Smart home security

What you need for a complete security setup

Start with the entry points. A video doorbell covers the front door, where most deliveries and visitors arrive, while indoor and outdoor cameras cover driveways, back doors, and key rooms. Smart locks replace keys with codes, fingerprints, or app access and create a log of who entered and when.

Sensors fill the gaps cameras cannot. Door and window sensors confirm whether an entry point is open or closed, motion sensors trigger lights and recordings when someone moves through a space, and vibration sensors catch tampering on windows, safes, or garage doors. Layered together, these categories remove the blind spots that a single camera leaves behind.

An alarm system ties the sensors together. Its base station arms and disarms the house from a keypad, a key fob, or the app, sounds a built-in siren when a sensor trips, and can hand the alert to a professional monitoring center. Kits usually ship with the base station, a keypad, a few door and window sensors, and a motion sensor, so they are the quickest way to cover a whole home at once.

Local versus cloud, and why it matters

Many security products record to the cloud, which is convenient but ties your footage and alerts to a subscription and a working internet connection. Products that record locally to a microSD card or a hub keep footage on your property and keep working during outages, which matters most for the devices guarding your entries.

When privacy is a priority, look for cameras with on device person and package detection so video never leaves your network, and choose locks and sensors that run on local protocols like Zigbee, Z-Wave, or Thread paired with a hub you control.