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As the nights draw in and fall gives way to winter, it’s worth thinking about how smart home devices can protect your household. Whether you are worried about porch pirates snagging holiday packages or burglars breaking in when you are away visiting relatives, there are some simple ways to make them think twice. You may even already have the gadgets you need to pull off a Home Alone–style burglar deterrent.
Home security isn’t just about utilizing the best indoor or outdoor security cameras and video doorbells. You can also employ smart lighting, bulbs, and smart speakers with software automations to dissuade thieves. Here are a few tips to help you stay safe this holiday season and beyond.
Security Cameras and Video Doorbells
There is solid evidence that security cameras help solve crimes. How effective they are as a deterrent is less clear, though burglars prefer to avoid them, and the police recommend them. Visibility is crucial if you want the sight of a camera to put an intruder off. They should be in spots that are difficult to reach or at least tough to approach without being caught on camera. Install and angle them to capture people’s faces as clearly as possible.
A camera won’t stop a determined intruder though. They can cover their face, put a hood up, or find a way to disable the device. There’s also a risk with local storage that the intruder steals the camera or breaks in and takes or destroys the video. Secure mounts can make cameras harder to remove or damage. Subscription costs can be off-putting, but if your security camera records to the cloud, intruders can’t get at the footage. Either way, you need to set the camera to alert you when it detects motion so you can investigate.
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If you don’t mind paying for a subscription, I like the Arlo Pro 5 ($200) (9/10, WIRED Recommends) and the Google Nest Cam Outdoor ($180). Both offer reliable and configurable alerts that make it easy to minimize false positives without missing anything important. If you prefer to keep things local, the TP-Link Tapo C420S2 ($150) is worth a look, and you get two cameras plus an indoor storage hub that doubles as a chime.
Indoor cameras may not deter folks from breaking in, but they can alert you to problems and potentially scare intruders away. The Cync Indoor Smart Camera ($66) is a good option. Video doorbells are a great way to keep tabs on your porch, and many of them now have package detection, which is handy if you’re able to go and pick the package up or ask a neighbor to take it in before a porch pirate spots it. Google’s Nest Doorbell ($150) is our favorite, and I have more recommendations here.
For indoor or outdoor security cameras, the spots to cover are the entryways or potential entry points like ground-floor windows. Outside, consider your garage, shed, and fuse box. I have a guide on how to buy a security camera you can trust, but in short, ensure it has two-factor authentication (2FA), video is end-to-end encrypted, and pick brands you recognize.
Outdoor Smart Lighting
Thieves prefer to work under the cover of darkness, so it’s a good idea to use motion-activated lights for areas like your porch, garage, and side or back doors. If you use smart bulbs in outdoor fixtures, you can set up motion sensors or use your security cameras or video doorbell to trigger them when people approach. You might also want to schedule your outdoor lights to turn on automatically when you typically arrive home to make it easier to get safely inside.
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I love the Eve Motion Sensor ($50). It works indoors or out, supports Matter, and is responsive and reliable. But the best kit for you depends on what you already have. Philips Hue offers a wide range of bulbs, outdoor fixtures, and an outdoor motion sensor. If you have Wyze gear, the Wyze Bulb ($23 for 2-Pack) is a very affordable, bright white bulb.
Some of our favorite security cameras also come equipped with floodlights. The Arlo Floodlight Outdoor Security Camera ($215) goes up to 3,000 lumens, enough to illuminate a driveway or garden, and doesn’t require electrical wiring, making it easy to install. The Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro ($150) is a more affordable option that also offers 3,000 lumens and has a wide 180-degree field-of-view, but you may need an electrician to install it safely, and there’s no Apple HomeKit support.
The Eve Outdoor Cam ($250) is an option for Apple users seeking a HomeKit camera, though it is pricey and only goes up to 1,500 lumens. If you prefer Google, the Google Nest Cam with Floodlight ($280) is worth considering and tops out at a respectable 2,400 lumens. It’s worth noting that many outdoor security cameras come equipped with less powerful spotlights that can be triggered by motion.
Indoor Smart Lighting
A home shrouded in darkness is a clear signal that no one is inside, but leaving a light permanently on can also tip your hand to would-be thieves. Luckily, smart lighting can mimic an occupied household. Philips Hue even has special automations that use your smart lights to make it look like you are home. You can find this option in the Hue app if you open the Automations tab, tap the plus icon, and choose Mimic Presence. There is also a TV mimicking option in the Hue Labs formula list.
A few other smart lighting manufacturers have similar modes. For example, Wyze has a Vacation Mode toggle in the Settings for its bulbs. But even if your chosen smart lights don’t have a specific mode for when you are away, they can usually be scheduled. By having a few lights turn on and off to mimic your typical routine, you can give anyone watching the house the impression that you are at home. You can have main lights in certain rooms turn on for the whole evening (perhaps from 6 pm to 11 pm) and maybe schedule bedroom lights for an hour (11 pm to midnight) when you typically turn in.
If you don’t have smart lighting, you can get similar scheduling options by using smart plugs to turn regular lamps on and off. The TP-Link Kasa Mini Smart Plug EP10 ($10) is our favorite and has an Away mode that turns the plug on and off randomly during the time you choose to fool would-be burglars.
Sirens and Other Sounds
Noises are often effective in scaring away intruders too. Many security cameras and video doorbells have loud sirens you can trigger. If you get a motion alert when you are away from home and see a suspicious character lurking, then activating the siren might be enough to scare them away. You can also sometimes configure sirens to go off automatically if they determine someone is loitering, but false positives can be a pain.
Barking dogs are another potential deterrent for intruders, but you don’t necessarily need to have a canine chum in the home. You can trigger your Echo speakers to play dog barking sounds when a connected outdoor security camera spots someone or set automatic lights for when you are away for longer. You might even consider scheduling smart speakers to play podcasts or music when you’re away to give the impression people are home. I have guides on creating Alexa routines, Siri shortcuts, and Google Home routines. A smart plug with a radio or TV could achieve a similar effect.
Security Systems and Sensors
The gold standard of security is a remotely monitored 24/7 system, but these are expensive. If you want a security system you can configure yourself, consider something like SimpliSafe (9/10, WIRED Recommends). It offers a range of sensors, cameras, detectors, number pads, and a hub, and you can pick and choose what you need.
You can also piece together a system of your own. I have covered cameras, lights, and motion sensors already, but you may also want to snag some simple contact sensors for doors and windows. I like Aqara’s sensors ($18) as they connect using the Zigbee standard, but they need a hub, such as the pan and tilt Aqara Camera Hub G3 ($110). These sensors are ideal for ground-floor windows and doors, but the range is good enough to fit them on garage and shed doors too.
Now that you have your home sorted, check out our picks of the Best Personal Safety Devices, Apps, and Wearables to keep you safe and secure anywhere.
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