Whether you want to check in on the kids or monitor your home’s perimeter, smart home smart security cameras are a useful tool. These close cousins to webcams can connect to your home Wi-Fi and send alerts and recorded footage to your smartphone. They also often offer built-in storage and some include audio monitoring systems so you can speak to criminals and warn them off your property. Many can even deter potential thieves by activating a piercingly loud 100dB siren, similar to a revving motorbike or ATV engine.

Most smart home camera devices track movement around your house and transmit the video to a free app on your smartphone, allowing you to see what is going on outside. They can be set up to record continuously (although continuous recording uses a lot of storage and requires a monthly fee with your provider) or to record only when they are triggered by motion or sound detection.

Night Vision and Motion Detection: Enhancing Surveillance with Smart Home Cameras

Depending on the device, some smart cameras also have night vision to give you an early warning of any activity outside your home in the dark. They can also be configured to send an instant notification if they detect motion, sound or a face (known or unrecognised). Some models have built-in Wi-Fi so you don’t need to purchase and install a separate hub and others support dual-band routers for maximum compatibility.

Our top pick for the best smart home security camera is this Blink system with 8 wired cameras. It’s easy to set up, has a great mobile app and records onto an on-site 1TB hard drive (with new footage overwriting the oldest recordings), so you can access your surveillance at any time without having to pay any monthly cloud storage fees.