Best smart home security products: Pricing & reviews

Smart Home Security Products Buyer's Guide

All smart security products, including smart cameras, locks, and garage door openers, are meant to give you more control over and information about the safety your home. Like many smart devices, smart security products boast mobile apps for wireless access and information about your home. That's the main difference between a normal home security device and a smart one – smart security means that you can control the security products from your computer or your phone. 

Smart security devices are all about peace of mind. Smart locks can be unlocked from anywhere to allow friends and family members into your home or to make sure you shut the door on your way out to work. Smart detectors can alert your phone when smoke, water, or any type of toxin is detected. With a smart camera, you can receive alerts right to your phone based on motion sensing, sound detection, and more.

A smart home security device is right for you if you want the peace of mind that your home is safe and secure to be right on your smartphone. Smart security devices are also great options for people who want to ditch traditional house keys: with full mobile access to your home security, you can observe who is in and around your house at any time and lock or unlock your doors accordingly. Simply put, smart home security devices are bringing our homes into the wireless world and putting full control over your home's security and safety in your hand. 

When shopping for smart home security products, you should pay attention to product compatibility, mobile app functionality, and battery backup features. 

Compatibility

The ability to connect to and work with smart speakers, hubs, and other connected devices is key for the functionality of your security system. If you use a smart hub, being able to access your security devices from one all-encompassing application makes home control easy. In addition, support for automation tools can be particularly useful and make monitoring your security system hassle-free. 

Some smart security devices are also compatible with traditional security systems, like ADT. This allows instant action in case the lock or camera detects some sort of problem.

Battery backup

A common issue with home security can be power outages. Traditional security systems are at the mercy of the grid and cannot function properly without a wired electric connection. An important feature to consider in your smart security device purchase is the option of backup battery power.

Mobile app functionality

As with just about all smart home devices, smart security products use mobile apps to let you access their features and control them remotely. If you use a smart hub, you may be able to use the hub's mobile app, but for many users, a smart security device will be a standalone home product. A comprehensive, powerful, and easy-to-use application that pairs with your smart security product makes for a more enjoyable and streamlined security experience.

Technology features

Especially among smart cameras, there are several features that differentiate among products. A few features to consider:

• High-quality video – usually indicated by either 1080p or 720p. 1080p is the highest resolution available.  

• Night vision – not all cameras will be in well-lit areas. If you don't have good outdoor lighting, this could be an important feature.

• Motion detection – turns the camera on only when motion is detected.

• Two-way audio – allows you to communicate with someone on the other end of the camera.

The combination of features varies between devices, and depending on what you want out of your security system, it is important to pick a product with the right balance.

EnergySage Smart Home Security Products Reviews

The Nest Cam Outdoor is a great solution for outdoor security monitoring. It has a weatherproof camera module and a rugged power cord to prevent damage from heat, cold, rain, or any other type of extreme weather. The Nest Cam is constantly recording in 1080p high definition video and can also record in high-quality night vision. It also has two-way audio, meaning you can both send and receive audio using the camera.

A great feature of the Nest Cam is the Sightline option within the mobile application. Sightline makes browsing through recorded video easy by using dots and still images to pinpoint an event in the recording. It also lets you fast forward and rewind with ease. Nest's Sightline feature, with its intuitive mobile app and myriad other features, makes this camera perfect for someone looking to expand their smart home into outdoor security.

Buying Options: Amazon

With its simple aesthetic, free pivoting capabilities, cloud storage plan, and many other features, the Netgear Arlo Q is a powerful and useful home monitoring tool. The Arlo Q has built-in motion and sound detection tools, which can be toggled easily in the mobile app. And with its 4-megapixel camera, you get high-quality 1080p video and high-quality night mode viewing as well.

One of the biggest reasons to choose Netgear's Arlo Q as your next indoor smart security camera is its powerful scheduling feature. Using either the mobile app or webpage, you can set recording times during the week (you can have several active time slots each day) and pick the recording mode you want to use (video or snapshot), among other features. You can access your library of recordings in the intuitive mobile app, which allows for several viewing modes and browsing methods. The Arlo Q is a great camera for someone who wants a powerful recording device for inside their home.

Buying Options: Amazon

The Canary Flex adds a unique element to the smart security game: portability. The Flex has a rechargeable battery that lasts for two months, easily allowing you to monitor different rooms at your leisure. It is mounted on a magnetic cradle, allowing for versatile positioning both inside and out, with its weatherproof outer design. Its well-designed app utilizes a Timeline feature, allowing you to review the events captured on camera over the past 24 hours (30 days if you pay for a Canary membership).

A big draw of the Flex is Canary's membership program. At $10 per month (or $100 per year), membership gives you access to 30 days of automatic cloud backup, warranty coverage, incident support, and more. If you don't mind paying slightly more for the membership upgrade, the Canary Flex is an impressive and flexible smart camera option for any home.

Buying Options: Amazon

Smart locks connect your front door (or any door you choose) to your mobile device, allowing you to unlock and lock your house from your phone or tablet. If you have the August Smart Lock installed, you can simply press an on-screen button on your phone to unlock your door (as long as you are within Bluetooth range). Additionally, you can provide virtual "mobile keys" through your smartphone to let anyone you want unlock your door.

The Smart Lock also stands out because of the ease of installation. Most connected locks involve a complete reinstallation of your deadbolt system, but not with the Smart Lock. It is designed to work with just about any existing deadbolt, so installation only involves a few screws, 15 minutes of time, and no internal changes to your locking mechanism. For homeowners who want to ditch traditional keys and control their door locks from their phones, the August Smart Lock is a practical and innovative solution.

Buying Options: Amazon

Chamberlain's MyQ Garage Door Opener performs a relatively simple task – opening and closing your garage door –but it gives you connectivity to your home. You'll wonder how you lived without it. Besides simply opening and closing your door from anywhere with an internet connection, the MyQ allows you to monitor the status of your garage door and set custom alerts based on the status of your garage. 

Installation of the MyQ is straightforward, but like all smart devices requiring extra installation steps, it may be smarter to call your electrician to ensure you get the installation right and don't damage your new tech or existing electrical wiring. The Chamberlain MyQ Garage is a useful and easily integrated smart security product for customers who want to keep expanding their wireless home control.

Buying Options: Amazon