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In 2016 there's little reason not to have a home security camera somewhere in your place.
The process, which used to involve stringing wires through your walls and VHS tapes, has gotten significantly easier. I found that out myself when I tested a camera recently.
Home security company Canary has released a camera, also called the Canary, which combines a number of security features into one neat package. All that's required to set it up is an internet connection; whether you choose to hardwire it or connect it to your WiFi network is up to you.
Once setup is complete you can monitor the Canary through an iOS or Android app. The Canary's camera captures 147 degrees worth of information at 1080p, so not only should you be able to see an entire room, you should be able to see it clearly. A nice feature to note is that unlike other cameras that only let you stream video unless you pay a monthly fee, the Canary includes some free cloud storage for recent events. This is very useful if you'd like to review something that happened at night the next morning.
In addition to a camera, the Canary is also a motion detector, with an alarm that's capable of reaching 90 decibels. My favorite feature of the Canary is that if it senses motion, it will send you an alert. If something looks fishy, you'll have the option of calling the police right in the app. In the heat of the moment, having the police a single button press away can be very useful.
Because it's a network-connected device, you can place multiple Canarys around a single residence, or multiple residences, and monitor them all through the app. You can also let other people into your account to monitor your cameras, if you're going to be somewhere with a spotty internet connection.
I have two family members that use the Canary on a daily basis and really like it. Thankfully they haven't had to use the police call feature, but the peace of mind it affords them is priceless.
Canary All-in-One Home Security Device, $170.54, available at Amazon and Canary
This article was originally published on 7/27/2016.