The Best Smart Home Security Cameras For Apartments

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Gained early experience with automation technology in the private and industrial sector, can turn his living room into a movie theater with one voice command and is the owner of this website. He is happy to share his accumulated experience with every new article.

Quality Features of a Security Camera for an Apartment

The requirements for a security camera for an apartment are different from those for an outdoor camera, for example. In most cases, apartments are also smaller than individual houses, which means that you can usually monitor your apartment efficiently with a single camera.

Especially if you do not live on the ground floor, it is usually only necessary to monitor the apartment door and windows with emergency exit.

That’s why All-in-One security systems are ideal for apartments, as they have a very good security camera and many other features that make your home a smart home.

Here are some of the most important quality features you should consider when buying a security camera for your apartment:

Video quality: Most modern security cameras record in HD quality. However, in addition to a 1080p resolution, you should also pay attention to a night view mode so that you can also record HD videos at night in your apartment.
Motion detectors: The motion detector is one of the basics that every security camera should have. It is only through such sensors that the camera becomes smart. Most of the time you can also set the motion detector with activity zones and only receive notifications when an event of interest to you happens.
Person recognition: Some security cameras, such as the Canary All-in-One*, even come with the person recognition feature. With a person recognition you can only get notifications when the camera detects a person. This avoids a lot of false alarms!
Alexa and Co: If you want to control the security camera not only with the app but also with voice commands, you have to make sure that it is compatible with Alexa or Google Home.
Intercom: Through a two-way audio system you can use the security camera as an intercom. So you can communicate with family members or even an intruder from anywhere.
Type of storage: There are basically two different ways to store video and audio data. Either on an integrated SD card or in the cloud. With a cloud storage space you have to pay attention whether you have to pay a monthly fee or not.
Other Features: Many systems, as well as the All-in-One systems presented in this article, are also equipped with other useful features, such as temperature and humidity monitoring.

Canary All-in-One Indoor 1080p HD

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AMAZON*

The Canary All-in-One smart security camera* is not just a camera but a complete security system for your apartment. It features a Full HD 1080p camera with a 147° viewing angle, a microphone for high-quality audio recordings, a weather station, person recognition and much more.

This device is particularly suitable for beginners in the Smart Home sector because of its many functions. For all the features you get, the price is unbeatable.

The Canary All-in-One connects to your WLAN and can notify you immediately if the camera detects a movement or a person in your home. The person recognition function enables the camera to detect whether the detected movement belongs to a person or not. This avoids a lot of false alarms.

You can also connect the alarm to a very loud siren which you can also control manually. Before you start the automatic alarm with the siren reaching up to 90 decibels and more, you should have perfected the settings to the point where false alarms are eliminated. You can also turn it on manually at any time if your camera sends you a message that it saw something suspicious. Especially for apartments in a larger residential building, the siren should only be switched on if it is actually an emergency.

The Canary All-in-One can notify you immediately if it detects a person in your apartment. With the livestream you can check this and trigger the alarm or call the police.

Video Quality

The Canary All-in-One records videos in 1080p HD quality. It also has a nightvision mode and a 147 degree viewing angle. This means that even a larger room can be completely monitored, even at night.

You can also switch on a private mode via the app. This immediately turns off the camera and microphone. Then nobody has to feel watched anymore.

Smart Home Integration: Alexa and Google Assistant

You can connect the Canary All-in-One to Alexa or Google Home and also control it via voice command. For example, you can query data about your room climate or the presence of certain people. Like, you could ask Alexa if your kids are home or not.

The Canary App

With the Canary App you can control all Canary devices that you have integrated into your Smart Home. With this app you can control the security camera from anywhere and access the data from it.

You can also use this app to get notifications or alarms if the security camera sees something suspicious. Within the app there are many other features. The most useful of these are listed here:

Geofencing: Geofencing is the connection between the location of a mobile device and certain events. You have to allow the Canary App to access the location of your smartphone. For example, the security camera can only record videos when everyone has left the apartment. I usually combine this feature with a schedule. This way the camera only runs at night and when I’m not home. During the day, when I’m home, I don’t need security.
Home Health: Since the Canary All-in-One* is a weather station in its own, you can also incorporate this data into your event control or notifications. So you can always be alerted when the temperature, humidity or air quality exceeds or falls below a certain threshold.
Livestream: Via the app you can watch the livestream of your camera from anywhere in the world at any time. Also for pet owners this can be quite practical to see what is going on at home.
Timeline: Via the timeline you can view all events that the camera has recorded over the day in the app.
Video Archive: In addition to the timeline, there is also the archive where all recordings of the last 24 hours are stored.
Smart notifications: As mentioned before, you can customize the Canary All-in-One and only get alerted when something happens that interests you.
Intercom: The two-way audio system allows you to use the camera as an intercom system.

TP-Link Kasa KC120 Smart Indoor Camera 1080p

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AMAZON*

We were very surprised by how much this little camera can do. Despite its small size, the TP-Link Kasa Smart Indoor Camera* has all the necessary features to smartly monitor a home. TP-Link has many excellent Smart Home products on the market and their small camera joins these top products.

What is particularly impressive is that TP-Link had no other camera on the market before this security camera. This means that they learned from their competitors and immediately designed an outstanding product.

In addition, the TP-Link Kasa KC120 security camera is also compatible with Alexa, Google Home and IFTTT (IF This Then That). This means that the camera can also be controlled by voice commands and linked to other smart Smart Home products.

Video and Audio Quality

Thanks to the 1080p HD recording quality, a 130° viewing angle and the Liveview function, you can check from anywhere with the livestream whether everything is fine at home. Due to its inconspicuous profile it is also very inconspicuous and visitors do not feel immediately observed.

You can also turn on the private mode or limit the activity of the security camera with schedules. For example, if you don’t want to be filmed at home all the time, you can only turn it on automatically at night.

This security camera also has a 2-way audio system, which can also be used as an intercom system. The excellent microphone not only allows you to set alarms due to movement, but also to particularly loud noises. In addition, the camera has a built-in night vision mode with which even in complete darkness HD videos can be recorded.

Adjustable Motion Detector

The motion detector can also be individually adjusted with activity zones and an adjustable sensitivity. For example, you could point the motion detector only at the front door or exclude a window to avoid false alarms.

Cloud Storage

With Kasa Care, Kasa’s cloud storage from TP-Link, you can get different subscriptions to access the cloud storage space.

There is a free service that allows you to store 1 GB of data in the cloud. This corresponds to about 2 days of video footage with three cameras. If you need more storage space, you’ll need to upgrade the subscription with various tiered fees.

In my experience, however, the free plan is sufficient. If you want to try a little more storage, there is a 30 day demo. If you do not wish to purchase another subscription after this trial period, you will automatically be downgraded to the free subscription and will not be stuck at any cost.

Simple Installation and Operation

Like all other TP-Link Kasa products, the KC120 smart security camera is very easy to adjust and operate. And also like the other Kasa Smart Home products this security camera is operated and adjusted with the Kasa App.

Once you have downloaded and installed the app, all you need to do is turn on the camera. The app will guide you through the installation process with easy-to-understand instructions.

When the camera is connected, it will be displayed with your other TP-Link Smart Home products in the app. With a click on the Kasa Cam you switch to the live feed. You can look into your apartment from anywhere.

With many other security cameras with live feed, however, it takes up to 10 seconds to access the livestream. If you get an alarm, this is a long wait. With the TP-Link KC120 security camera* it takes only one to two seconds. This fast response time increases comfort and gives you peace of mind. It also allows you to react more quickly to actual emergencies!

Alternative All-in-One System: Zmodo Pivot 1080p HD 360°

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AMAZON*

With many security cameras, the viewing angle is a problem. If you want to cover a large room completely, you have to place the security camera in a corner to see everything. With the Zmodo Pivot 1080p HD Security Camera*, it doesn’t really matter where you set it up because it can rotate 360 degrees. So you can monitor even the largest open apartments with just one camera.

Just like the Canary All-in-One, the Zmodo Pivot is an all-in-one system. In this way it can not only record videos, but also serves as an intercom and record climate data.

The Zmodo Pivot with its 360° viewing angle and door and window sensors is a complete security system for your apartment.

These features alone, together with the great video quality, lead to a good price-performance ratio. In addition, this security system also contains 4 door or window sensors that can notify you when something is opened.

The swivelling camera and the door and window sensors make it possible to completely monitor an apartment without installing a multi-camera system. So you get a complete security system for the apartment for a very fair price.

The best features of the Zmodo Pivot are listed here:

Room climate: The built-in temperature and humidity sensors allow you to monitor the climate in your home. You can also set notifications when one of these values exceeds a certain threshold.
2-way audio: Due to the two-way audio system, the camera can also be used as an intercom system.
Bluetooth: With the built-in Bluetooth speaker you can also play music via the Zmodo Pivot when you are at home.
Smart motion sensor: The motion sensor can be customized to send notifications to your smartphone. The range in which the motion detector is activated can also be set. For example, you can exclude a window that often detects movements from outside in order to avoid false alarms. The short clips from the notifications are stored in the cloud for 10 hours.
Built-in storage: 16 GB of built-in storage allows you to store multiple days of video at no monthly charge.
Own hub for Zmodo products: The Zmodo Pivot is a dedicated hub or base station for other Zmodo products. So you can expand your security system with e.g. an outdoor camera.

Bottom Line

Now you know the best options to effectively monitor your apartment. There are products for newcomers that give you several features in one product, such as the Canary All-in-One*.

But there are also specialized, very small security cameras like the TP-Link Kasa KC120 security camera* that are excellent in just one task.

No matter which of these security cameras you choose, you will sleep much better and have a peace of mind when going on vacation! I don’t want to miss my security camera system anymore when I’m not home.

Attention: When installing electronic equipment, please be sure to observe the manufacturer’s safety instructions. You have to take care of your own safety. The information on this site only helps you to learn.
Disclosure: This website is the property of Martin Lütkemeyer and is operated by Martin Lütkemeyer. Martin Lütkemeyer is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to enable Web sites to earn advertising revenue through advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Links marked with * are affiliate links.