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17 June 2020

7 Tips for using an outdoor smart home security camera

Make the most of your outdoor cameras with these tips for installation, maintenance and privacy.

Outdoor cameras are a popular way to protect your home. Our intelligent cameras know the difference between a person, animal and vehicle. If there is activity outside your home, the cameras will send you instant alerts no matter the time or place. Even the presence of smart outdoor cameras is enough to deter potential burglars.

Good smart home security cameras are worth the money, so don’t you want to get the most out of them?

Location, location, location.

If you want to capture someone’s face approaching your home, placing your camera high up near the eaves is not the best option. But if you’re worried about damage to your cameras because they are within reach, you can always get a protective cage for your cameras.

Another option to capture uninvited visitors is our video doorbell camera. It detects someone that approaches your front door at any time and sends you instant notifications. Like some of our other cameras, you can live-view, talk to visitors, record clips, and share them to whoever you want.

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Keep them out of reach

Although you don’t want them up near the eaves, you also don’t want them too low, so that they can be pulled off the wall. 2 - 2.5 meters from the ground is plenty of height for your smart home cameras to get a good vantage point and stay out of prying hands.

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But Keep them visible

There’s a misconception that smart home cameras are best when unseen. Yet the whole point of having a smart home security system is to prevent break-in. Many studies show that visible smart home security systems are more likely to deter burglars than disguised systems. Show the burglars that you have best-in-class cameras and they’re more likely to lose interest.

Get the Smart Home Pros

When shopping online for outdoor security cameras, you’ll have many options. Do I choose the wireless (battery-powered) cameras that I’ll have to charge every week? Or will I go with the wired ones, that don’t need to be charged. But I’ll have to install them myself.

The best option for you is to call the professionals. Cheap cameras are fine for a small office at the back of our home, or as pet cameras. But we’re protecting your home here, so why not do it right the first time.

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Spring Clean

If you notice your camera quality changing over time, it’s probably not the camera itself but dirt and grime on the lens. Before you only put your cameras 2-2.5 meters from the ground, a step ladder is an easy way to reach and clean them. You can also apply some bug spray to your smart home cameras to increase the time until the next clean.

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Outdoor WiFi

If you’re getting WiFi cameras, it’s extremely important to see what your single is like outside your home. That means testing your broadband speed and your signal. A good way to test your signal is to keep an eye on your WiFi in the top corner of your phone. If it drops to half or below, you may have streaming and connectivity issues with your smart home cameras.

Ways to combat this, is to try and move your router closer to your cameras or us a WiFi extender to boost the signal.#

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Use your smart camera features

The features that come with your smart home cameras such as motion detection, recording schedules, are not just there for show. They’re there so that you have control over what you see and that you’re not bogged down by dozens of clips capturing that same spider running across the lens.

For instance, imagine you’re always at home during the day. Why not have your cameras record motion when you leave for the evening. Simply set up a rule and arm your smart home. Or perhaps you want them to start when you go to bed. You can even have your cameras record when an alarm is triggered, no matter the time.

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