Suddenly you’re awakened in the middle of the night by the blaring sound of your alarm system going off. Now is this one of your kids surprising you with an unannounced visit from college or has a nefarious intruder infiltrated your home. Lying in your bed you have no idea. If you have a security system that has a camera and monitor then you can check to see what is going on and make an informed decision about what to do next. Some of the essential pieces of technology for your smart home security are video cameras and a security camera monitor. Below are some of the top features that come with a security camera monitoring system.
Two-way Audio
Consider the following scenario. You look through the peephole of your door to see your gardener is at the door and it looks like he’s holding something in his hand but you can’t tell what it is. Since you invested in a security system with an outdoor two-way audio weatherproof camera and monitor you can not only see live feed of your gardener outside who it turns out is holding some menacing looking hedge clippers but you can also speak to him with the audio function to see if he’s disgruntled that you haven’t paid him for several weeks or if he’s just letting you know he’s finished trimming the hedge and wants to know if there’s anything else that you’d like him to do. Now not all security systems come with this feature but being able to communicate with someone without having to making yourself vulnerable by opening your door is invaluable.
Night Vision
There are many types of cameras to choose from with various features and capabilities If you invest money on the right video recording equipment though you can even get a camera with a high resolution lens so that you can see what’s going on outside your residence in high resolution even at night. Some cameras even have motion detection capabilities for improved outdoor security. In order to get cameras with night vision video capability it may cost more than a normal camera but it may save your life. Just note that at night your camera’s field of view will be more limited. Overall it’s a smart choice.
Digital Video Recording
Say some degenerate is breaking into your house but gets spooked by the sound of your alarm going off. Some surveillance systems are outfitted to have a digital video recorder (dvr) allowing you to playback the video feeds from your wireless monitoring system. This way you can share images of the perp with the local authorities so that they can prevent further criminal activity from the person you caught on camera. This will also enable them to easily spread details about the burglar with other police officers and even the public so they can catch the perpetrator sooner rather than later.
A Security Camera Monitor Alternative
Having a large monitor allows you to easily see the video feed of multiple cameras on one screen but not all security camera monitors are portable, in fact most need to be plugged into a power source to function. For this reason, we suggest you supplement your system with not only a security camera monitor but also make sure to purchase video cameras that are compatible with an app. Just note that viewing your camera’s security monitoring on a monitor will likely have a higher resolution than viewing it on your phone.
At Cove, you can’t see your camera feed on your alarm panel but the cameras you can purchase with our system allow you to view live video feed from an app. The YI cameras we provide allow you to view live video footage of your cameras from anywhere you have cell reception. You can even use the YI app to send notifications to you when motion is detected by your motion detectors. The app also allows you to hear audio going on in different areas of your home from your wireless mobile device. This remote access control and monitoring of your security system or systems will give you the comfort that your home is safe whether you’re home or away. A must have for wireless security systems.
We also recommend that you pay for a monitoring service so that you’ll have a team of trained security professionals who’ve got your back. If you have this service, when you fail to input your passcode to disarm your alarm system, the monitoring service will be able to access the audio and video from your surveillance system so that they can see what predicament you’re in and pass this information onto the police.
Adding all these features to your home security system might require the assistance of technicians but isn’t your safety and that of your loved ones worth it? Adding security cameras to your security system and a monitor on which to view the video monitoring of your surveillance system is a smart decision that will grant you peace of mind.