Home Security Systems Review

Theft is a constant concern for the average homeowner or small business. Companies and families around the world are employing increasingly powerful measures to deter these crimes and now with home security systems, you can too. These highly versatile and useful home security solutions can offer valuable protection to your family, your home and your business. At TopTenREVIEWS, we rank and compare the best home security systems to help you find the right choice for you.

At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™

Home Security Systems: What to Look For

A home surveillance system is a sensitive purchase, requiring knowledge of the available systems and their capabilities as well as an accurate understanding of your own needs. From the smallest dome camera to the most sophisticated bullet home security camera, we’ve identified the products with the greatest power and highest flexibility. We identified four important rating criteria (described below) that we used to place the Lorex, SVAT and Security Labs systems at the head of the pack. For additional information, read our articles on home security systems.

Camera Features
The individual home security cameras included in these residential security systems include a basic set of essential features, incorporating color with black and white recording functions, infrared LEDs for night vision monitoring and motion sensors for selective recording. A high-resolution camera will give the best picture quality, helping you to identify critical aspects of the video feed. Whether you’re protecting your business from thieves or looking to catch the neighborhood vandal in the act, a high-quality home security camera is essential.

Recording & Viewing Options
A fully-featured DVR (digital video recorder) is crucial for functional home security systems. A large hard drive and various compression capabilities contribute to the quality of the recording system. However, just as important as the recording capabilities are the methods by which you can view the recordings. For this, we looked at the TV and VGA connectors for television sets and computer monitors, mobile apps and network transferrable feeds, which allow you to access the video stream from any location with an internet connection. We considered all of these factors when placing these home security systems on our comparison.

Ease of Use
An effective home surveillance system should be easy to set up and operate. Placing the cameras around your home or business and connecting the wiring should be a simple process that is well-documented by the user manual and FAQs section. The systems we collected and compared for our lineup exhibit intuitive setup and simple navigation.

Help & Support
It is essential to have helpful, knowledgeable customer support behind the product you purchase. Manufactured items can be prone to defects and malfunctions, making a warranty—even a limited one—crucial to a high-quality product. In our research, we looked for home security systems that offered a warranty, telephone and email support, a user manual, a helpful FAQs section, and live chat options.

The best home security systems on the market are those that incorporate powerful cameras, a wide variety of recording and viewing options, are easy to use and demonstrate exceptional customer service. We researched each of the products on our comparison with these key factors in mind, bringing to you a comprehensive guide that will help you find the best home surveillance system for your needs.