Making sure the postman rings twice

SOMEHOW, security cameras have become a trendy design must-have, like a fancy kettle or a pair of designer curtains.

Even George Orwell didn’t predict this aspect of the surveillance society.

I have to admit I’ve been coveting one of the new generation of app-controlled cameras for a while, mainly because of my long-running fantasy of catching the postman delivering me a red ‘Sorry we missed you’ slip without actually knocking on the door. I have no idea what I’ll do if I do catch him of course, but a man can dream.

Hive’s Camera View was created by Swiss design guru Yves Behar, and comes in a variety of delightful metallic finishes, presumably so that burglars can spot it and think, ‘Curses, caught again… but isn’t that stylish?’

It’s a breeze to set up: it walks you through the process and is connected to wi-fi within five minutes, ready to place on a desk or screw into a wall. From that point, you get email alerts every time someone walks in front of it, meaning I have about 4,000 videos of my son sticking his tongue out at the camera.

You can also tap ‘Live’ in the app to look through it at any time in HD. It works smoothly, but it’s lacking in functions so far (no twoway chat, and you can’t connect the camera to other ‘smart’ gear so, for instance, it automatically turns lights on when you walk in). More functions are arriving soon, though, Hive promises.

Hive Camera View £189