Contrary to popular belief, most property crimes--including burglaries and package theft--happen during the day, not under cover of darkness. But night still brings unique challenges: fewer people around, limited visibility, and more opportunity for intruders to move unseen. If your security camera can't see clearly after dark, you're missing protection when you might need it most. Night vision lets security cameras capture what the human eye can't see in the dark. Some cameras shine invisible infrared light to illuminate a scene, while others rely on light-sensitive sensors to amplify what little light is already there.

Home security cameras are easy to install, easy to use, and incredibly affordable these days. They let you keep tabs on your home–inside and out–from wherever you have internet access. They can respond to motion, creating a visual record of everything that's happened within their field of view, and high-end models can distinguish between people, pets, and even cars. The latest security cams require minimal installation and offer flexible setups and a range of security features--so many features, in fact, that it can be difficult to decide what you need and which model you should buy. Should you get an outdoor camera with a space-illuminating floodlight and a weatherized shell, an indoor cam with AI-powered pet detection and a motorized lens that patrols the room, or something in between? We've tested dozes of the top home security cameras available in real-world conditions, and we've distilled a list of the very best models. Whether you're looking to check on your kids and pets, or need a full-service sentinel with humans watching for intruders in real time, we'll help find the right security camera for your needs. Easy to set up yet packed with cutting-edge features, the Arlo Pro 5S 2K is the best choice for a battery-powered 2K security camera that can track moving subjects, see in the dark, and connect to speedy 5GHz Wi-Fi networks–everything you need to keep an eye on your homestead.

Ring is bringing generative AI to its family of home security cameras and video doorbells with a new feature called Video Descriptions. Once this feature is enabled, the motion alerts triggered by Ring cameras will be accompanied by an AI-generated analysis of the motion that triggered the camera to record. In a blog post earlier today, Ring founder Jamie Siminoff described how the push notifications Ring users receive on their smartphones when motion is detected will be enhanced with text descriptions of what that motion was. "This new generative AI feature," Siminoff said, "helps you quickly distinguish between urgent and everyday activity with a quick glance at your phone." Ring will use genereative AI to deliver descriptions of the events its security cameras and video doorbells capture on video.

Reolink has become the first security camera manufacturer to obtain Works With Home Assistant certification for its Wi-Fi home security cameras. This means Reolink's cameras--not including its 4G models--can now process video feeds, AI alerts, and device controls entirely within users' home networks to enhance user privacy. Home Assistant is a free and open-source smart home software platform managed by the Open Home Foundation. It has been embraced by many DIY smart home enthusiasts, and it can run on lots of different hardware, ranging from Raspberry Pi and Arm processors to the 64-bit x86 architecture commonly found in Mini PCs. It can even operate as a virtual machine on a laptop or desktop running MacOS or Windows.

The CyberGuy highlights features to consider. This holiday season, consider giving the gift of home security to your loved ones. There are many different technological devices that can be purchased for home protection, but one of the most popular and widely used is security cameras. Security cameras can be placed in different areas on the interior and exterior of a home, providing 24-hour indoor and outdoor surveillance. Security cameras keep an eye on properties whether you are home or away.

The Blink Mini 2 home security camera was only announced a month ago, and it's already on sale. The camera is 25 percent off in both colors -- black and white -- in a deal on Amazon, bringing the already budget-friendly system down to just 30. The Blink Mini 2 can be used indoors or outdoors, offers HD footage in the daytime or at night and has an LED spotlight. It can be paired with one of Amazon's smart displays for Alexa voice controls. The camera is a plug-in device, though, so you'll need to place it somewhere with an outlet.

Setting up the Nest Cam is quick and easy in the Google Home app. Setting up the camera took me about five minutes. Plug it into a power outlet, open the Google Home app, and follow the in-app instructions. Drywall anchors, screws, and a base with a built-in mounting bracket are also included in the box. The Google Home app is where you can view and manage notifications, as well as toggle video recordings settings.

The Nooie Cam 360 has a rotating, high-def camera that automatically tracks you as you move about the room. Here are the Nooie Cam 360's specs: The Nooie Cam 360 is a budget-friendly indoor home security camera that features motion tracking and, as the name implies, 360-degree rotation. The camera is equipped with a 1080p high-def lens and two 940nm infrared LEDs. It has other smart camera features like two-way audio functionality, night vision, and a status light indicator that can be toggled on or off. Nooie smart alerts are sent when the camera detects sound or motion.

Nationwide stay-at-home orders prompted many of us to upgrade our homes with comfort, convenience, and security devices this year. And the smart home industry was all too happy to help us indulge those instincts. But not every product on this list was introduced in 2020. We're not going to avoid recommending a great product just because it hit the market earlier than January 1, 2020. We have more than one product in some categories, differentiated by price or feature set.

In episode 88 of the IoT For All Podcast, Perceive Founder and CEO Steve Teig joins us to talk about how Perceive is bringing the next wave of intelligence to IoT through machine learning at the edge. Steve shares how Perceive developed Ergo, their chip announced back in March, and how these new machine learning capabilities will transform consumer IoT. Steve Teig is an award-winning technologist, entrepreneur, and inventor on 388 US patents. He's been the CTO of three EDA software companies, two biotech companies, and a semiconductor company – of these, two went public during his tenure, two were acquired, and one is a Fortune 500 company. As the CEO and Founder of Perceive, Steve is leading a team building solutions and transformative machine learning technology for consumer edge devices.