Do you want to buy a smart camera? A good idea! With these tips for buying a smart camera you can be sure that you are not buying a pig in a poke.
Smart camera tips: which one do you buy?
Do you want to expand your home with a smart camera? That is a good idea. A smart camera protects your home inside or outside, without you having to look after it. As soon as something goes wrong, you will receive a warning on your iPhone.
Still, the smart camera market can be quite overwhelming. With these tips we help you on your way to the right smart camera for you.
1. Think about your privacy
Expanding your smart home with a smart camera doesn’t have to be expensive. Smart cameras are already available for a few tens at the Action.
Only with such cheap cameras, your safety is not always paramount. Unfortunately, it has been discovered far too often that people can just watch through other people’s cheap cameras. That is of course not the intention.
The Action’s cameras store the images at the Chinese company Tuya and the company’s privacy rules are particularly lax. In principle, Tuya can watch with you. This usually means that a slightly more expensive camera from a good brand handles your privacy better than a cheap camera.
Also read: Advice: Is it useful to buy a smart Action doorbell?
2. Choose how you want your images to be saved
Recordings from your smart camera can be saved roughly in two ways: locally or via the cloud. Via the cloud seems the most logical option, because you can always access it that way.
However, the disadvantage of cloud services is that you are often tied to a monthly subscription. That’s something to check before you buy the camera. In addition, you have to trust that all your private images are safely stored with that cloud service.
Local storage, such as with an SD card, has its own drawbacks. If the ticket is stolen along with your camera, you will still not be able to find out who the thief is. A nice interim solution is a base station. This station stores the data locally, but is hidden in a different place in the house. Buying a base station is only a higher direct investment.
Each storage option therefore has its own advantages and disadvantages.
3. Pay attention to the image quality
If you want to secure your home, you don’t want to stare at a pixelated mess when you review the footage. You want to be able to see everything well and in particular to recognize faces. For that you have to take into account the resolution of the camera in the first place.
The resolution you need depends on how you want to use the camera. If you only want a rough image of the space you are filming, then HD is enough. Full HD is recommended to recognize faces properly.
In addition, you also have to take the angle of view into account. With a large angle of view, you can get more in the picture in a small space. And with a night mode, you can also see something in the dark. That’s handy, because when thieves break into your house, it usually doesn’t happen during daylight.
Also interesting: Which smart thermostat works without a subscription? 4 good options
4. Do you go for wired or battery
Before you buy a camera, it is smart to determine where you will place the device. As a result, you know better which angle of view and resolution you need, but also whether you can connect a camera wired or have to use a battery.
With a battery you don’t have to hide cables or drill holes. The disadvantage of a battery-powered camera is of course that it runs out and has to be recharged.
5. Is the camera for indoor or outdoor use?
You can’t just hang any camera outside. There are special outdoor cameras for that that are waterproof and more resistant to theft.
If you hang the camera outside, make sure you don’t film the public road too much. Otherwise you have to put up a warning. If you hang the camera indoors, it is not unwise to take the design into account in your judgment. The camera is often in sight.
Also read: Filming the public road with a smart doorbell: what is allowed and what is not?
6. Check the extra options
Some cameras offer additional features that can greatly improve ease of use. That’s something to be aware of before buying a camera.
Think of facial recognition, so that you only get a warning if a person is in the picture and not if your dog walks by. Some cameras offer the option to talk through a speaker in the camera via your smartphone.
More tips for your smart home
We are happy to help you on your way to expanding your smart home. For example, explain which smart doorbells are available without a subscription. And did you know that you can turn your old iPhone into a security camera?
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