An empty home happens every day
You go away on holiday for a week. You stack up appointments away from home on the two days a week you work remotely. You leave your cat alone for a working day. In every case, the question is the same: is everything all right at home right now? SentinHome's WiFi indoor security camera meets that simple need: being able to check on your home without having to go back to look.
Burglaries are not limited to the big summer departures
Burglary is often pictured as something tied to the summer holidays. The figures tell a different story. In 2022, 211,400 burglaries or attempted burglaries of homes were recorded in France, or 5.8 per 1,000 homes, with a higher risk in large cities than in rural areas. Above all, two thirds of the targeted homes were unoccupied at the time.
What matters is whether the home is empty, not the season. A home can be empty at any time of year: an evening out, a day at the office, a weekend with friends. It is these ordinary absences, far more frequent than a holiday departure, that make a simple way of checking that everything is normal at home useful.
Checking that everything is fine while you are away
This is the most direct use of an indoor camera: viewing your home remotely through the manufacturer's app (iPhone compatible). Before leaving on holiday, a quick look reassures you that the door is properly closed or that nothing unusual has happened. On a remote-work day spent on the move, it lets you check that a delivery has arrived or that a window left ajar has not caused a problem. Infrared night vision, up to 10 metres, lets you see the room even in complete darkness.
Keeping an eye on a pet left alone
A cat left alone for several hours, a dog that copes badly with being alone, a new pet still settling in: the camera lets you discreetly check that everything is going normally, without having to come home early or ask a neighbour to drop by. It is a very practical use, far from the "anti-burglary" image that comes to mind first, but it is often the reason people who install this kind of camera use it most day to day.
Having evidence if a break-in occurs
If a break-in does happen, the camera takes on another role: that of a witness. When it detects motion, it sets off an audible alarm on site, and the footage recorded on its microSD card (not included) can then serve as concrete evidence to attach to a report to the police or your home insurer. This camera does not send notifications to your phone: to be alerted remotely as soon as a door or window opens, pair it with a WiFi open sensor.
What the French data protection authority (CNIL) says about a camera at home
An indoor camera is still a device that films a living space, which calls for a few simple precautions. The CNIL points out that a private individual may only film the inside of their own property, never the public street or a neighbour's home. It adds an often-overlooked obligation: people who work in your home, such as a housekeeper, babysitter or home help, must be informed that the cameras exist and what they are for, through a notice or a clause in their contract. And these cameras must not film them continuously while they work. Rules may differ in your country.
A camera designed for simple use
The camera connects to your home's wireless network and mounts on the ceiling; it runs on mains power. The image can be viewed through the manufacturer's app on iPhone or from a Windows PC. It records to a microSD card of up to 128 GB (not included) and sets off a local alarm when it detects motion.
The matching product
The WiFi Indoor Security Camera films in 3 megapixels with infrared night vision and a local alarm, with no subscription, and comes in white and black. To compare with the outdoor version, see the cameras or the full catalogue.
Further reading
To secure the entry points themselves without any work, see our 5 no-drill solutions. For the outside of your home, the outdoor camera. And before a long absence, France's Operation Tranquillité Vacances.