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MURRAY — When thieves broke into a Murray family's home, their Canary went to work.
No, not a bird. This Canary is a web-based security camera that immediately alerted the homeowner's phone.
“He was actually on the phone,” homeowner Micaela Choo told KSL, “when the notification went off.”
The $200 Canary is just one option in a rapidly growing smart security industry that analysists predict will reach $1.5 billion by 2020. With so many choices, we asked some Utah-based security providers about what gadgets they use in their own homes.
“Love the doorbell camera,” said Shawn Koncurat of Fluent Home.
His doorbell camera records video anytime someone approaches his front doors. And with his phone, he can answer the bell from anywhere.
“I can unlock the door if it’s someone that’s friendly – I can let them in,” Koncurat said. “I can talk through the microphone.”
Koncurat also uses four outdoor security cameras that he can watch through his smartphone, or through a digital video recorder connected to his television.
“I can see if someone is coming in through this door, or a side door or through the garage,” Koncurat said. “There’s a park across the street, so I can see who my kids are hanging out with there. I can go back (through the video) historically.”
And as much as David Bywater of Vivint loves his smart doorbell camera, he says his favorite gadget is the Ping indoor camera. The internet connected camera has a motion sensor, so if it sees something amiss it alerts his phone.
“It’ll tell me if there’s motion, and I can go back and do playback and have things documented for our family,” Bywater said. “It complements all the door and window sensors we have at home.”
The camera also has two-way talk, so Bywater can speak to whoever is in his home through his smartphone, though he may be thousands of miles of way. That function also allows him to easily check in with his family.
“They can talk to me,” Bywater said. “They can depress this button and speak to me on my phone. It’s been a great two-way communication tool.”
Professional systems range from $10 to $70 a month and often mean a two- or three-year contract. Longer contracts usually mean lower monthly payment as it spreads costs over a longer period of time.
Average upfront system costs can start as low as $250 for a few door, window and motion sensors to as high as $1,500 and more, for a four-camera surveillance system.
But many do-it-yourselfers can skip contracts and monthly contracts by buying their own smart doorbell camera for around $200. Some models use batteries while others can be wired into the existing system.
That’s just one of many smart security options including Samsung’s $139 SmartCam indoor camera. Like Vivint’s Ping – it detects motion and sound, allows two-way talk and sends alerts wirelessly to your phone.
One of the hottest items is the $199 Nest indoor security camera. Kyle Lemmon, who reviews security systems and gadgets for the website A Secure Life says unlike many of its competitors, the Nest is not stuck on a mount.
“It pops out of the mount,” Lemmon said. “You can place it anywhere you like.”
For $299, homeowners can buy an iCam Pro Deluxe: a one-of-a-kind camera that screws into any light socket for power.
“It will actually follow motion,” Lemmon told KSL. “So, if there’s someone in your home, it will track them as they’re walking through the home, and it connects through your Wi-Fi and sends a signal to your smartphone.”
Lemmon’s advice for people seeking surveillance camera is to get the best picture quality possible. Look for cameras with 1080P resolution he says, or at least 720P.
“You’re going to get more and more detail,” explained Lemmon. “You can zoom in, and get a really clear picture of a burglar’s face.”
You don’t even have to buy a camera to set up a security system. Several free apps – ManyThing, for one – will allow you turn an old smartphone or tablet lying unused in a drawer into a new security camera you can watch from anywhere. In ManyThing’s case, motion in your old phone’s view will trigger an alert to your new phone that you can check live.
Lemmon says while do-it-yourself can be easier on the wallet, professional systems have an important advantage with 24-7 monitoring.
“The install for ‘do-it-yourself’ is great. Being able to monitor it yourself is great,” Lemmon said. “Except, there are times when you can’t monitor it. I have a system set up in my house right now and if it sends me an alert, I don’t have the ability to answer it because I’m at work, or because maybe I’m asleep, or because I’m at a soccer game or wherever it is that I’m at – I can’t get to that alert.”
“Professional monitoring centers will respond immediately to any sensors, or video or whatever has tripped,” explained Lemmon. “They’re going to send you notifications. They’ll call you. If you don’t respond, they’ll call dispatch to check out what’s going on.”
Still, technology like motion sensors, cameras and even smart padlocks are making it easier to protect our homes.
