One of the biggest benefits of a smart home is being able to know what's going on when you're not actually there. Whether you're checking in on your kids, pets, or an exotic jewel collection, a home security camera is a great tool for keeping an eye on things from afar. Although capabilities vary from device to device, surveillance cameras allow you to monitor what's going on in your home through live or recorded video. But not all cameras are created equally. Some have alarms or can send you notifications when they detect activity, some offer two-way audio, some are meant to monitor your baby, and some even double as full-on home automation hubs. We've tested lots of home surveillance cameras over the last few years, so we know what's important to look for. For instance, you want a camera that's simple to set up and use. Additionally, one of the very first qualities we notice is an attractive—though discreet—design. It's important that the camera looks like something you actually want in your home, but depending on your needs, you may not want it to stand out too much.
Device support is critical as well. Our favorite cameras allow you to check in from anywhere, whether it's an app on your phone or a Web browser. Additional features vary from camera to camera, and each of our top picks offer just enough variety to set them apart from the rest of the competition. Here are some other important factors to consider when buying a home security cam: Even though 1080p is generally the standard resolution for cameras we've tested, and you won't find any that stream or record in 4K any time soon, there are benefits to cameras with higher resolution sensors. Few home security cameras have optical zoom lenses, but almost all have digital zoom, which crop and enlarge whatever the camera is recording. The more megapixels a camera sensor has, the more you can digitally zoom in and still be able to see things clearly. Besides resolution, consider the field of view as well. All security cameras have wide-angle lenses, but not all angles are created equal.
Depending on the lens' field of view, it can see between 100 and 180 degrees. That's a big range in terms of the camera's vision cone. If you want to watch a large area, you should consider a camera with a very wide field of view. If you want to keep an eye on the rooms of your home, there are plenty of options. If you want to keep an eye on your driveway, backyard, or front porch, you need to be more choosy. Not all home security cameras are rugged enough to be mounted outdoors. You need a camera that's waterproof and can stand up to rain, snow, and sun, and survive the extreme temperatures of summer and winter. The Nest Cam Outdoor and Netgear Arlo are two models built specifically for use outdoors, while the Nest Cam Indoor and the Netgear Arlo-Q might not survive the next rainstorm if you mount them over your garage door. Most security cameras use Wi-Fi, but not all rely on it exclusively. Some add Bluetooth for local control and easier setup through your smartphone, while others incorporate separate home automation networking standards to interact with other devices, like ZigBee or Z-Wave.
For most cameras, all you need to do is follow instructions on an app to connect them to your home network. Once your camera is connected, you'll almost certainly be able to access it through your smartphone or tablet. The vast majority of home security cameras today have mobile apps, and many focus entirely around those apps for doing everything. Some have Web portals as well, which add flexibility for accessing your videos and alerts from anywhere. The videos your camera records probably won't be stored on the camera itself. Most home security cameras use cloud services to store and offer remote access to footage. Some models have microSD card slots so you can physically pull the video from them when you want to review footage, but this is a rare feature. Keep in mind that not all cloud services are alike, even for the same camera. Depending on the manufacturer, your home security camera will store different amounts of footage for different lengths of time. This service is often a paid subscription on top of the price of the camera itself, though some cameras offer free cloud storage to varying degrees.
Cloud storage service is usually offered in tiers, letting you choose between keeping footage for a week, a month, or more. As you can see from our picks, most of the top-rated home security cameras on the market are roughly in the $200 range, but some of them also require an additional fee to store recorded video in the cloud. We break down any extra fees in our reviews, so it's worth taking a look at each to find out which one fits your budget. Then again, you can't really put a price on peace of mind. For more gear to make your home smarter, check out our picks for The Best Smart Home Security Systems, The Best Smart Locks, and The Best Smart Light Bulbs.Google Pixel Review: With the Pixel, Google stepped up to bat, called its shot and knocked it out of the park. And the timing couldn’t be more fortunate with Samsung in the midst of an explosive crisis. After six years of partnering up with device makers to create its Nexus phones, for the first time Google has stepped out on its own.
The Pixel and Pixel XL are the latest additions to its line of in-house products. And while HTC may have put the phones together, it was Google that designed, engineered and branded them. The gamble paid off. Starting at $649 in the US, £599 in the UK and AU$1,079 in Australia, the Pixel is fast, with an elevated, smooth design. Heavy investments in its camera resulted in a nimble shooter too. Though its special portrait mode is poor, it otherwise takes amazing shots that rival those of theApple iPhone 7 Plus. It’s also the first phone to have the search giant’s new, thoroughly robust voice-and-search service, called Google Assistant, built in. It’s the most natural voice assistant I’ve experienced, and comes closest to giving me that Jarvis from “Iron Man” experience all these assistants appear to be chasing. The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are still the best overall Android phones, but if you’re wary of Samsung, this is the premium Android phone to get.
Why the Pixel is one of the best Android phones right now So what’s so great about the Pixel? Aside from the premium hardware, like the camera and processor, it packs new software features that are handy to use day-to-day. Read on to find out more. The camera is (mostly) awesome As you can tell from its name, Google makes a big deal about the Pixel’s camera, and it is superb. It takes even better shots than the already stellar iPhone 7 Plus, which I consider to be the reigning champion of camera phones. If you want the full scoop on how these two compare, check out CNET’s feature, Google Pixel vs. iPhone 7 Plus: Which camera is better? The camera is fast, images are in focus, and colors look vibrant. Close-up shots appear especially sharp and refined. Landscape scenes retain an impressive amount of detail and depth, even with objects that are far away. Photos taken in dim lighting understandably weren’t as sharp and had more digital artifacts. But the camera did a good job at capturing available light and brightening up scenes.
The flash made skin tones look natural as well, and if it hadn’t been for a few reflections in eyes, it would’ve been hard to tell in the photos that it was even used. The front-facing camera is excellent, too. It has a wide enough lens to fit a lot of content (read: faces) in each frame, and it softened skin tones enough to look appealing without appearing too airbrushed. To see the images I captured, check out the slideshow below. The camera can shoot 4K video, and though it doesn’t have optical image stabilization, it uses a combination of the gyroscope and software to steady your videos all the same. This feature works well, and it’s useful when you’re moving while recording footage. But it does give your videos a sort of surreal, almost drone-like quality. Google Assistant helps organize your day The Pixel is deeply integrated with Google’s search services, and it’s the first hardware device to have Google Assistant baked in. Assistant is an AI bot that uses machine learning and Google’s vast search database to answer all kinds of questions you throw its way.
It can schedule reminders, look up facts and places to eat, set alarms, give directions, translate phrases and more. And the more you use it, the more it’s supposed to learn about you and become more personalized. Unlike Google Now (the company’s previous iteration of a digital assistant), Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana, Assistant is genuinely conversational. You can use your voice to speak to it in a natural, back-and-forth way, and it has a chat-like interface. After every interaction, there are suggested follow-up queries you can tap on to keep the conversation going. Like with most voice assistants, you forget that they’re there. But when you do remember, Assistant can be useful. It doesn’t hear every question correctly every time, but when it does, it works relatively quickly. Compared to Siri, which sort of checks out after it finishes each task, Assistant builds upon my previous queries, so it made me interact with it longer. Android Nougat packs some sweetness
The device runs a pure version of Android 7.1 Nougat. It’s the first to have Google’s messaging service and its video calling app preloaded (you can uninstall them if you want). Launcher shortcuts, aka Google’s take on , lets you long-press on some apps to call up additional menu options. You can send GIFs inside Google Keyboard, for all your GIF-fy delights. To reduce eye strain from viewing a bright, bluish display at night, there’s a Night Light setting that tints the screen yellow. (Other Android phones and the iPhone already do this.) On the back is a fingerprint reader for added user security and services such as Android Pay. It works quickly, and as a bonus you can use it to slide down notifications on the screen. It looks and feels great The Pixel and Pixel XL are nearly identical, but the latter has a bigger, sharper display and a bumped-up battery. Other than that, they’re pretty much the same. Both are polished and well crafted, and their sleek, one-piece aluminum design make them more elegant than previous Nexus devices.
Granted, the Pixel does sort of look like the iPhone, but it has chamfered edges and it’s wedge-shaped, which likely keeps the camera flush and avoids an unsightly bump. I also have to agree with whatCNET’s Stephen Shankland wrote about the Pixel earlier: it hits a Goldilocks area of weight and heft. While the Nexus 6P was too heavy and the 5X felt too hollow, the Pixel feels just right. As for that funky two-toned thing on the back, it struck me as odd the first time I saw it, too. Others may never like it (though I suppose you can slap a case over it), but it eventually grew on me. The juxtaposition between a matte-metal finish and a glossy panel is unique, and the glass is resilient to scratches and scuffs ( unlike other glossy finishes we’ve tested). And while I couldn’t test Google’s claim that this shade is supposed to help with the antennas, it did make gripping the phone easier. It’s just as fast as its Android rivals With its Snapdragon 821 processor, the Pixel works fast and fluidly.