We round up and review the best smart home security cameras that are compatible with iOS devices, to stream a live feed of your home and property straight to your iPhone or iPad.
Smart homes of the future are here and they’re already packing some impressive, cutting-edge robo-security to keep your family and possessions safe. Unfortunately we don’t mean Robocop or the scarier ED-209 sat out on your lawn (at least not just yet), but rather smart security cameras which can stream a feed direct to your phone and notify you of any intruders.
Read next: What is a smart home? How to set up and run your connected home
Smart security systems that connect to your iPhone can take the cost out of subscription security, while still keeping you aware of any issues in real time. Then you can decide what action to take, if any – no more false alarm costs. What’s not to love so far?
We’ve narrowed down the best offerings out there right now, so you can snap up a smart security system to keep your home safe, happy in the knowledge you’re getting the best one for you.
Best home security smart cameras: Nest Cam IQ
Nest was one of the first manufacturers to release a smart home security camera here in the UK and now we have a sequel: the Nest Cam IQ.
The Nest app for iPhone and Android devices allows you to connect several Nest Cam IQ cameras around your home and check their live streams from one handy place. You can skip back through time and see what was happening in your home at any given moment. That includes night time, thanks to the IR sensor. Your footage is shot in glorious 1080p Full HD, so any nasty intruders will be clearly captured.
The best part of the Nest Cam IQ however is its automation. You’ll be immediately informed via phone notifications or emails when any kind of motion is detected, or if the camera picks up sound on its mic. All of these events are stored away, so you can check back on them when convenient. Built-in speakers also allow you to talk to anyone in the room.
The Nest Cam can even turn itself on when you leave the house, using your phone’s GPS. Clever stuff.
Check out our full Nest Cam IQ review for our in-depth thoughts.
Best home security smart cameras: Hive Camera
Hive is going head-to-head with rivals Nest in the security camera department, with its imaginatively titled Hive Camera.
The impressive functionality and strong build quality make the £129 Hive Camera a tempting prospect, especially as the accompanying app gave us no trouble during testing. And while cheaper security cameras can be found from other manufacturers, this is easily one of the best for its asking price. Not to mention one of the most afffordable devices in this round-up.
The fact it can be used as a pet or baby monitor is a big plus, which adds extra value to anyone with little scamps sharing their home.
Best home security smart cameras: Cocoon
The Cocoon is a rather unique smart home camera which can detect ‘subsound’ motion in your home. In other words, it can’t just see any possible intruders; it can also hear them.
You can buy the Cocoon security camera right now from the likes of Amazon and B&Q for just £159, with no monthly fees to worry about. That makes it one of the cheaper options right now, despite that solid audio feature.
While you miss out on Full HD visuals (the Cocoon records at 720p), we like how the camera stores up to a week’s worth of video online. Meanwhile the alerts system is also solid, notifying you of any possible disturbances instantly and allowing you to watch live and blast out a siren.
Best home security smart cameras: Netatmo Welcome and Presence
The Netatmo Welcome is an indoor security camera that is smart enough to alert you to who’s in your home. Yup, this snapper will not only connect to your Wi-Fi network and alert your phone’s app when it detects movement and/or sound – it’ll recognise faces too.
The facial recognition system means the Welcome can be programmed to know faces. That way it can alert you when a family member gets home or heads out. It also means you’ll know when a new person it doesn’t recognise has entered your home. It’s even smart enough to hear alarms in your home, like fire or CO2, so it can alert you to them remotely too.
Netatmo also has an outdoor security camera called Presence which can recognise people, cars and animals so your alerts are tailored perfectly.
Best home security smart cameras: Canary
This avian-titled security camera does the 1080p video, movement and sound detection you’d expect but it goes further. The Canary can intelligently detect the kind of movements.
Unlike on some cameras where your app is constantly popping up with notifications of movement and sound, the Canary is more selective. It actually learns the type of movements and noises of its surroundings. So a swinging curtain that changes the light or a dog banging about in the same way regularly won’t set it off. Canary will only alert you when it’s pertinent.
You can connect up to four Canary cameras in the house for a more complete view and they even have super-loud alarms should you need to scare off a burglar – or prank a housemate.
Best home security smart cameras: Logi Circle
The Logi Circle is a neat little camera, noise detector combo. It’s super easy to mount thanks to magnets and runs on a battery so can be placed anywhere you need. It’ll work for a good eight hours before needing to head back to the dock – so should last a working day while you’re out.
Other than 1080p vide,o the Circle also offers smart action edits. Rather than scrolling through old footage to see what happened in the day, you can watch a brief edit. The camera intelligently auto edits a minute-long video that crams in all of the big movements of the day. In other words, a really handy overview that doesn’t take much of your time to watch back.
Best home security smart cameras: Piper NV
The Piper NV ticks a lot of boxes and goes beyond a lot of the other offerings out there. You get a smart app to monitor movement and noise notifications and can watch day or night with night vision. But it also monitors your home further than vision and sound.
The Piper NV also offers information from its surroundings to give a picture that isn’t just the video you see of where it’s pointing. The Piper NV tracks inside and outside temperatures, humidity and light levels, noise detection and of course recognises movement.
The app also works with Z-Wave devices. That means if you have any other Z-Wave smart home devices, like plug sockets or smart lights, you can control them all through your Piper app too.
Best home security smart cameras: MyFox Home Alarm and Security Camera
MyFox connects to your phone for monitoring of the home remotely but it also offers active actions you can take should you see a burglar.
The MyFox system features a 110db siren, so powerful it can actually damage hearing. Should it be disconnected from mains power a battery will keep it chiming away.
The system works with Intellitags that can be attached to doors and windows to set off the alarm even before it’s broken into – after intelligently recognising attempted forced entry.
Key fobs can also be used so you know who’s at home, and anybody with one can use it to quickly activate the alarm in case of emergencies.
The camera itself can be magnetically mounted and is able to close its shutter should you want total privacy when at home.
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