And beware of using an indoor camera to look outside; they can’t usually capture images through a window or after dark. You cannot use cameras alone for home security. That needs a different approach of boots on the ground, regular patrols and guard dogs, proper perimeter fencing, security floodlights, sirens, physical access barriers, electronic barrier breach detection with security cameras being one of the devices used. Considering just the camera part, a security audit is needed to identify weak points, and how to address them one by one with the optimal number and placement of cameras. Apart from physical security, one issue with wireless cameras, and in particular IP cameras is whether they can be accessed from an external network, how frequently vulnerabilities are patched so the window of available exploits remaining viable is short, and how to secure the vast amount of data generated, all to ensure that someone isn’t using it to monitor a range of targets over time to learn patterns/routines. One often sees comments about unexplained “voices” over the camera two way speaker speaking to the kid when the parents are away, and the suspicion that if that’s the case, someone is also watching. This focus on security is missing from this write up. When it comes to securing your home, everyone naturally wants quality and reliability, but good value is an important factor too, especially because the cost of these systems can add up over time. But nowadays, peace of mind comes a lot cheaper and easier than it used to. Not to mention, most home security companies now have embraced the latest home automation technologies and are incorporating numerous features that weren’t available to the average consumer just 5 years ago. There are a lot of systems out there, so to make it easy for you, our team has done the research across all of the top home security brands and has compared everything from their features, pricing, ease of use, durability, customer service, customer reviews, brand reputation and much more to determine which systems represent the best value.