As a home owner you are always concerned about the safety of your loved ones and also of all the precious goods and artifacts inside your home. We live in a world where you wake up every morning reading stories of burglary and break-ins. Traditional security mechanisms such as double locks don’t work anymore as criminals have become smarter.
One thing that is known to thwart such criminal activities is the use of security cameras at home. It not only keeps criminals at bay but also captures evidence in case of an attempted break-in. Like most home owners you may have already installed webcams but are you using the best security software along with it.
At the heart of every webcam security system is its software. It is the brain behind the system and determines how effectively you can use it. You can purchase the costliest hardware available in the market but if you don’t have good software to run it the effectiveness of your system remains limited. The stock software that you got for free with your camera would let you explore on its basic functions and features. Advanced security software on the other hand is designed to be a force multiplier which turns your cameras into an intelligent security tool one that can go beyond merely panning and zooming upon a pre-defined area. Investing on such software improves your home security and offers you peace of mind.
But with dozens of Security Software coming up with every Google search how does one choose the best? Do you go by price alone? You shouldn’t as the most experience software need not be the best. What you need to look for are the features and functionalities that the software offers you. It is not about the number of features but about the practicality and usefulness. Here we take a look at some of the features that you must look for when you are choosing security software for your home –
# Focus on Specific Areas Not all parts of your home is equally vulnerable. Or in other words certain parts of your home that is being covered by your web camera are of more interest to you. For instance a criminal isn’t likely to break-in through a concrete wall and rather target access points such as doors and windows. In technical term this could be termed as Region of Interest. Software that allows you to focus on specific areas is what you need. This is one of the most important features that you need to look for when you are choosing software to run your cameras. With the use of this feature the detection capabilities of your camera multiplies and it allows you to secure some of the most vulnerable areas of your home.
# Tripwire Kind Functionality
You know what a tripwire is; you may have already seen enough of it in Hollywood movies. But did you know that you can make use of your camera to have tripwire kind of functionality in your home? Don’t be scared as unlike Hollywood movies this wouldn’t ignite a blast or electrical shocks! The working mechanism of this is pretty simple. Your software would draw virtual lines on your property. Whenever a person or an object crosses these virtual lines you would receive an alert on your desktop of smartphone app for you to act upon. You can immediately take note of what has happened in the area. It could just be your kid or your pet who has ventured into an area of your home they are not supposed to or it could be an intruder. This feature keeps your loved ones out of harm’s way.
# Regular Surveillance
Criminals have become extremely smart these days. They don’t strike a property just randomly anymore and much like your security system they also carry out surveillance before striking a property. From noting down regular activities at homes to keeping a close eye on the time you leave and come back to your home they would be keeping a close watch on you. To secure your home you need to be a step ahead and keep close watch on such people. Good security software should allow you to keep close watch on people who are regularly loitering around your property and carrying out activities that look suspicious. This will allow you to take necessary measures to strengthen the security at home or getting in touch with law enforcement agencies.
# Smart Playback
As someone who has a camera system installed you would know how painstaking it can be to playback the recordings. It is humanly impossible for you to check every second of the footage that has been recorded by your camera especially when you have multiple cameras installed in your home. Have you every wished if there was a way in which you could checkout only the highlights like you do for sports events which you don’t get to watch live. Good security software does it for you. All the recorded footage would be smartly categorized for you. Motion detections would be separated from tripwire kind of recordings. It works exactly like a highlights package where you get to review all the important things that the camera has captured while you were not at home. This allows you to take complete stock of security at your home including any events that you need to be aware of you. You’ll never miss out on anything important that goes on in your home.
You need to keep these things in mind when it comes to choosing the best webcam security software for your home. This will allow you to get maximum performance out of the security camera system that you install in your home. As the famous saying goes it is better to be safe than sorry and as a home owner the safety and security of your home along with all who live inside it and all the belongings you have is completely in your hands. So make the right choice and enjoy complete peace of mind. Also, place automatic trash can in your home to make your life smarter and cleaner.
Ophir stainfeld for the last 10 years I have specialized in video streaming, video analytic and intrusion systems. I have given consultancy to major installation of intrusion detection systems around the world and also consultancy for creating new systems for integrating IP camera software for windows within intrusion detection systems.