Home Security Archives - Mighty Gadget Blog: UK Technology News and Reviews

Hikvision DS-2CD2386G2-I 8MP Acusense turret IP camera Review – Colour Night Vision CCTV with AI detection

by James Smythe | Jul 12, 2020 | CCTV, News, Reviews, Smart Home | 0

Most of the CCTV / home surveillance reviews I have done have been for affordable consumer products. However, after being impressed with the night time performance of the H.View HV-500G2V5 5MP colour night vision camera and installing BlueIris, I have become a little obsessed with wanting to upgrade my cameras. The Hikvision DS-2CD2386G2-I is one of the latest cameras for the world biggest name in the industry. The G2 at the end of the product number gives away the generation. I will preface this review by saying if you are running BlueIris, then you probably don't need the generation...

Modern Access Control Systems for Your Smart Home

by James Smythe | Jun 17, 2020 | Smart Home | 0

Are you looking to build a smart home? Creating a modern living space starts with ensuring safe, secure entry. Contemporary access control systems (also known as keyless entry systems) secure your private space from unwanted visitors while providing a smooth and pleasing entry experience to your friends and family. They also deliver a great first impression of your futuristic paradise. Modern home security systems make use of credentials such as codes, FOB, key cards, or biometrics to provide convenient and quick access to people you authorize. They also monitor and record the movement of people entering the house. Let’s...

Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera (Presence) gets upgraded with Siren – Pre-order now for £319.99

by James Smythe | May 28, 2020 | CCTV, News, Smart Home | 0

I reviewed the Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera (formerly Netatmo Presence) just over a year ago, and it has been one of the best surveillance cameras I have reviewed, and I still use it today. Netatmo was one of, if not the first companies to offer AI object detection with their camera, the indoor one is smart enough to recognise peoples faces, while the outdoor one will recognise people in general, animals, cars and normal motion. This allows the camera to send far more accurate alerts to you while still recording general motion. It was also one of the first...

D-Link Smart Full HD Wi-Fi Camera Review – A home automation indoor camera with AI person detection

by James Smythe | Feb 14, 2020 | Reviews, Smart Home | 0

The D-Link Smart Full HD Wi-Fi Camera is the latest smart home camera from D-Link that can be integrated with the mydlink app. mydlink is compatible with a growing number of devices, I have already reviewed the mini smart plug at the end of last year and also the wire-free outdoor camera kit almost a year ago. There are then several other indoor cameras including Pan & Tilt options as well as motion sensors and a Water Leak Sensor. So the mydlink ecosystem is slowly growing into a comprehensive smart home solution. D-Link DCS-8325LH - Smart Full HD Wi-Fi...

The best network video recorders (NVR) for CCTV home surveillance cameras including 4K, ONVIF, POE

by James Smythe | Feb 5, 2020 | CCTV, Gift Guides & Shopping, Smart Home | 0

I am a big fan of outdoor IP home surveillance cameras; I personally think they are one of the best deterrents for thieves and criminal behaviour on your property, and in the event of something happening, you have some video footage to show the police or insurance companies. Many of the wire-free surveillance cameras I have reviewed use cloud recording or record to microSD, but if you want the best solution recording to a network video recorder is by far the best option. Some Wi-Fi cameras can do this, both Ezviz and Reolink have options for it, but you...

The Best Colour Night Vision Home Surveillance Security Cameras for 2020 – Starlight CCTV cameras

by James Smythe | Jan 28, 2020 | CCTV, Gift Guides & Shopping | 0

In recent years, one of the big improvements in home surveillance is the availability of cameras that can record video at night in full colour Starlight Vs Darkfighter Darkfighter is specific to Hikvision cameras and these are able to provide full-colour images up to 0.002 lux, and black and white up to 0.0002. Starlight is a term that has been adopted by many other brands to indicate colour night vision, in these cases, they are nearly always using the Sony Starvis range of sensors. The quality of these sensors varies so starlight cameras can fit multiple budgets. H.VIEW Security...

Annke I91BF 4K 8MP POE IP Security camera Review – An affordable 4K POE CCTV camera suitable for home users wanting improved performance over wireless CCTV

by James Smythe | Jan 20, 2020 | CCTV, Reviews, Smart Home | 0

Annke is a popular, affordable IP CCTV brand that you can buy on Amazon. They generally sell their hardware as a system and you can pick up four of these cameras, an 8-channel NVR and 2TB hard drive for £489.99 on Amazon with an option for an additional £56 off. Alternatively, you can buy this camera by itself for £89.00. ANNKE 4K HD 8CH POE Security CCTV System 4X 8MP Four Times 1080P IP Camera Support Ultra Digitally Zoom In,2.8mm Wide Angle,IP67 Weartherproof,Built in 2TB HDD For 24/7 Continuous Recording £489.99 Buy on Amazon Sale ANNKE C800 4K/8MP H.265+...

Netatmo Smart Door Lock vs Yale Conexis L1 vs Nuki Smart Lock 2.0 vs Danalock V3 – What is the best smart lock for UK euro lock multipoint uPVC doors

by James Smythe | Jan 7, 2020 | News, CES, Smart Home | 0

Netatmo is the latest company to enter the smart lock market with the innovatively named Smart Door Lock and Keys. While there are a lot of products on the market, the big names such as August are designed for deadlocks only, but in the UK for our uPVC doors, we use multi-point locks with a euro cylinder. Design & Installation The Netatmo Smart Door Lock is basically one big cylinder that comes in one size and can be adjusted to fit any euro-cylinder lock, it should be one of the easiest solutions to install and get working properly. The...

Ring Smart Alarm vs Yale Sync Smart Home Alarm vs Somfy Home Alarm vs Simplisafe vs Netatmo – Which is the Best Smart Alarm in the UK

by James Smythe | Nov 10, 2019 | News, Smart Home | 0

With Ring Smart Alarm finally launching in the UK, the smart alarm market is starting to gain some traction. For me, smart home security is one of the best aspects of the smart home trend. I have Amazon Alexa, I have tried Google assistant, I have smart plugs and smart lights, but I think it is the security orientated devices that will have the most significant benefit for users. While I love all the other smart tech I have, most of it provides a mild convenience, and a lot of it borders on a gimmick. While Alexa has become...

Ring Alarm finally comes to the UK for £249.00 – Home Security System with optional Assisted Monitoring

by James Smythe | Oct 26, 2019 | News, Smart Home | 0

Apart from security cameras, smart home security products have been slow to take off, in particular in the UK we have had a very limited selection of devices. Yale is the main company that sells both smart locks and a smart home security system. Simplisafe launched their home security system a few months ago in the UK, and I found it to be an excellent option but it requires a monthly subscription to make the most of it. Ring launched their Alarm system in the States quite a while ago now, complimenting their ever-growing selection of security cameras, and...

Ezviz Floodlight 1080P Wired Camera Review

by James Smythe | Jul 11, 2019 | Reviews, CCTV, Smart Home | 0

It is safe to say that the home security camera market is a little saturated nowadays. Things seemed to escalate quickly when cheap IP CCTV cameras came to the market, and I still use the Ezviz EZ-C3S-Wi-Fi today. Once companies like Arlo introduced wire-free solutions, the market boomed, it was now affordable and easy to install your home CCTV with no DIY skills at all. To remain relevant companies have expanded their options to include a variety of features. Doorbell cams such as Ring are a recent trend, 4K cameras are becoming increasingly popular, plus AI object detection, I...

Nuki Smart Lock 2.0 Review – An excellent smart lock to fit most doors with Alexa and HomeKit support

by James Smythe | May 28, 2019 | Smart Home | 0

Smart door locks have been a little slow to take off in the UK. In the US they have had August for years, but that is only compatible with the less secure deadbolt style locks. In the UK, with our multi-point locks, the best solution has been the Yale Conexis L1, which is excellent and surprisingly affordable. The problem is that it requires you to change the entire lock and handle. Nuki launched a couple of years ago, but they are new to me, and recently they launched their Nuki Smart Lock 2.0 which aims to eliminate mounting incompatibilities....

Tag: Home Security