We’ve discussed the benefits of security cameras in several of our posts. For example, our post providing Yard and Driveway Security Tips examines how cameras add security by recording activity around your home. Additionally, the mere presence of cameras often acts as a deterrent to crime. Criminals who see cameras around your home may well choose another target. In this post, we focus on Alarm.com smart camera features. These cameras have gained popularity quickly over the past several years. Furthermore, they offer unique security benefits that we will explore in this post.

We will begin by sharing the “basics” of what these cameras do. From there, we will focus on specific Alarm.com smart camera benefits. For starters, we’ll look at how these cameras provide an easy connection to your home’s network, making for simple installation and use. After that, we will focus on creating useful video alerts that get sent to your smartphone. We will also look at how your Alarm.com account stores video clips for later viewing. Finally, we will look at the unique, advanced analytics provided by these cameras. Let’s dive in with a quick overview of what these cameras have to offer.

A Primer on the Alarm.com Smart Camera

We often install Alarm.com smart cameras as part of a security system installation. When we install home security, we generally do so using our cellular dialer powered by Alarm.com. This dialer can create a direct connection between your alarm system and our central station. This means that if your phone lines go down for any reason, it will not affect your monitoring. This level of security makes our cellular dialer our most popular means of alarm monitoring. Additionally, the Alarm.com dialer will allow you to control your security system and any other connected smart home devices remotely using a smart phone and the free Alarm.com app. In addition to your alarm system, you can control smart locks, thermostats, and other smart devices using this app.

As you may have guessed by now, Alarm.com cameras can also be one of these devices. These cameras provide a powerful and convenient solution for home surveillance. However, some camera customers may not be interested in installing a full alarm system. In this case, we can still install Alarm.com smart cameras as a standalone security measure. Whether connected to an alarm system or installed separately, these cameras provide both live and recorded video in and around your home. These cameras also provide this video without the need to wire them back to a central location within your house. Since most surveillance cameras do require this wiring, Alarm.com cameras provide a more versatile solution for homes in which running this wire would be difficult or even impossible. Now, let’s look at how Alarm.com cameras connect to your home’s network to provide additional security.

A screen showing video footage from nine Alarm.com cameras.

Alarm.com cameras do not need to be wired to a common location, allowing homeowners tremendous flexibility when choosing camera locations.

Wireless Connection to Your Network

As we mentioned above, traditional camera systems require wiring the cameras to a central location. At this location, we generally install a power supply and recorder. Additionally, a network connection often requires a hardwired connection between the recorder and the network as well. Since customers generally wish to view their cameras remotely, we provide this connection whenever possible. However, the work involved in wiring cameras to one location for power and then running a wire from the recorder to the property’s main internet device is often difficult. This is where wifi-enabled cameras come in especially handy.

Wifi cameras connect to a home’s network wirelessly, just like any wireless home network appliance. This allows us to install cameras that homeowners can view remotely without creating a hardwired network connection. We simply plug these cameras into a power source and install them around the home. Alarm.com cameras have this ability right of the box. Unfortunately, many wifi cameras have limited options for storing video footage. Some utilize on-board storage cards that only save a few days’ worth of video. Alarm.com wifi cameras provide a couple unique solutions for video storage that can solve this issue. Let’s take a look at these options now.

Cloud Storage or Physical Storage of Video

All of our Alarm.com customers have the ability to view their cameras at any time using the Alarm.com mobile app that we mentioned earlier. In addition to providing a live video feed, this app also allows for the playback of stored video clips. In fact, Alarm.com stores a full month’s worth of video clips! This allows homeowners to view and save events that happen in and around their home at their own convenience. This comes in especially handy when families wish to save clips to show the authorities in the case of a burglary, vandalism, or other crime.

An Alarm.com camera capturing kids walking up a staircase

Instant video alerts are one of the most popular features offered by Alarm.com smart cameras.

Additionally, Alarm.com offers recorders that can save even more video if desired! These recorders can store a large library of motion-based clips. Or, if desired, they can record continuous video. Perhaps an event occurred at the edge of a camera’s peripheral vision that did not register as a “motion” event. This option for continuous recording can ensure that users can still view these types of events. Additionally, this option leads to peace of mind, as you will know that anything that occurs within sight of your cameras will be captured and recorded. In addition to options for storing video, Alarm.com smart cameras also provide options for alerts based on live video. Let’s take a look at this feature now.

Real-Time Video Notifications

While traditional surveillance systems allow for live remote viewing of a home’s cameras, they do not offer customizable live alerts. The Alarm.com smart camera, on the other hand, provides a variety of options for these alerts. These cameras allow you to receive live video notifications whenever a given camera senses motion. This is a popular option for cameras installed in high-security areas that are rarely entered. The peace of mind and security offered by this feature obviously makes it a useful option. However, these alerts can also get old quickly when placed on cameras that do experience a lot of motion. For this reason, Alarm.com allows users to customize the alerts they receive.

For example, maybe you have a camera in a main hallway by your front door. You will not need an instant alert every time someone enters this area. However, perhaps you expect your kids home from school by 3:00 pm on weekday afternoons. In this case, you can receive an alert when someone enters this hallway between 2:30 and 3:00 pm Monday through Friday. Additionally, you can even create a text alert sent to your phone if this camera does not sense motion by 3:00 pm. The ability to customize alerts for each cameras adds a tremendous amount of security. Furthermore, these cameras also offer powerful video analytics that make them more useful than most. Let’s take some time to review how these analytics add security and effectiveness to the cameras.

Video Analytics for More Effective Alerts

As we mentioned, cameras that send too many alerts due to constant motion can quickly annoy customers. However, homeowners like the ability to receive alerts when they are necessary. Unfortunately, animals, trees blowing in the wind, and even steady rain can create an abundance of motion events. The Alarm.com smart camera has offered a way to help with this issue. Alarm.com video analytics allow a camera to tell the difference between a person, animal, or vehicle. Additionally, it can tell the difference between a weather event and a live object walking through its sights.

An Alarm.com smart camera video alert showing a person approaching a door.

Alarm.com video analytics allow you to receive alerts when your camera detects a person, but skip alerts based on clips for motion caused by other things.

This allows users to customize the types of alerts they receive. For example, pet owners may wish to receive motion-based alerts when a camera detects a person or an animal. Or perhaps the camera trained on a fenced-in yard that houses a dog would create too many alerts for a customer’s liking. Therefore, this feature ensures that you will receive only the alerts you wish to receive, when you wish to receive them!

Using the Alarm.com Smart Camera to Add Security to Your Home

We hope that this post has shown you how the Alarm.com smart camera can add security to your own home. If you have any questions about the material presented here, we encourage you to contact us. We will happily answer any questions about Alarm.com smart cameras, home surveillance, or general home security that you may have. Additionally, we offer free site surveys for home owners. While on site, we can help you with your camera system design. If desired, we can also address any security concerns you have and make suggestions of our own. Together, we can create a home security plan that keeps you, your valuables, and your loved ones as secure as possible.