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Pet Cams
It’s 2:30 on a regular Tuesday afternoon. You’re at work, sitting at your desk, wishing you hadn’t eaten so much at lunch and finishing up some reports when your phone buzzes. It’s a text from your best friend- She was heading to pick up her kids at school when she saw a dog that looks a lot like yours running in traffic about a block from your house. Your heart skips a beat. Your best friend Ozzy could be loose and in danger! If only there was a way to know if it’s your dog without having to go all the way home…
Has this ever happened to you? If so, then you may need an indoor security camera. We all know about regular security cameras- we’ve all seen the grainy black and white footage on the news or the ID channel of some dimly lit alley way. What you may not know though is that security camera technology has come a long, long way in recent years, and many homes are now opting for indoor security cameras. Why, you ask? There are as many reasons as there are individuals, but some include:
1) Checking on pets- As in the scenario above, peace of mind for pet owners is easily obtained by checking your indoor security footage to make sure your furry friends are where they are supposed to be
2) Checking in on family- From what I understand, some people have regular babies IN ADDITION to fur babies. Sounds weird, but hey. So are your two-legged children home alone? Does the bus drop them off hours before you leave work? Do you just not believe them when they say they’re working on their homework? An indoor security feed allows you to check in on them any time you choose (whether they like it or not!)
3) General security- Your neighbor texts you that your front door is open- Could someone be in your house? Check your camera in real-time and find out!
Sounds like a great idea, right? And the good news is there are TONS of companies out there like Vivint, ADT, Simplisafe, etc that offer a dizzying array of options, including indoor security cameras of all shapes, sizes and qualities.
So what kind of features do you need to look for in an indoor security camera? As we said above, new technology has pushed the security game into the 22nd century in recent years, so there’s a number of features you may not be aware of. Such as:
1) Two Way Talk:
Many security systems are now two-way talk enabled, allowing you not only to see footage of your home in real-time, but also allowing you to talk with people or pets in your home through the camera, much like a phone. Be honest- how many times have you wanted to pick up the phone and call your pet during the day?
2) Night Vision:
Upper-end security systems now often come equipped with night vision capabilities. This is obviously a big deal when it comes to going out of town and checking in on your home after hours. Without night vision, you’re going to be flying blind half the time. What’s Mr. Whiskers up to tonight? Is he having a party? Is he clawing up the back of your favorite chair? Unfortunately, without night vision capability you’ll never know until tomorrow morning.
3) Playback Capability:
Some security systems have limited playback capability and can hold your footage for as little as one week! Ideally you want at least 2-3 weeks of playback capability, and all the better if your system allows video editing- Because let’s be honest, when you get a really cute clip of your dog playing with his favorite toy, you’re gonna want to share it.
4) Easy accessibility:
Some security systems still don’t have internet capability. Look for a system with easy access via an app or some other resource. The last thing you want when trying to figure out if your house is on fire is to try to remember how to access your camera. What was that website again? Was it .net or .biz? I don’t know, I just want to see if my cat accidentally (purposefully?) lit a burner on the stove (again).
5) HD/Wide Angle lens:
Never underestimate the importance of camera quality when it comes to home security. Who broke into your house? Is your child safe? Is that thing in the corner of your living room a raccoon or your cat? These are things you need to know, and wide angle lenses and high definition cameras are your best bet.
6) Built in Motion Detection:
You probably don’t want to have to sift through hours of dead footage of your couch just to catch 10 seconds of your cat walking across it. Built in motion detection technology allows your camera to only film when something is going on in front of it, and will ultimately save you tons of time if you need to look back on the video. Otherwise, if your cat is anything like mine, you’re gonna have to watch about 14 hours of sleep for every 5 minutes of activity, on average.
7) Custom Alerts:
Some security systems come with automatic alerts, some with customizable alerts, and some with no alerts at all! For your money, your best bet is customizable alerts- maybe you don’t want to be alerted every time your pet gets on the furniture (bad Fluffy!), but you do want to know every time the back door of the house opens.
8) Installation plans/In Home Demonstration:
Some companies are glad to sell you a handful of cameras and wish you all the best. They may provide a set of instructions in 5 different languages and assume you have all the proper tools to do the installation yourself, but honestly who has time for that? And even if by some miracle you get everything hooked up and powered on, how do I use this thing? Look for a company that has a reasonable installation plan, bonus points if they will do it for free! And the real MVPs will actually sit down with you and teach you how to use the thing when it’s all set up.
9) Easy Privacy Mode:
So, true story: Nicholas Sparks movies make me cry. All of them. And I mean like, ugly cry. So before I’m gonna buy any indoor security camera or system, I want to be sure I can turn this thing off when I sit down to watch The Notebook, and it should be easy to do so. Make sure your camera has this capability- you would be surprised how many don’t.
Meet our products.
Doorbell Camera Pro
Protect your porch and packages.
Vivint’s doorbell camera senses packages. The doorbell also alerts intruders in case they try to steal your packages. You can also open the door from anywhere. With Vivint app, you can also control the garage door.
Other things to consider:
What kind of power source does this camera use?
Obviously any camera you install will need a power source. Some have to be plugged in like any other electronic device, but others can operate on battery power. Battery life is a big consideration with the latter, since the last thing you want is to be recharging (or worse, replacing) all the batteries in all your cameras once a week. Just keep in mind that any camera you have to plug in needs access to an electrical outlet or it won’t do you much good.
Hidden costs
Some security companies will happily sell you a security system, complete with indoor cameras, and tell you it will only cost X amount each month. Then, when you want to actually USE your security system or see your indoor camera footage, well now you’ll need to pay an access fee or a cloud storage plan. Don’t sign a contract before you know how much extra it will cost to check on your pets 10 or 15 times a day (or more, if you’re like me)!
What kind of security does your security camera have?
So lets get this out in the open- You probably don’t want anybody else seeing your indoor security footage. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing- Wearing pink bunny slippers and pajama pants on the couch petting your cat and eating popcorn while binging “Bridgerton”, for example (not that I know anybody that does that… a lot). Of course you’ll want to be able to turn your camera off completely at times, but just at regular times, the idea that someone might be able to hack your camera and see what’s going on in your home is creepy at best. Do your research, make sure the company you’re buying from hasn’t had any major security issues, and see what they’re doing to protect your privacy. Nobody watches my cats without MY permission.
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So knowing all this, what system out there suits my needs best? After thorough research, my money is on the Vivint Ping camera system. Why Vivint Ping? Here’s why:
1) One touch Two-Way Talk:
Vivint Ping has the easiest two-way talk capability of any system I’ve seen. With a single button you can instantly communicate with anyone connected to your home system. This means that not only can I speak directly to my beloved pets anytime anywhere, but they can also contact me. As soon as I teach them how.
2) Intelligent Analytics:
Some motion-sensing cameras will trigger every time the light in a room changes, or every time the AC kicks on and the curtains move a little, which could result in you getting a lot of “false alarm” notifications. Vivint Ping is designed to intelligently decide what should and shouldn’t be recorded.
3) Camera Quality:
Where do I start? Vivint Ping’s 140 degree HD view gives you a full scope view of wherever you choose to place it in crystal clear 1080p high definition quality. In addition, the Vivint Ping sports full night vision capabilities, so you’ll never be in the dark about what’s going on in your home after hours.
4) Integration:
Already protected by Vivint Security? The Vivint Ping will easily integrate into your existing system allowing for more control and security. It can pair with other features such as Vivint smart lock technology so you can let your pet sitter in with the press of a button and without the worry of handing off a spare key. Now you can make sure your furry friend is getting the treatment the deserve when you’re away.
5) Installation:
Getting your indoor security cameras from Vivint couldn’t possibly be any easier. The installer came to my house, asked where I wanted my cameras, put them up, activated them, calibrated them, showed me how to use them, folded my laundry AND made me a cup of tea. Ok, I made that last part up, but the installer was friendly, professional and courteous, and the cost was minimal. So minimal in fact that it was ZERO. Installation came at ZERO additional cost. Hard to beat that!
Other companies may offer cheaper equipment or services, but nobody offers more for your investment than Vivint. And pet cams are only one piece of the Vivint Smart Home system- Vivint offers outdoor cameras, doorbell cameras and speakers, remote climate control and garage door systems, along with smart smoke and CO2 detectors, all integrated seamlessly to give you the peace of mind of knowing you have a secure, comfortable home. And Vivint even offers you the option to pick and choose which features are right for you, meaning you’ll never have to pay for anything you don’t need.
Still not sold? Consider this- Vivint home security offers 24 hour a day, 7 day a week remote monitoring, so you can rest easy knowing even when you’re out of touch or out of town, your home and family are never on their own. So you never have to worry about what will happen to your pets when they’re home alone- because with Vivint, they’re never alone.
Lastly, every Vivint home security system is uniquely tailored to your home and your needs, so it’s impossible to tell you “how much it costs” and Vivint home security systems can begin as low as $1 per day, or about half as much as your daily coffee. So what’s stopping you? Call Vivint today at 855.848.4681 for a 100% free quote on a home security system with no obligation to buy, or for more information, visit https://vivint.security/ . Your pet will thank you for it!
