In autumn and winter, when it gets dark early, surveillance cameras are useful to keep an eye on backyards, garages and front doors while you are still sitting in the office. In addition, the cameras can also be used as a cat cam to see what the house tiger is up to. But a small surveillance camera can be useful not only in the darker months of the year – you can always keep an eye on your home when you are on vacation.
If you want, you can also use the surveillance cameras as the basis of a complete smart home, for example to be able to open front doors for the children from a distance, switch on the light, make an emergency call and much more.
In the following list we show you three top products from our practical tests. If you are looking for more detailed information on the individual surveillance cameras or general tips and advice, you should take a look at our detailed purchase advice. Below the table we show you what you have to observe legally.
Where can I film?
Basically, you are only allowed to film on your private property. This means that parts of the neighboring property, the sidewalk or the street cannot be seen in the picture. If you are filming other people here, it violates the right to informational self-determination (more on the subject: Section 6b of the Federal Data Protection Act, “Observation of publicly accessible rooms with optical-electronic facilities). In addition, all recordings are for private use only and may not be published without the consent of the persons concerned, for example if friends and acquaintances were filmed at the door.
You can use recordings of your property to collect evidence, for example if you have been a victim of vandalism and fear another act.