DIY home security gives you greater flexibility over your connected home than subscription-based services, allowing you to set up each gadget as you see fit and avoid contracts that lock you into multi-year plans.
Feb 08, 2019 If you can run a cable from a camera to a digital video recorder, then you can install a CCTV Security camera system. If you do it yourself instead of outsourcing, you will save thousands of dollars. The only time-consuming part of the job is running the cable from the recorder to the camera. Zmodo Greet Pro With Beam Alert is a solid choice for anyone looking to add an extra level of security to their home. Zmodo Receives CES Innovation Award for Connected Home Zmodo Devices Now Compatible with Google Assistant.
Still, self-install indoor cameras vary widely.
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Some have live video streaming while others record a clip only when they detect motion. Some have local storage options, while others save footage to a cloud server. And some offer free cloud storage, while others charge a fee. Scroll through our list of indoor security cameras to learn more about the variety of DIY options available today.
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Amazon Cloud Cam
Amazon's first indoor home security camera costs just $120 (roughly £90 and AU$155 converted) and earned a CNET Editors' Choice award. It has 1080p HD live streaming, motion notifications and free 24-hour clip storage. The camera is easy to install and its related app is easy to navigate. Opt-in to Amazon's optional fee-based cloud service to access additional features and to store your event-based video clips for more than 24 hours.
Read CNET's full review of the Amazon Cloud Cam.
Blink
The Blink is a battery-powered indoor home security camera that only costs $100 (£75 or AU$130 converted). Cord-free, battery-reliant models like Netgear's Arlo and Homeboy are fairly common nowadays -- and an increasing number of brands are adding free cloud storage to their list of features. You'll also find a larger number of lower-priced DIY cameras available now, including the Guardzilla, the Tend Secure Lynx and the iSmartAlarm Spot -- all of which cost $100 or less.
Read CNET's full review of the Blink.
Canary View
The $99 Canary View is the most affordable all-in-one security system you can find. It works with Alexa and Google Assistant, and has free person alerts. It doesn't have a built-in siren, though, which is a typical feature for a self-contained home security system. You also have to sign up for Canary's cloud service to use basic features like two-way talk, the web app and longer video clips.
Read CNET's full review of the Canary View.
D-Link DCS-2630L
The D-Link DCS-2630L indoor security camera has a 180-degree field of view. This model also supports local storage via a microSD card (up to 128GB, not included). It's a large camera and was somewhat complicated to configure in the related app. Still, it's a solid choice if you want a wide-angle camera with local storage.
Read CNET's full review of the D-Link DCS-2630L.
D-Link Komfy
The D-Link Komfy is part light switch, part security camera. Control two light switches and keep an eye on a room or hallway with its 1080p HD camera. In addition to its live video feed, the related D-Link app also gives you access to motion and sound detection, as well as the current energy consumption, ambient temperature, humidity, light and air quality. The Komfy also works with IFTTT.
Read CNET's full review of the D-Link Komfy.
D-Link Omna
The D-Link Omna is the first Apple HomeKit security camera. That means the Omna works in the Home iOS app, as well as D-Link's own app. This camera has a 180-degree viewing angle, motion detection zones and alerts. Asking Siri for the status of your Omna camera will pull up the camera's live stream.
Read CNET's full review of the D-Link Omna.
Ezviz Mini Plus
Not only is the $80 Ezviz Mini a cute little camera, it also offers an excellent value. And, with 1080p live streaming, night vision, motion-related alerts, scheduling and local as well as cloud storage, its features are on par with many a pricier model. The Mini Plus works with IFTTT.
Read CNET's first take of the Ezviz Mini Plus.
Ezviz Mini 360 Plus
The Ezviz Mini 360 Plus has a 340-degree planning angle. Opt-in to its auto-panning function and the 360 Plus is supposed to follow motion around a room; this feature did not work well for me. It also has 1080p HD resolution, local and optional cloud storage and IFTTT integration.
Read CNET's full review of the Ezviz Mini 360 Plus.
Guardzilla
The Guardzilla costs just $100. That's pretty low considering that models like the Nest Cam, Netatmo Welcome and Flir FX retail for twice as much.
It has a low-res 640x480-pixel VGA resolution and sends photos of security events rather than saving video clips. These features aren't exactly deal breakers, but its alerts were sporadic, which seriously limits its usefulness as a security camera.
Read CNET's full review of the Guardzilla.
Guardzilla 360
Guardzilla's 360 indoor security camera has a 360-degree lens so you can pan around an entire room straight from the app. The $230 camera is also an all-in-one security system with a siren, arm-disarm modes and optional professional monitoring. The app was glitchy during testing and confusing to use.
Read CNET's full review of the Guardzilla 360.
Homeboy
The $150 Homeboy security camera features a rechargeable battery and a magnetic backing so it can travel far and wide across your house (it's indoor-only) for optimal placement and angling. (It's supposed to become internationally available in 2015, but there's no pricing information just yet; direct conversions of the US price would be about £95 or AU$170.) This palm-size cam may not offer live streaming or HD resolution, but it does feature a siren, arm and disarm settings and an IFTTT channel. No, it won't work as a webcam, but it will alert you to potential security concerns as well as tie into third-party services and products.
Read CNET's full review of the Homeboy.
Honeywell Lyric C1
Honeywell's affordable Lyric C1 camera comes with an 8GB microSD card. This model also supports motion zones, as well as geofencing. It also has 720p HD resolution, and motion and sound alerts.
Read CNET's full review of the Honeywell Lyric C1.
Honeywell Lyric C2
The Honeywell Lyric C2 camera offers free local and cloud storage, as well as an optional cloud storage upgrade. You can also opt-in to professional monitoring. That's a lot of options for monitoring and access, more than most DIY home security cameras. A free 8GB microSD card comes with your purchase.
Read CNET's full review of the Honeywell Lyric C2.
Honeywell Smart Home Security Starter Kit
Honeywell's $450 Smart Home Security Starter Kit includes a camera (sold on its own for $350), as well as two door-window sensors and a key fob. The security camera has 1080p HD live streaming, an integrated Alexa speaker, siren and Z-Wave hub, and 24-hour free video clip storage and facial recognition. While it has a lot of features, the system is unnecessarily complicated to use.
Read CNET's full review of the Honeywell Smart Home Security Starter Kit.
iSmartAlarm iCamera Keep
This $150 connected camera has a 720p resolution and live-streaming capabilities and is a definite improvement over the original iSmartAlarm iCamera. The first-generation iCamera will still be available, but we'd suggest skipping the hassle and taking a look at the Keep instead. The Keep does have some major limitations; it doesn't currently support automatic or manual recording, although it does offer cloud storage for viewing saved clips.
Read CNET's full review of the iSmartAlarm iCamera Keep.
iSmartAlarm iCamera Keep Pro
iSmartAlarm's $200 iCamera Keep Pro is an updated version of iSmartAlarm's first-gen iCamera Keep. The iCamera Keep Pro is designed to track motion activity so you can see what's happening (even outside of its fixed field of view). We haven't tested out the iCamera Keep Pro just yet, but let's hope it works better than the Ezviz Mini 360 Plus.
Read CNET's first take of the iSmartAlarm iCamera Keep Pro.
iSmartAlarm Spot
iSmartAlarm's $99 (£75/AU$130 converted) Spot camera is small, but mighty. It comes with 720p HD video resolution, free 30-clip rolling cloud storage and a microSD card slot (it supports up to a 64GB microSD card, but that isn't included), as well as night vision and motion and sound alerts. Spot works alone or with the iSmartAlarm security system.
Read CNET's full review of the iSmartAlarm Spot.
Kidde RemoteLync
The Kidde RemoteLync indoor security camera is essentially identical to the Homeboy camera. IT offers IFTTT- and geofencing-based Home/Away arming and motion detection and a built-in siren. Unlike most of the indoor cams sold today, the Kidde RemoteLync is powered by a rechargeable battery. It also has free 12-hour cloud storage.
Read CNET's full review of the Kidde RemoteLync.
Kodak Video Monitor CFH-V20
The Kodak Video Monitor CFH-V20 has a 180-degree field of view, free 24-hour cloud clip storage and a USB connector so you can add a battery pack for on-the-go (indoor) monitoring as needed. Its 720p HD resolution, free storage, two-way audio and night vision make the CFH-V20 a competitive indoor security camera. It also works with IFTTT.
Read CNET's full review of the Kodak Video Monitor CFH-V20.
Link-U 4G LTE Smartcam
The $249 indoor Link-U 4G LTE Smartcam gives you three connection options: LTE, Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Unfortunately, it had a lot of glitches during testing. It also doesn't work with any major smart home platforms and the app is very complicated to use. Look to the weatherproof Arlo Go if you want a camera that works without Wi-Fi.
Read CNET's full review of the Link-U 4G LTE Smartcam.
Lucis Nubryte
The Lucis NuBryte is an indoor wall panel designed to replace (and control) wired lights in your house. It also has a built-in camera for on-demand monitoring. In terms of third-party smart home integrations, the Nubryte works with Amazon's Alexa and Google Calendar. Even with those integrations, this device doesn't do enough to justify sticking in every room.
Read CNET's first take of the Lucis Nubryte.
Nest Cam Indoor
The Nest Cam is Nest's Dropcam Pro successor. It boasts a full 1080p streaming resolution, motion and sound alerts and optional cloud storage (for an extra monthly or yearly fee). The Nest Cam also has an updated stand, which is stronger and more maneuverable than the Pro's -- and it features a magnetic base for quick installations. Its one-alert-per-30-minutes rule is pretty limiting, but you can't beat the Nest Cam Indoor's video streaming clarity.
Read CNET's full review of Nest Cam Indoor.
Nest Cam IQ Indoor
The $299/£299 Nest Cam IQ Indoor has fancier specs than the Nest Cam Indoor. It has an 8-megapixel, 4K image sensor and 12x digital zoom. Person alerts come free with this camera and Nest Aware subscribers have access to the IQ's facial recognition alerts. It's a solid camera, but you have to be pretty serious about its internal hardware upgrades to find value here.
Read CNET's full review of Nest Cam IQ Indoor.
Netatmo Welcome
The $200 Netatmo Welcome is the second security camera we've reviewed with facial-recognition technology. Where the ArcSoft Simplicam regularly misidentified faces, the Welcome had 100 percent detection accuracy. That's pretty impressive, but it did take a while to learn a face. It also had a laggy video feed and alerts, so the Welcome isn't the best at delivering information in real time.
Read CNET's full review of the Netatmo Welcome.
Netgear Arlo Q
The $220/£170/AU$349 Netgear Arlo Q is a reliable 1080p HD indoor security camera. It offers motion and sound alerts, two-way talk, night vision, activity zones and free 7-day event-based cloud storage. You can subscribe to its cloud service for access to continuous recording.
Read CNET's full review of the Netgear Arlo Q.
Nokia Home
The Withings Home (now the Nokia Home) is a security camera with interesting extras, like a volatile organic compound sensor, a built-in color-changing night light, a lullaby setting and a unique design (compared with the dull black-and-white finish of most models). But its core features, like live streaming and alerts, did not impress. Specifically, the resolution seemed much grainier than its supposed 1080p and its motion sensor often issued alerts when no apparent activity had taken place.
Read CNET's full review of the Nokia Home.
Samsung SmartCam HD Plus
Samsung's $190 SmartCam HD Plus is the second-gen version of the brand's $190 SmartCam HD Pro. Like the HD Pro, the HD Plus offers up to 1080p live streaming, night vision, motion-and-sound-related alerts and local storage via a built-in microSD card slot.
I haven't finished testing the HD Plus just yet, but its new design is a definite upgrade over the clunkier white HD Pro, particularly if you're going for discretion with your security camera installs.
Read CNET's first take of Samsung's SmartCam HD Plus.
Samsung SmartCam HD Pro
Samsung's $190 (available in the UK for £160; not yet available in Australia, but converts to about AU$200) SmartCam HD Pro has a full list of features, ranging from motion and sound detection and alerts to optional SD card video storage. If local storage is at the top of your must-have list, this is a solid indoor security camera. If not, I'd stick with the slightly more expensive Nest Cam: the Nest Cam's superior video quality and build make it tough to beat at this price level.
Read CNET's full review of the Samsung SmartCam HD Pro.
Samsung SmartCam PT
The Samsung SmartCam PT is a pan-and-tilt camera designed to follow activity around a room. It certainly isn't the first camera to offer this feature, but it does a better job than the Ezviz Mini 360 Plus. This indoor camera comes with local and cloud storage, motion detection zones and a privacy mode that doesn't record activity when you're home.
Read CNET's full review of the Samsung SmartCam PT.
Samsung Wisenet-SmartCam A1
The Samsung Wisenet-SmartCam A1 (pictured left) sounds somewhat similar to the Samsung SmartCam PT. It has 1080p HD video resolution, 350-degree panning and a 130-degree field of view. We haven't tested this model yet, but are curious to see how it compares to other pan-and-tilt cams.
Read CNET's first take of the Samsung Wisenet-SmartCam A1.
Tend Secure Lynx
The Tend Secure Lynx is an intriguing indoor camera. It only costs $60 (£45/AU$80), but offers a lot of features. Specifically, this model supports 1080p HD live streaming, free 7-day event-based cloud storage and facial recognition. This model doesn't currently work with any major smart home platforms, though, and its flimsy base isn't particularly well designed.
Read CNET's full review of the Tend Secure Lynx.
Wyze Cam Pan
At just $30, the Wyze Cam Pan is by far the least expensive indoor home security camera we've tested. Given, its super-affordable price tag, you might expect to have to sacrifice a lot of features and functionality. That isn't the case here. The Wyze Cam Pan has 1080p HD live streaming, free 14-day cloud storage and optional local storage (a microSD card is not included). The Cam Pan also works with Alexa and IFTTT, has motion detection zones and can 'hear' smoke and CO alarms and send you custom alerts.
Read CNET's full review of the Wyze Cam Pan.
Zmodo Pivot
The Zmodo Pivot indoor security camera comes with 16GB of internal storage -- there's no messing with cloud storage or a microSD card. It also supports live streaming and has 360 degrees of built-in motion sensors. Two door-window sensors accompany the purchase so you can track when a door opens and closes. As its name suggests, the Pivot will, well, pivot to capture activity happening outside of its 135-degree field of view.
Read CNET's full review of the Zmodo Pivot.
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If the idea of a networked security camera that you can remotely view and receive alerts from appeals to you (but the $$$ of a commercial model does not), read on as we show you how to turn older generation Android phones into sophisticated security cameras.
Why Would I Want to Do This?
Well, we hate to presume, but we imagine you opened this tutorial because you have something you want to keep on eye on. Whether that’s your backdoor to watch for delivered packages, your new ferret cage to see if Mr. Winks actually uses the super-deluxe hammock lounge on the top floor, or your kids in the backyard while you’re in the house tidying up, is your business.
We’re just here to help you do it cheaply with old hardware you likely have laying around already (or can acquire easily off eBay). The Android phone we used for the tutorial, an HTC Hero, can be picked up off eBay for $20-25—a fraction of the cost of Wi-Fi security cameras, and the phone will offer a radically more customizable user experience.
What Do I Need?
For this tutorial you’ll need the following things:
- One Android Phone with Camera.
- One charging cable.
- One copy of IP Webcam (Free) (for continuous streaming).
- One copy of SECuRET SpyCam ($4.50) (for motion-activated capture and alerts).
- Access to a Wi-Fi network local to the Android phone.
- (Optional) Remote access to the Wi-Fi network to monitor continuous video feed away from home/work.
Why two different camera applications? During our testing we had trouble finding an application that could both stream continuous video in an effective and easy to access manner and issue motion-detection alerts effectively. Rather than have you set up a camera system that’s just kind of mediocre at both tasks, we’re highlighting a two prong approach where you can select the best app for your needs and desired level of monitoring.
If you want to get a notice whenever someone, say, drops a package off on your porch or opens your back gate, follow along with the first portion of our tutorial that details setting up SECuRET SpyCam.
If you want to generate a continuous live stream, like you would if you wanted to be able to continually check in on the results of an experiment or children playing in the backyard, follow along with the second portion of our tutorial detailing how to set up IP Webcam.
In addition, there are a few things worth noting before we proceed. First, this tutorial is focused entirely on the software side of things. Because each physical phone and location of installation will be unique, it’s an exercise for the reader to find their own mounting solution for their Android phone-turned-security camera. In our testing we used a suction-cup mount intended to mount the phone to a car windshield as it worked well to mount the camera to windows and smooth surfaces.
Second, if you want to access your camera from outside the network we recommend doing so in a secure fashion. Configuring a VPN is outside of the scope of today’s tutorial but we have plenty of great tutorials on How-To Geek including How to Connect to a VPN on Android and How to Setup a VPN Server Using a DD-WRT Router to get you started.
Finally, if you are reusing one of your old phones we would strongly recommend performing a factory reset on the device and then updating it to the most current version of Android available. Stability is important when deploying a device such as a security camera, so removing any extra applications, freeing up as much memory as possible, and running the most recent stable Android release for your device are all important considerations. Refer to the documentation for your specific phone to reset it and update Android.
Configuring SECuRET SpyCam
In all our tests of Android motion-detection software, SECuRET SpyCam came out ahead in every category. Its motion detection algorithms were the most consistent, it features tons of individual settings you can refine to help it work with the widest number of devices, it also features email and Twitter based notification as well as automated Dropbox-uploading, as well as the ability to capture not only photos but video segments too.
First, grab a copy of SECuRET SpyCam in the Play Store and install it to your device—if you’re wary of purchasing an app without test driving it first there is a demo copy available here.
After you have installed the application, launch it to begin the configuration process:
In the upper right hand corner of the display, next to the help icon, is the settings menu icon. Click on the settings menu. In our testing we found that leaving the majority of the default settings alone was ideal; however there are several settings that need configuration right out of the gate.
The first important decision is to decide whether you want the security camera to capture still photos or video segments when triggered. Navigate to General –> Motion Capture Mode –> and select either Photo or Video. Although we tested both functions, for the purposes of this tutorial we’re configuring the camera for photo capture.
While still in the General menu, select Photo Settings to configure photo and notification settings.
Here you can opt for a color or black and white photo, what resolution you want the photos to be taken in (lower resolution if you’re just monitoring the UPS guy coming and going, higher resolution if you hope to capture a license plate or other identifying information), as well as whether or not your want the camera to capture multiple exposures of each triggered moment (you can set the burst capture mode up to 5 photos per trigger).
Finally under the Actions section you can turn on Email and Twitter notification. While there may be some application for live Tweeting your security camera images, we’re more interested in configuring the email service.
Select Email, then check Auto Email Captures, and then plug in the credentials for a Gmail account. Finally, plug in a delivery address for the alerts. You can customize the email’s Subject/Message lines, but we found no particular need to do so.
The next step is to configure Dropbox syncing. By default all captures are stored on the local device (and emailed to you if have email alerts enabled). We want to go a step further and sync the captures to Dropbox so we have a convenient backup and, should the device itself get taken, we still have the photos. Navigate to General –> Dropbox to plug in your Dropbox login information and settings.
First, check Auto Sync Captures, then click Log In to authenticate SECuRET SpyCam with your Dropbox account. The final setting is to select whether you want the Dropbox syncing to occur over Wi-Fi only or via Wi-Fi and your cellular data plan.
Now that we’ve configured the basics, it’s time to test the camera out. We strongly recommend not messing around with the default settings until you’ve actually tried out your system—in almost every instance the default settings worked fine for us and required no further tinkering.
Exit back to the main menu and select Built-in Camera and press Start.
Once you press start you’ll see a screen like the one above—the smaller screen in the upper left hand corner is there to display the motion detection algorithm in action.
Since it’s a rather dreary, snowy, and gray day outside, we’re going to use something a little more colorful for our test subjects this afternoon: some African Cichlids. Not only are the Yellow Lab test subjects brightly colored but they’re extremely curious fish and we know it won’t take long for them to investigate the camera attached to the side of their tank. To start the actual detection mode tap the screen and then press the play button that appears in the lower menu bar.
It only takes a minute or two of waiting before one of the fish swims over to investigate:
The image is captured, stored to the device, and then an email alert is issued along with the file syncing to our Dropbox account. The email alerts are simple but they get the job done:
That’s all there is to it; once you’ve done the hard work of configuring the app and positioning your camera, there’s nothing left to do but check in on it periodically to make sure it hasn’t fallen off the window or been unplugged.
Configuring IP Webcam
While SECuRET SpyCam was our favorite pick for motion-based capture, it has one glaring oversight which prevented it from being a one-stop-shop for our Android security camera needs: it doesn’t include a simple streaming function. If you want a security camera you can continuously monitor (not just see when it issues you an alert) you’ll need to install a streaming application for that purpose. Fortunately there is a well established, free, and robust solution in IP Webcam.
IP Webcam is a perfect tool for turning your Android device into a streaming security camera. You can monitor the video feed (and take photos from the camera) using any modern web browser, use free cam viewers like IP Cam Viewer to monitor the camera from other Android devices, connect it into Skype, and even stream it right into media players like VLC.
Before we start actively monitoring the feed, however, let’s do some basic configuration (IP Webcam is even easier to setup than SECuRet SpyCam). First, install the application from the Play Store. Once the application is installed, launch it, and you’ll be dumped right into the configuration panel—seen above.
Much like we left the defaults alone in the previous section of the tutorial, we’re going to do the same here—once you have tested the camera you can begin tweaking settings to meet your needs if necessary. Of the few settings we are going to tweak, the first is to scroll down and check Stream on device boot, we want our security camera to turn back on in the event that the Android device crashes and restarts.
The second setting worth looking into right away is the login/password setting. Since we’re the only ones with access to our Wi-Fi network, we opted to make setting up and deploying our device easier by skipping this step.
Once you’ve tweaked these basic settings it’s time to position your device and start up the server. Scroll to the bottom of the configuration panel and click Start server.
You’ll see a screen like the one above—minus the fish of course, unless you’re also setting up your phone to monitor an aquarium.
At this point you need the IP address and port number of the server. It’s printed on the bottom of the screen (you can also click How do I connect? in the upper left hand corner. Navigating to the address provided yields a simple HTML page like so:
There you’ll find feed links and/or instructions for connecting IP Webcam to a wide variety of viewing sources including streaming it to media players, watching it directly in your browser via the Java plugin, and linking it to Android-based camera viewing apps. The fastest way to start monitoring the feed is to use the built-in Java view like so:
It’s not particularly elegant but it displays the video with very little lag. The solution we preferred was to open the video stream in popular video application VLC by running VLC, navigating to Media –> Open Network Stream, and plugging in the playlist link: http://x.x.x.x:8080/playlist.m3u, where x.x.x.x is the camera’s address on the local network:
Watching it through VLC made it extremely easy to hit the record button to record a video of anything interesting that might crop up.
That’s all there is to it: with IP Webcam once you have the server up and running on the phone and you’ve selected one of the many viewing methods to peek in on your camera, you’re done.
Have a great idea for repurposing an old Android phone? Want to see more articles about reusing old hardware? Sound off in the comments with ideas or shoot us an email at [email protected] to let us know.
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