Are DIY Home Security Cameras the Wave of the Future? -- Security Today

Are DIY Home Security Cameras the Wave of the Future?

By Matt Holden
Sep 02, 2014

Are DIY Home Security Cameras the Wave of the Future? A recent WSJ article looked at four different DIY home security cameras to see if they were robust enough to make a home safe. DIY home security allows you to set up a camera in your home, and then have all of the footage sent to your mobile device or laptop. Some of the cameras tested also sent notifications whenever they detected a disturbance. These disturbances are often the result of the facial recognition software misreading different events and things, such as a cat, and counting them as human.

The four cameras evaluated were: Piper ($199), Dropcam Pro ($199), Simplicam ($150), and Manything (free). All of the cameras are wireless, and Simplicam features the most robust facial detection software.

These cameras are in direct competition with companies like ADT, who charge a monthly fee plus an installation fee for cameras. What you get for this price of course is customer service and an advertised higher-quality of camera. The video quality from the DIY cameras leaves much to be desired.

All of the cameras use the home Wi-Fi to send messages to a mobile device, and they all feature different levels of video backup.

These DIY cameras offer a cheaper price, but at a bigger cost. The lack of quality, reliability and infrastructure were noted in the article as hurdles that have yet to be overcome.

About the Author

Matt Holden is an Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media, Inc. He received his MFA and BA in journalism from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He currently writes and edits for Occupational Health & Safety magazine, and Security Today.

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