ALWAYS WATCHING

The new remote-access security cameras are effective – and a lot of fun.

WHEN I BUILT MY HOUSE ten years ago, I had four security cameras installed – three outside and one in my mudroom, where packages get delivered. Since I have a little bit of fame and it’s a larger house, my wife and I decided it was an important part of our security. But we use them for stupid stuff, too. One Christmas, we caught our neighbours putting underwear on our decorative lawn reindeer. On Halloween my sons would dress up like scarecrows and sit in rocking chairs on the front porch to scare the hell out of trickor-treaters, then we’d all come inside and watch the video. But they’ve been useful, too, so much that I can’t imagine getting rid of them. When I’m away and see that an expensive package was delivered, maybe food or electronics, I’ll text our neighbour to bring it in for us. But there’s also this comfort in being able to just check on the house whenever I want. I remember being in Turks and Caicos on vacation during a major snowstorm. I could easily see how much snow we got, whether the guys came to plow the driveway and, since they charge per visit, how many times they came.

Compared to my wired system from a decade ago, the new Wi-fi cameras are a huge improvement. The biggest difference: Most of them run on rechargeable batteries, so you can set them anywhere for weeks without having to do anything except get notifications and review footage. After testing the latest weatherproof indoor/outdoor models, it actually made me a little angry. Because I paid a fortune for ours. NEST CAM OUTDOOR R4 220 per camera, importitall.co.za ● Nest’s outdoor camera is almost as easy to set up as the Canary. The downside is, it requires a wire, so you can’t move it around as easily. And after ten days, you have to pay to save any video footage. Unless you only want to watch the camera in real time, that’s $100 a year, which is a lot. But I like the features, even in the older indoor version. It has a flexible stand that lets me put them all over. I set one next to our puppy’s crate. When we leave the house and we set her in there, she sounds like a crying baby, just bark, bark, bark. But then I check in 15 minutes later, and she’s sleeping. Thanks to the camera, I don’t have to feel guilty. ARLO PRO R10 000 for two cameras, takealot.com ● The Arlos have batteries, so they don’t need to be near an outlet, and they’re small enough that you can put them anywhere. Sometimes my wife gets annoyed at this. If she finds one in the house, she’ll turn it towards the wall. I would mount the magnetic stand outside my house, and when we go on vacation, I’d put it somewhere inside, in whatever room I’m worried about. I had the old model, but I’d upgrade to this for the rechargeable batteries and the microphone. Having sound helps if you have pets. My dog might be in another room, but I can hear if she’s upset. Arlo includes seven days of stored recording for free, no membership required. CANARY FLEX R2 700 per camera, amazon.com ● This one is also wireless, and was the easiest camera to set up. I was looking in the box for directions, but it doesn’t work that way anymore. You get the app, give it your Wi-fi password, and you’re done. The 116-degree wide-angle lens captures a lot from wherever you set it, and you can remotely pick between two settings – home and away – which adjust how frequently you get notifications for activity. My cats trigger it, but I can live with that. I still want to know what’s happening. The first 24 hours of saved video in Canary’s Cloud are free. For more, you’ll spend $10 per month, $15 if you have more than one camera. PM