For some time now it’s been possible to fit cheap, wireless security cameras that you can access quickly and easily from your mobile or tablet to allow you to check out what is going on at home while you’re away from it. This month we see how easy it is to set a system up.
Whilst there are many systems available out there, the one that I am going to concentrate on is TP Link’s Cloud camera system – why? Because it’s the one that I have been using successfully for many years and the basic cameras really are very cost effective and easy to setup.
TP Link offer a range of cameras and you can see the full range here – www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/cloud-camera The great thing about their different cameras is that they all use the same interface, the tpCamera app on your phone / tablet. Whether you need an outside camera that works well in the dark or just a few cameras inside that need no infra-red (work in the dark) capability, they are all viewed through the same app.
Setting up a camera is very easy, once unboxed and turned on you connect the camera to your internet router using the cable provided. Then from there everything else is configured using the app on your phone or tablet. Once configured you can then place the camera whenever you need it and it will connect to the app using your homes wifi router.
Once of the most difficult things to setup when using cameras in the home is accessing them from outside the house when you’re in a restaurant or on holiday for example. The great thing about the TP Link cameras is that this hassle is all handled for you in the way that the cameras connect to the TP Cloud. You can even (on selected cameras) set up automatic recording and activate notifications so that you receive a message if the camera “sees” movement – again, all done, easily and quickly using the tpCamera app.
The range of cameras covers everything from cheap (less than 30 euros) cameras that simply allow you to see what’s going on at home when you are away, through to the more expensive (100 euros plus) cameras that allow you to pan and tilt the camera, use the speaker to talk inside your home while you’re away and receive notifications and also automatically record what triggers the camera when you’re not home – all in all I think its a great system that works really well.