Buying Guides for Security Cameras

If you ask security experts what the most effective way to defend a house against burglars and trespassers is, two of the most common answers you’ll get are ‘security cameras’ and ‘dogs’.

If you happen to be going the dog route, it’s important to keep in mind the breed when choosing. A Chihuahua’s bark works great as an alarm, but the physical presence of a Doberman will work better as a deterrent. The same principle applies for security cameras. You need to find the right type, features, and brand. Virtually any security camera can make your home safer, but how they do it will depend on the one you choose.

We’re not dog whisperers, so if that’s what you’re looking for you should look elsewhere. We do know our way around security cameras, though. Keep reading, and we’ll reduce the complex world of the security camera industry down to its basics. We’ll also provide clarity on how to pick the right security camera – the one that’s going to protect your home and your family the best.

What to Know About Pricing

You can’t put a price on security, right? Well, sort of. You can’t afford to leave your home unprotected, but we’re not all made of money so the bottom line matters.

Unfortunately, making sense of the bottom line isn’t as easy as you might think when it comes to home security cameras. It’s not just that there are different companies to sort through. Purchasing a camera can involve several costs, and making sense of them all feels like it requires a compass and a slide rule. Luckily we have both, and we’re happy to offer a few pointers to help you demystify it all.

Upfront Costs vs. Monthly

There are a dozen different ways to structure your security camera purchase. Do you want to pay one price upfront for the equipment, or break it down into a monthly subscription for storage and usage? Do you want to pay a lot now and a little later, or a little now and a little more later, or nothing now and everything later?

In fact, it sometimes seems like every brand has its own model for pricing. And while choice can be a good thing, it makes comparing options more difficult.

For instance, we like cameras with local storage, like micro SD cards. That way we can store footage and keep it as long as we want, but without having to pay a dime in cloud storage fees. As a result, we’re fans of Lorex, a company that offers multiple different local storage cameras. You can find out more by checking out our hands-on Lorex camera review. Of course, if you go the Lorex route, you have to factor in other costs, like micro SD cards. And, you have to give up the option of professional monitoring, which we generally encourage homeowners to use if it’s available.

Reolink Argus 3 MicroSD Slot

Other brands offer pre-inserted cards to their cameras so you don’t have to worry about an extra purchase. Wyze is a good example. And, of course, an SD card is just one option. In addition to SD card models, for example, Lorex offers DVR and NVR-compatible devices for an alternative approach to video storage.

Wyze SD Cards

And you don’t have to go with local storage. Most companies now offer cloud storage, and many include this as part of their monitoring packages.

In fact, several companies offer multiple services for a single price. Canary, for example, figures equipment prices into its monthly monitoring fees. That means you pay nothing up-front, and just $9.99 a month for everything you need – equipment, monitoring, and storage. Of course, whatever pricing structure you choose, there’s always a downside. With Canary that downside is a long-term contract. After all, the company needs to make sure you pay for that equipment before they let you go.

Canary Packaging

Of course, one of the simplest factors when it comes to pricing is deciding how many cameras you need. Generally speaking, the more cameras, the more money. However, some companies, like Lorex, offer bundles of cameras at discounts. You can buy up to 32 Lorex cameras in one package and save. In this case, the downside is obvious. If you’re only looking for one or two cameras, you’re not going to want to pay for 32 cameras no matter how cheap they might be.

Here’s the thing. Purchasing equipment is one component in a larger process. You’ve also got to consider what monitoring adds to your bill. Let’s turn to that next.

Do You Need Professional Monitoring?

Our usual answer to this question is a resounding yes. Here’s the thing: no matter how committed to your home security you may be, no matter how willing you are to get up in the middle of the night and check an alert from your security camera, there is going to come a moment when you won’t be able to check. Maybe for you, it’s the dentist, when you’re full of laughing gas. Maybe it’s a Marvel film that you just can’t stand to look away from. Whatever it is, you need someone there to pick up the slack, to check your home to make sure everything’s OK when you can’t.

We also understand that all of us operate under budget constraints. So sometimes it makes sense to self-monitor your system. You still want to carefully consider just what kinds of features a given camera offers. Your decision criteria may change a little, though.

For example, does a camera provide you with real-time alerts? Does it allow you to store footage so that in the event of an emergency you have something to show to the police? How easy is it to review footage? Can you use the app to contact emergency personnel, since you’ll be solely responsible for doing that? Does the company offer single-month subscriptions so you can sign up for a month of professional monitoring while you’re at Disney World?

In the end, both professional and self-monitoring can be effective. As with so much else, it really depends on your specific situation. But, you need to carefully think through all the options before you make your final decisions.

Police Officer checking up on us thanks to Cove Monitoring

For more on that interesting experience, head over to our hands-on Cove security system review. But in the meantime, we’ll say this: Cove happens to have one of the least expensive monthly monitoring fees in this biz. So if you are interested in professional monitoring, a Cove kit might be the way to go. Clearly, it does work! Other great options for whole home security include Ring Alarm, SimpliSafe, and Frontpoint.

Our Final Thoughts

Blink Outdoor Camera

Hopefully, we’ve given you plenty to think about in this guide to home security cameras. It’s easy enough to grab a camera off the shelf at Best Buy and stick it in a corner or on a roof edge and be done with it. But while that will improve your security, you’ll ultimately be safer if you take the time to think through all the facets of choosing, purchasing, and installing a camera.

We all want better security – we need better security these days. We also want cameras and systems that utilize the latest technologies to provide us with the most modern conveniences. There are lots of cameras and systems out there that can do that. We’re constantly exploring new devices that offer new approaches to home security. The best equipment for your home, though, is going to be the equipment that fits your particular situation.

Ultimately, then, we try to offer guidance – here, and on all of our many resource pages, like our guide to the best motion sensor cameras. We want you to be fully informed. Only you can know what’s best for you, but we want to make sure you know how to find that out.