Adam Schanz
Some of the most popular consumer grade security cameras on the market are wide open to cyberattacks, and even the good ones don't necessarily offer perfect protection or interfaces. The D Link DCS 2132L security camera. Madgeburg, Germany based security firm AV TEST evaluated eight popular IP cameras broadly speaking, Wi Fi dependent security cameras that communicate with mobile apps whose manufacturers ranged from D Link to Logitech to Netgear. Only three cameras were vulnerability free, and even they had room for improvement. Two of the cameras were nearly trivial to compromise, while a crafty cybercriminal could still compromise the middle three, given the right tools and expertise. MORE:
Best Wireless Home Security CamerasTo evaluate each camera, AV TEST looked for potential flaws in the camera's local storage if available, external app controls,For example, you can create rules to have the lights turn on when motion is detected, have your doors unlock when a smoke alarm goes off, and have a camera begin recording when a sensor is triggered.Some systems store recorded video locally on an SD card or a solid state drive, while others offer cloud storage.Locally stored video is a good choice for do it yourselfers on a budget, but you have to be careful not to *overwrite video you may need later.Cloud *storage makes it easy to store and access recorded video, but *it can cost hundreds of dollars per year depending on your subscription.Some *systems offer both cloud storage and local storage, *and some provide a dedicated storage drive that gives you DVR capabilities with time lapse recording, which makes it easy to find a video event that took place at a specific point in time.
LunaAll of the systems we've *tested feature an app that lets you
pandouse your smartphone as your* command center to arm and disarm the system, create rules, add and delete components, and receive push notifications when alarms
Alarm Panelare triggered.Most apps also allow you to do things like
Motion Activated CameraCove Alarm Panelrecorded *video, lock and unlock doors, *change thermostat settings,
Glass break sensorand silence alarms.Some apps
Alder Youtube Videowill even use your phone's location services to *automatically arm and disarm the system according to your physical
Alarm app for Alderlocation.The
Alder Jobs Indeedmore expensive systems usually come with
Alders jobs and companya wall
Smart Smoke Detectormounted *panel that acts as a communications* hub, with
Luna smoke detectora touch screen display that allows you to do everything the app does.The display
Cellular Alarm Monitoringlets you* communicate with a professional monitoring* service
Rapid SOSwhen an alarm is triggered and view video from any of the installed security cameras.While many systems use wireless components that are installed using
Cove Security Reviewsdouble sided tape, some high end systems use components that require professional *installation.
external camera controls, additional camera and app connections, encrypted connections, and storage of image and videos.
mobile life alert
The Nest Hello adds a level of security to your home, because it can clearly see and detect motion well beyond your front porch.