Speaking of cash, prices can vary
significantly, depending on the number of
features and the quality of video you’re after.
The more expensive security cameras often
come with more intelligent motion detection- the ability to tell the difference between a
moving dog and a moving human being, or
even to be able to recognise people in your
family (so an alert can be sent out if a
stranger should appear). More advanced
devices also let you set specific activity
zones in a field of view, so only motion in a
certain area – like near a door or a window - triggers an alert.
KEEP ALERT
All of these features and customisation
options are designed to keep the pings that
reach your phone down to a minimum. In
other words, when you do get a notification
on your phone, it should be because
something needs investigating rather than
because a leaf has blown by the window. Get
too many alerts while you’re away from
home and you might start ignoring them
altogether, which sort of defeats the point of
getting a security camera set up in the first
place. Thankfully, most cameras on the
market let you adjust how sensitive they are
to motion and noise.
Other features you’ll see when weighing
up security cameras include the field of view
(which essentially tells you how much of a
scene a camera can cram into one shot),
night vision for seeing in the dark, and
motion tracking so that a moving subject can
be kept in the frame even as it moves around.
There are also indoor and outdoor cameras to
think about, but as we’re focusing on
watching over your pets in this guide, the
indoor models are the ones to go for (if you
do need to peer into the back garden too,
make sure you get a weatherproof camera).Two-way audio is definitely something
to look out for when you’re doing your
browsing, and this is a feature that most
smart cameras now have. Initially included
to challenge would-be intruders, it works
equally well for chatting to your pets – if you
know that your dogs or cats are going to
appreciate hearing the sound of your voice at
various points through the day, look out for a
camera that includes it.
Bear in mind that many general purpose
home security cameras will try and sell you
a monthly subscription too. Typically this
gets you extra features – face detection
maybe, or the ability to set custom activity
zones inside a frame. Very often a monthly
subscription will let you store video footage
in the cloud as well as watching live video
through your phone: this can be useful for
reviewing what’s happened over the course
of a day or a week, but you might decide you
can live without it.
You might also come across cameras that
let you tune into a live video feed through
your web browser as well as on your phone.
Look out for this if you think you’d prefer
looking at your pets’ antics on a computer
rather than having to dig your phone out
each time (it may depend on how easy-going
your boss is in the office).
Using a dedicated pet cam rather than a
general purpose security camera typicallyTwo-way audio is
something to look
out for when doing
your browsing
The top three...
ALTERNATIVE
PET GADGETS
Pet cams aren’t the only
smart devices you can
buy to use with your four-
legged friendsWHISTLE GO EXPLORE
You may have given up on the Fitbit you
once strapped to your wrist, but that
doesn’t mean your pet has to – the Whistle
Go Explore tells you where your pet is and
keeps track of its habits and activity as well.
£121, whistle.comZENES BUTTERFLY TOY
You can keep your cat entertained for
hours with this – so we’re reliably informed- giving you another option for occupying
your pets. You get two toys included, and
the device runs from batteries.
£24, amazon.co.uk
PETSAFE DRINKWELL PET
FOUNTAIN
Make sure your pets are well watered
throughout the day with this fountain: it’s
easy to use and top up, it’s easy to clean (you
can take it apart fairly easily), and you can
customise how the water is dispensed.
£67, petsafe.net01
02
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44 T3 AUGUST 2020The complete guide to...