There are HD cameras. Wide-angle cameras. 1080p cameras with night vision. Indoor, outdoor and doorbell cameras. How do you chose the best for your situation? Do you look for the latest features, the biggest discounts, or the best security camera reviews?  Read on to decide what’s best to sneak into a stocking for your family this holiday season!

With so much to consider, it’s easy to miss a very important detail. Frankly it’s not all about the camera. Look at the platform first.

While a smart security camera’s components, design and engineering make a big difference, the software platform is where the “smart” part happens. Your camera’s app and its features, your video alerts and your customization options are all determined by this layer of digital technology.

It’s why we think the best home security cameras are powered by Alarm.com.

Alarm.com-powered cameras come fully integrated into their platform and app through your compatible smart home security systems. . Big names in the pro security industry such as Qolsys, 2GIG, DSC, and Honeywell support the Alarm.com platform.  As well as best-in-class hardware, Alarm.com give you advanced video features, extra home security benefits, and an easy, professionally-supported experience.

1: See what’s going on from anywhere, anytime.

Whether you’re investigating a strange noise outside, or just saying hello to your kids from the office, the Alarm.com app makes things easy.

You can view a live stream from any camera with your smartphone, tablet, desktop, Apple Watch or even your TV. You can be at work and still talk to a visitor at your door. If you get an alert that your alarm is going off, you can open a camera feed, zoom in to see what’s going on, then verify or cancel the alarm signal—all from the same screen.

Viewing recorded footage is just as easy. Alarm.com stores your video clips securely on their cloud servers for you to watch, download and share whenever you need it.

2: Stay in the know with intelligent clips and alerts.

All smart security cameras have motion detectors that trigger video recordings and smartphone alerts. Got a busy home? You can look forward to a lot of alerts—or you can take the Alarm.com route instead.

With security system intelligence, Alarm.com cameras understand what’s going on. It means you can customize and filter your alerts for a better experience. For example, you can have Alarm.com turn off all alerts from indoor cameras when your security system is disarmed.

You can also set up triggered video alerts for specific events. If you want to see your kids arrive home after school, for example, you can have Alarm.com send you a video clip from your hallway camera when they unlock the front door every day.  Yeah smart.

3: Get better crime prevention features.

When it comes to crime prevention, our cameras are more than a deterrent.  As part of your smart security system, Alarm.com-powered cameras  “team up” with other security devices, like your smart locks, to help you solve challenges like this:

 

4: Invest in security cameras that keep getting smarter.

Security camera technology keeps getting better each year. Some manufacturers expect you to replace your cameras frequently to keep up.  With Alarm.com cameras  new features and services are released digitally over tghe air (OTA) using its platform to keep your cameras up-to-date longer.

Take the Alarm.com video analytics service. It uses artificial intelligence to make sense of what your cameras see, in real time. It can tell whether an object in your driveway is a person, an animal or a vehicle. It can ignore a person who visits your front door and then leaves (the mailman), but alert you when a visitor lingers too long on your porch.

If you’re interested in activating video analytics, just contact us to learn more about our Alarm.com video service plan options.