What is a good home security CCTV camera in India to watch my kids while I am at the office?

1. Well, what you need is an IP camera and not CCTV camera, besides CCTV camerascomes with NVR (network video recorder) these days but still, if the purpose is to keep an eye on kids when you are not around; you should go for IP camera. Still for the context of this question, I will explain both - CCTV and IP camera, video doorbell: CCTV Camera: The most common ones, cheapest too. Good for large departmental stores, large shops, public places where surveillance is required, so the public in general behave in a civilized way (not just robbers and thieves)! It provides a psychological defence. For example, a person is more likely to pee on someone’s garden wall or steal a lightbulb if he thinks that no one is going to notice. A lot of people even install a dummy camera to create same psychological effect. But it’s not really for homes, even as a deterrent! They are less than effective on thieves due to multiple reasons 1) A thief may not care if his face will be recorded as he does not have a social reputation to keep. 2) He can simply wear a mask. 3) By cutting the power supply, It can be made useless; CCTV cameras usually don’t come with battery backup. 4) A thief may just as well decide to take the DVR with him, once the job is done!

2. So, in summary, CCTV cameras are very useful for community areas, large shops, Malls, and anywhere with a lots of people but not so useful if you are looking for to secure your home. IP Camera: The next most common device. Quite useful. You can see what is going on inside or outside your home security from anywhere using your mobile phone. Video quality is much better than CCTV and no wiring required. So all in all seems like a good choice. You can buy one from amazon or flipkart and install it yourself. It’s also quite useful if you have elderly at home, or small babies who need constant attention or if you just want to ensure that your new maid is doing her job properly when you are not around! It’s like a pair of extra eyes inside your home, sounds all good ? right? But be very careful what you wish for! Think about it, Google Nest IP camera costs about USD 300, that’s like INR 22000, Ring (an amazon owned company) camera costs about the same, on the other hand, you have typical china made cameras with more features which are sold at amazon or flipkart for just INR 2000–3000, with hundreds of good reviews! (Typically these camera comes with mobile apps like yoosee, IPC360, smartlife, 360eye, toosee or some funny sounding name) So why do Ring or Google or any good western brand cost so much more? Is it because they look better? Or build quality is better? Or the brand value? Or some other features like alexa or echo integration? The answer is - It’s because these companies ensure privacy! you can be sure that no one else is peaking into your camera, the company itself is not collecting all the video feeds into their server.

3. Read this to get some more context about privacy issue with China’s IP cameras: China's surveillance tech is spreading globally, raising concerns about Beijing's influence So, my suggestion is, if you need one where privacy doesn’t matter, knock yourself out and buy anyone with good reviews from amazon. It will last sometime and once its broken, replace it with another cheap one... there are like 100 options! But if you are buying to use inside your home, need a long life, post sale support, and peace of mind that no one is looking inside your home, then go for a good one. Ring, Google Nest, Hipcam.. something like that will do; it will cost significantly more but will give you the peace of mind and much better experience overall. Oh and you can get some more info about or get a live demo here: Home Security System India