Caught in the act: The best security cameras for indoors and outdoors
Want to travel but protect your beloved home from burglars? No problem! We've tested four different surveillance cameras for you.
Who actually looks after your home when you're on vacation? While it used to be best to be nice to your neighbors in the spring to prevent them from taking a curious look at your home in the summer, today it's enough to buy a security camera and connect it to your Wi-Fi. You can then peek into your living room from anywhere in the world.
But how much does such a Wi-Fi monitor cost? What do you need to use it reliably, and can it actually provide increased security? We tested four devices in this review and reveal which one made the best impression.
However, some guidelines apply to all our test candidates. First of all, there's the issue of data protection . Generally, the cameras are only allowed to record images of private property. Whether it's your apartment or your garden: Views of your neighbors or the sidewalk are taboo! Visitors must also be made aware that areas are being monitored by video cameras. A warning sign is required outside; a verbal warning is sufficient inside.
Also important: When using the cameras, users should pay close attention to their own data protection. The Federal Office for Information Security points out that the devices can pose a security risk because they transmit data to the internet. The live streams are also of interest to hackers.
The agency therefore recommends using strong passwords for these services, setting up a dedicated Wi-Fi network for the cameras, and regularly updating all devices on this network. This is the only way security cameras can truly provide increased security.
1. Google Nest Cam (199 euros)Google 's Nest Cam can be used both indoors and outdoors. All you need to do is screw on a small base, to which the camera attaches using a magnet. The built-in battery lasts between one and seven months – depending on how often the camera is active. The Nest Cam uses artificial intelligence to automatically detect when something is happening within its viewfinder.
The easy-to-use app also allows you to restrict the sensor area in the image or set up special notifications, such as when animals or a person carrying a package are detected. The camera can also be used as an intercom directly via the mobile app. The image quality of the HD video recordings (1080p@30fps) is very good. Thanks to the infrared mode, the Nest Cam delivers excellent results even at night or in the dark.
The recordings are stored in the Google cloud and can therefore be accessed from anywhere in the world. However, this also lies the major disadvantage of the Nest Cam: By default, the videos are only saved for three hours. Only with a Nest Aware subscription (€6 or €12 per month) do you have access to the recordings for 30 or 60 days, respectively. Customers with an active subscription can also store the faces of known people in the system and add appropriate notifications. While Google allows the use of any number of cameras with a subscription, the additional monthly costs are still annoying.
Overall, the Nest Cam impresses with its good video quality, ease of use, and excellent workmanship. The system is particularly suitable for users who want to watch a live stream on their phone or use event-based notifications.
2. Hue Secure camera Philips (140 euros)The Philips camera looks similar to the Nest Cam and, in theory, should offer similar features. However, some differences became apparent in practical testing. Mounting and setting up the camera are still user-friendly – but problems arise afterward.
While the image quality is decent, it doesn't quite match the level of detail of the other two competitors. Especially in the dark, the Secure Camera lacks much detail. The battery easily lasted several weeks in our test, but online users also report that their Hue camera only lasted a few days. If the camera detects movement, it records it and uploads the video stream to a cloud service. From there, users can easily access their videos.
It's just a shame that Philips only offers many advanced features in conjunction with a subscription. The video archive is behind the paywall, as are the animal, person, and package detection features, as well as the ability to individually restrict the sensor range. The Basic subscription (30 days of video archive) costs €39 per year and can only be used with one camera. The Plus subscription (60 days of video storage) costs €99, but can be combined with multiple cameras .
The Secure Camera's greatest strength is its ability to integrate with the Hue lighting system. This allows the camera to be used as a motion detector for lamps or to turn on lights in the event of an alarm. Overall, however, purchasing the Philips camera is only worthwhile if you intend to combine it with a Hue system.
3. eufyCam S330 (199 euros)The eufy camera system takes a different approach than products from Google or Philips: The videos are stored on a base station at the user's home. This means that data is only transferred to the internet when the user wants to watch the videos on the go via their mobile phone. At the same time, the maximum storage time of the recordings is only limited by the space on the local hard drive. The downside: The base station must be purchased separately. A set with two cameras and one terabyte of storage (enough for up to 30 days of continuous video recording) costs €527.
The eufyCam itself is technically excellently equipped. A small solar panel recharges the built-in battery, so the camera practically never needs charging. It records 4K video, thus showing plenty of detail. While the nighttime images are slightly less accurate than those of the Nest Cam, they are sufficient for clearly recognizing content.
The clear app allows you to freely configure the detection area. The system identifies people, animals, vehicles, and packages and can send corresponding notifications. Even individual detection is possible. The only drawback : videos and motion data can only be accessed via the mobile app. Only live images from the cameras can be integrated into smart home systems like Google Home or Amazon Alexa.
Nevertheless, the system impresses with good image quality, an endless battery life, and many clever additional features, all of which are available without an additional subscription.
4. Xiaomi CW500 Dual (80 euros)Xiaomi 's camera system comes with two cameras that can be positioned independently of each other. One sensor is fixed on a target corridor, while the second camera can rotate and tilt freely, covering a very wide angle of view. Both cameras deliver usable image quality in both light and dark conditions—although the colors always appear a bit too pale. The time-lapse function, which creates fully automatic time-lapse videos, is particularly exciting.
Theoretically, the camera should be able to automatically track people once it has been detected. However, in practical tests, this only worked if the person was moving slowly. Another weakness: setting up detection zones in the app was unnecessarily complicated. This worked much better in the Google and Eufy apps.
The videos are stored on an SD card in the device – or they can be viewed live via an app. While integration with Google Home and Amazon's Alexa environment isn't for novices, it generally works. Cloud features such as online storage and AI-based person recognition are only available with a monthly subscription starting at €4.99.
Since the Xiaomi camera doesn't have a battery, it requires a nearby power outlet. If you can live with this limitation, you get a lot of camera, but unfortunately, you get very little user-friendliness for your money.
Berliner-zeitung
