 Like so many gadgets of the past half decade, security cameras have gotten smart. Typically, a smart home appliance means you get a mobile app to tinker with some settings, and maybe some light automation. Perhaps an Alexa integration, if you're lucky. But do you really need a camera in your home that knows it's your dog and not your kid, or that can tell the difference between you or your spouse? That all depends on why you're interested in a home security camera, what you think you're going to use it for, and how many people in your household you're trying to keep tabs on. Given that criteria, the best indoor home security camera for most people isn't necessarily the smartest, and it's definitely not the most expensive, but it covers most bases at a reasonable price, and it allows you to add more features through a cheap monthly cloud subscription. That device is the Amazon Cloud Cam. For $119, it's cheaper than most competing cameras, and what you get for the money is almost as good as devices nearly three times the price. The camera itself is easy to set up and pretty no-frills. It has night vision, and it can record and store HD footage up to 24 hours into the past, or farther back if you have Amazon's monthly subscription. It also has two-way talk and audio recording. There are some downsides. The image quality isn't the greatest, and you get a fair deal of graininess and noise, especially when you use the Cloud Cam's zoom feature. And unlike Nest cameras, the Cloud Cam doesn't continuously record. It only saves clips when it detects people or motion. One big plus, the app is way less cluttered than those from Nest, Netgear, and others. It's just three screens, an account management panel, a live video feed, and then a list of settings. There are some compromises you have to make with the Cloud Cam beyond just picture quality. The camera on its own will only do motion detection. If you pay for Amazon's $699 monthly subscription, you get people detection, which means it can differentiate between humans and pets. But unlike cameras from Nest, the Cloud Cam cannot do facial recognition. So that means you'll get constant notifications if you have the Cloud Cam facing a busy part of your home, like the living room or the kitchen. If you do pay for Amazon's monthly subscription, you get a feature called Zones, which lets you section off parts of what the camera sees to tell it to ignore activity in that area. So I don't think people are really losing out on too much, and the AI shortcomings aren't enough to tank our recommendation. For $119 and all the additional features you get with Amazon's subscription plan, the Cloud Cam is the most capable camera for its price. If you're looking for something a little pricier but higher quality and much, much smarter, Nest's top-of-the-line Nest Cam IQ is a solid buy. The Nest Cam IQ records in HD, and it comes with night vision and a lot of the other standard bells and whistles. But its picture quality is stellar, with a 4K sensor with HDR to account for changes in light. It also has a powerful microphone array and speaker, so with Google Assistant built in, the Nest Cam IQ doubles as a mini Google Home. And unlike the Amazon Cloud Cam, the Nest Cam IQ continuously records, so you can scroll through a day's events with the flick of a finger. Where the Nest Cam IQ really stands out though is in its AI features. Unlike the standard Nest Cam, this model knows when it sees a person and not just a pet, no subscription required. If you purchase the Nest Aware subscription, which starts at $5 a month in scales depending on your video storage needs, you get what Nest calls Familiar Face Alerts that lets the camera recognize people. You can even go into the mobile app and train it to recognize certain faces and to create profiles for people so it remembers them later. That said, at $299, the Nest Cam IQ is really pricey, and you need to ask yourself if those AI features are really worth it. Someone like me who lives in an apartment and doesn't have kids or a lot of people coming in and out all the time, it's a bit overkill. Also, I found the Nest Cam IQ to be a bit too sensitive on the AI front. It kept asking if it recognized the faces of actors it saw on my TV screen. But if you have a larger house and a bigger family, and you want to know when your kids come home from school or where the dog is or whether it's the babysitter or burglar entering your home, the Nest Cam IQ can handle all of that. Plus, it's a really nicely designed gadget. There are a lot of really solid devices out there that will do a majority of the tasks most people are looking for. And almost every brand lets you link multiple cameras together. But there are a few shortcomings and compromises here and there that made it so other devices didn't make the cut. For instance, the Netgear Arlo Q has a ton of customization settings and a lot of features you'd find in a more professional-grade security camera, like using geofencing to arm and disarm the camera and scheduling recording times. But it lacks any kind of smart AI features to tell people from pets or to do any kind of facial recognition. It does have motion detection, but I found that the system registered a lot of false positives, pushing me to limit notifications. The Logitech Circle 2 has an ultra-wide viewing angle and a pretty fully featured mobile app. But to get people detection, you're going to need to purchase the premium $10 a month subscription service. The camera is weatherproof, so you can use it outside, and it also integrates well with Alexa, HomeKit, and Google Assistant. But it's more geared for people who want a camera for outdoor surveillance purposes. Truth be told, security cameras are pretty spartan gadgets. Most people don't need fancy AI perks like facial recognition or super-featured mobile apps. They buy security cameras for peace of mind, and for that reason, the Amazon Cloud Cam is the best camera for most people. At $120, it leaves enough in the bank to buy more than one. And down the line, the camera is bound to get even smarter as Amazon upgrades the software and makes its Alexa digital assistant even more advanced.
 Like so many gadgets of the past half decade, security cameras have gotten smart.
 Typically, a smart home appliance means you get a mobile app to tinker with some settings,
 and maybe some light automation.
 Perhaps an Alexa integration, if you're lucky.
 But do you really need a camera in your home that knows it's your dog and not your kid,
 or that can tell the difference between you or your spouse?
 That all depends on why you're interested in a home security camera, what you think
 you're going to use it for, and how many people in your household you're trying to keep tabs on.
 Given that criteria, the best indoor home security camera for most people isn't necessarily
 the smartest, and it's definitely not the most expensive, but it covers most bases at
 a reasonable price, and it allows you to add more features through a cheap monthly cloud subscription.
 That device is the Amazon Cloud Cam.
 For $119, it's cheaper than most competing cameras, and what you get for the money is
 almost as good as devices nearly three times the price.
 The camera itself is easy to set up and pretty no-frills.
 It has night vision, and it can record and store HD footage up to 24 hours into the past,
 or farther back if you have Amazon's monthly subscription.
 It also has two-way talk and audio recording.
 There are some downsides.
 The image quality isn't the greatest, and you get a fair deal of graininess and noise,
 especially when you use the Cloud Cam's zoom feature.
 And unlike Nest cameras, the Cloud Cam doesn't continuously record.
 It only saves clips when it detects people or motion.
 One big plus, the app is way less cluttered than those from Nest, Netgear, and others.
 It's just three screens, an account management panel, a live video feed, and then a list
 of settings.
 There are some compromises you have to make with the Cloud Cam beyond just picture quality.
 The camera on its own will only do motion detection.
 If you pay for Amazon's $699 monthly subscription, you get people detection, which means it can
 differentiate between humans and pets.
 But unlike cameras from Nest, the Cloud Cam cannot do facial recognition.
 So that means you'll get constant notifications if you have the Cloud Cam facing a busy part
 of your home, like the living room or the kitchen.
 If you do pay for Amazon's monthly subscription, you get a feature called Zones, which lets
 you section off parts of what the camera sees to tell it to ignore activity in that area.
 So I don't think people are really losing out on too much, and the AI shortcomings aren't
 enough to tank our recommendation.
 For $119 and all the additional features you get with Amazon's subscription plan, the Cloud
 Cam is the most capable camera for its price.
 If you're looking for something a little pricier but higher quality and much, much smarter,
 Nest's top-of-the-line Nest Cam IQ is a solid buy.
 The Nest Cam IQ records in HD, and it comes with night vision and a lot of the other standard
 bells and whistles.
 But its picture quality is stellar, with a 4K sensor with HDR to account for changes
 in light.
 It also has a powerful microphone array and speaker, so with Google Assistant built in,
 the Nest Cam IQ doubles as a mini Google Home.
 And unlike the Amazon Cloud Cam, the Nest Cam IQ continuously records, so you can scroll
 through a day's events with the flick of a finger.
 Where the Nest Cam IQ really stands out though is in its AI features.
 Unlike the standard Nest Cam, this model knows when it sees a person and not just a pet,
 no subscription required.
 If you purchase the Nest Aware subscription, which starts at $5 a month in scales depending
 on your video storage needs, you get what Nest calls Familiar Face Alerts that lets
 the camera recognize people.
 You can even go into the mobile app and train it to recognize certain faces and to create
 profiles for people so it remembers them later.
 That said, at $299, the Nest Cam IQ is really pricey, and you need to ask yourself if those
 AI features are really worth it.
 Someone like me who lives in an apartment and doesn't have kids or a lot of people coming
 in and out all the time, it's a bit overkill.
 Also, I found the Nest Cam IQ to be a bit too sensitive on the AI front.
 It kept asking if it recognized the faces of actors it saw on my TV screen.
 But if you have a larger house and a bigger family, and you want to know when your kids
 come home from school or where the dog is or whether it's the babysitter or burglar
 entering your home, the Nest Cam IQ can handle all of that.
 Plus, it's a really nicely designed gadget.
 There are a lot of really solid devices out there that will do a majority of the tasks
 most people are looking for.
 And almost every brand lets you link multiple cameras together.
 But there are a few shortcomings and compromises here and there that made it so other devices
 didn't make the cut.
 For instance, the Netgear Arlo Q has a ton of customization settings and a lot of features
 you'd find in a more professional-grade security camera, like using geofencing to arm and disarm
 the camera and scheduling recording times.
 But it lacks any kind of smart AI features to tell people from pets or to do any kind
 of facial recognition.
 It does have motion detection, but I found that the system registered a lot of false
 positives, pushing me to limit notifications.
 The Logitech Circle 2 has an ultra-wide viewing angle and a pretty fully featured mobile app.
 But to get people detection, you're going to need to purchase the premium $10 a month
 subscription service.
 The camera is weatherproof, so you can use it outside, and it also integrates well with
 Alexa, HomeKit, and Google Assistant.
 But it's more geared for people who want a camera for outdoor surveillance purposes.
 Truth be told, security cameras are pretty spartan gadgets.
 Most people don't need fancy AI perks like facial recognition or super-featured mobile
 apps.
 They buy security cameras for peace of mind, and for that reason, the Amazon Cloud Cam
 is the best camera for most people.
 At $120, it leaves enough in the bank to buy more than one.
 And down the line, the camera is bound to get even smarter as Amazon upgrades the software
 and makes its Alexa digital assistant even more advanced.