02 October 2023 , 16:00
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Security cameras are an essential part of a layered approach to keeping your home safe. They can be used to spot intruders, record evidence, or perhaps you might buy one just to watch out for the postman.
But they can often be one of the first things a would-be burglar will look out for when searching for targets. A CCTV camera on a wall is a clear sign that the homeowner has thought about security and begs the question - what other measures might they have taken?
And even if your house isn't burgled, a camera pointing at your garage, shed, or the vehicles on your drive will not only act as a deterrent, but it could help to catch a culprit in the case of any vandalism.
Police officers always look out for cameras on nearby properties when they investigate crimes in a locality, so you could even be helping your neighbours out if they spot a suspect in your footage.
But cameras come in all shapes and sizes, with prices varying wildly and lots of other considerations to make - including whether to go wireless or wire-free, how much resolution you really need, and how to store your footage.
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So after testing dozens of CCTV cameras, here's my favourite so far, and a few others you might want to consider.
Mirror Choice best security camera: Eufy S220 Solocam
There's plenty of things I like about this compact camera. Firstly, it's truly wire-free, so a doddle to install. It's powered off a small solar panel on top and I haven't needed to think about the battery levels yet, it just carries on working.
Secondly, the footage is excellent. It's not the crispest footage out there, but it gives plenty of detail and copes well in all lighting conditions.
Importantly, the Eufy app is excellent, and there's no need to sign up to any subscriptions. Particularly if you have a Eufy Homebase, or if you use a micro SD card, your footage is stored in clips and it's very easy to skip back through it.
Of all the brands I've been sent for testing, this is the one that's stayed on my wall at home, and it's never let me down.
If you're on a budget...
This, the TP-Link Tapo C320WS is well worth considering. I bought one of these recently, purely as a cheap and cheerful camera to watch the birds that come and go on my bird-feeding station while I'm at my desk. And it's much better than I expected it would be.
Importantly, it is a wired camera, so it'll need to be permanently powered, and that won't suit everyone, but prices are around £50 if you shop around and it has a 4mp camera with trick colour night vision, human motion detection and, with an SD card inserted, you can store loads of footage.
If you can accommodate a powered outdoor camera, then this could tick all the right boxes.
And now for something completely different
The Switchbot Outdoor Spotlight Cam is like no other CCTV camera you've seen. But it's brilliant. It's technically neither wired nor wireless, it runs from a battery. And if you don't check in to your footage all that often the battery will go on for weeks and weeks. I know that because I've got one in my back garden. I've hooked mine up to a cheap USB solar panel, which has worked really well, but there's no real need.
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The footage quality is pretty good, the AI detection is very reliable and its night vision mode works well.
But the best bit is its design. It's shaped like a baseball, which means it's dead easy to mount and, because there's no wires, you can move it inside, plonk it on a windowsill somewhere, and use it to monitor other parts of your house whenever you need to.
It's one of the most versatile security cameras on the market and, at £89.99, it's a bit of a bargain. I absolutely love mine.