12 Apr Tech Tuesday: Best Home Security Cameras of 2016

Best Wireless Home
Security Cameras of 2016

One of the biggest benefits to having a smart-home system is having constant access to monitoring your home. Home security cameras take it one step further: monitor your kids or pets when they are home alone, keep an eye on that Amazon delivery on your front porch, or even see who is at your door before you answer it. For these reasons and more, we have been considering adding home security cameras to our home, just for added peace of mind. Here’s the round up of the best wireless home security cameras we’ve found so far:

Best Home Control: Incontrol Networks Piper nv

The great think about the Piper nv is its capability as a home automation system. The camera is integrated with Z-Wave and can control compatible home accessories, but at a price: Piper is one of the higher priced cameras in this arena. The camera has sharp night-vision video and can be controlled with both Android and iOS apps. The system is very robust, offering motion and sound detection, and is capable of monitoring temperature indoors and out, humidity, and even issues local weather alerts.

More info here, and here. Best price: $274.18 on Amazon Prime.

Best Environmental Sensors: Canary Wireless Security Camera

Full disclosure: I am really impressed with this device. Clear 1080p HD video, motion alert capability, a high-volume siren, and state-of-the-art temperature and air-quality sensors make this more than just a standard surveillance system. It’s available in black, white, or silver, and will look as great as it performs in any area of your home. The in-phone app got great reviews for ease of use, and offers a simple automatic arm/disarm ability. If the camera senses you in or near the home, it will automatically disarm itself, so you won’t have to worry about monitoring your own activities or receiving alerts from your own motions.

More info here. Best Price: $199, with Canary.

Best Bang-for-your-Buck: Belkin NetCam

The Belkin NetCam won’t offer the highest quality video, and you will have to purchase an additional storage plan, but what you get here is a compact, easy to use surveillance camera at a great price. Bonus: The system acts as a We-Mo controller, which makes it a perfect addition to your existing home automation system. The start-up process is easy and the camera can be mounted anywhere in the home. This means that you can have a fully working home security camera, anywhere in your home in just about five minutes.

More info here. Best Price: $99 with Amazon Prime.