night vision is a must-have for capturing clear footage when it’s dark outside. While non-colour night vision is still good, being limited to just black and white can make it hard to distinguish specific details in low-light and dark conditions, so colour is the way to go.
How colour night vision works is by using infrared LED technology and sensors to brighten your footage. The sensors detect visible and infrared light so it can better illuminate available light in your footage, like moonlight or streetlamps, and the LEDs enhance video with the full colour spectrum.
3. Motion detection
Motion detection is an extremely important feature to have on your security camera – and it’s also available on video doorbells, too. This feature alerts you to any movement that your camera captures within its field of view via your smartphone app, so you can check in on who’s outside your home, knocking on your door, and so on.
Within your camera’s app, you can customise your motion detection’s field of view, so you’re only alerted when people or vehicles come within a certain distance or in critical areas of your home. You can also customise what type of motion it detects and its sensitivity, so you’re not getting false alarms by a cat sitting on your doorstep or leaves brushing past your driveway.
Nowadays, AI detection is a common feature that’s being introduced to many security cameras. I’d go as far to say that you don’t necessarily need your camera’s motion detection to be AI-powered, as it will hike up the price, and regular motion detection is still effective. However, if you want more detailed motion detection which can identify faces, then you might want to consider AI detection.
